Where to get on the water

Where to get on the water

Where to go

The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, the River Wye, the River Usk and Llangorse Lake are our most popular destinations for canoeing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, whitewater rafting and raft building.

Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal

Thanks to its shelter from the wind and its lack of current, the canal is an easy place for beginners to get started.

Canoes can be hired at Gilwern. If you're bringing your own, park close to the canal at Goytre Wharf (between bridges 74 & 75), Lapstone car park (adjacent to Lapstone Bridge - bridge 76), Gilwern, Church Road Wharf (bridge 104), Pencelli (bridge 155) or Brecon Basin (bridge 167).

River Wye, River Usk and smaller rivers

The best-known river access points for canoeists are Brecon Promenade on the River Usk and Glasbury or Hay-on-Wye on the River Wye. At these, you can launch your own canoe for free, hire a canoe, or join a guided paddle. Both are gentle when the water level is low, particularly the Wye, but definitely not for beginners when it's high – reddish-brown coloured water is a sign.

The highly picturesque 100-mile stretch of the River Wye from Hay-on-Wye to the Bristol Channel has year-round right of navigation and is perfect for touring.

Elsewhere on the Wye and the Usk, access is restricted according to the rules set by the Wye and Usk Foundation, which represents some riparian land-owners and fisheries. You can generally only canoe or kayak during the winter when there is no fishing and shooting, or when the rivers are in spate. The Foundation website gives clear instructions about where and when you can paddle and has webcams which show the water levels. On the Usk, you can paddle all the way from Sennybridge to Llangynidr (21 miles) and from Llangynidr to Crickhowell (5 miles).

Smaller, steeper rivers within the National Park such as the River Tawe and the River Sawdde are not currently subject to access arrangements. These are popular with experienced white water paddlers when in spate, providing exhilarating and taxing runs even for the very best paddlers. Beware of fallen trees and fences built across the stream for conservation and livestock control – you may suddenly meet one round a bend without warning.

There's a lot of information in print and online about paddling the rivers in the Brecon Beacons National Park. An excellent local paddling guide is available from our online shop and other good bookshops. The Welsh Rivers by Chris Sladden, Tom Laws and Patrick Clissold (Chris Sladden Books, 2012) and The UK Rivers Guidebook also cover the area.

The Beacons Water Trail

In 2011, the Brecon Beacons National Park and Brecon Canoe Club launched the Beacons Water Trail to encourage canoe touring on the River Usk and the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal.

The Trail currently runs from Brecon to Talybont-on-Usk.

It includes the River Usk at Brecon Promenade – a great place to try canoeing. If the weather is right, you can make your way down the river as far as Brynich Aqueduct, then transfer to the canal in order paddle back to Brecon by a different stretch of water. It's a great day out.

Alternatively, you can paddle all the way to Talybont-on-Usk and explore the canal's darker recesses – the Ashford Tunnel – but, if you do, don't forget to take a torch and watch out for oncoming  narrow boats!

The Beacons Water Trail leaflet, which includes a pictorial map of the Trail, is available free of charge from Brecon Beacons National Park visitor centres. You can also download it as a pdf in English or in Welsh.

The Beacons Water Trail forms part of the Visit Wales and Canoe Wales Lonydd Dwr / Water Ways campaign to promote canoeing for beginners and families. We were very pleased to receive support for this project from the Environment Agency Wales Splash Challenge Fund, the Brecon Beacons Trust and British Waterways.

Llangorse Lake

If you'd like to try paddling on open water, head for Llangorse Lake. There's a charge for launching here, payable annually or daily at Lakeside Boat Hire which acts as sole agent for the lake management company. There's a good variety of craft for hire here, including canoes, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards. The lake is zoned for various types of craft.

Reservoirs in the Brecon Beacons National Park

Some of our reservoirs are accessible for paddlesports, but you will need to be part of a club or organised group and get a Brecon Beacons National Park Reservoir Passport to use them. Alternatively, you can go with someone who already has a Reservoir Passport. Organised groups who are members of the South Wales Outdoor Activity Providers Group are able to obtain a One Year Reservoir Passport enabling them to canoe or kayak on any of four reservoirs – Pontsticill, Pentwyn, Usk and Beacons – with a group of up to 12 people plus their instructional team.

For visitors or infrequent users, a Seven Day Reservoir Passport will be available once during a calendar year.

Contact activity providers for details, or download a Reservoir Passport guide  and application form as a pdf here.

Please don't forget that swimming is not permitted in reservoirs in the Brecon Beacons National Park – you should not enter the water of a reservoir except when you capsize by accident, or during capsize and rescue training.

Further information

Canoe Wales (www.canoewales.com) has details of access points to help you decide where to go.

The Wye and Usk Foundation (www.wyeuskfoundation.org) has information on accessing the River Wye and the River Usk, including webcams showing current water levels.

The Canal and River Trust (www.canalrivertrust.org.uk) has information on the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal.

The Environment Agency website (www.environment-agency.gov.uk) has information on current water levels in the Brecon Beacons National Park.

Canoe clubs

Did you love your paddling experience? Would you like to get into the sport? Joining a club can be a great way to learn more and meet like-minded people.

Local clubs include Brecon Canoe Club  and Glasbury Paddlers Canoe Club.

For other clubs in the area, visit the Canoe Wales website.

Be prepared, be responsible, stay safe

For important advice on good practice and safety including the Check, Clean, Drain, Dry routine, see our be prepared and stay safe section.