The Club
Based in Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, Kingfisher Canoe Club is a friendly and relaxed Club whose members paddle for enjoyment. A Registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Charity Registration Number 1170349), Kingfisher was originally formed in 1974 as a club for over-18’s, but now also has a highly active “Pathfinders” Youth Section for 11-18 years. In both the adult and youth sections we offer an open environment with progressive development opportunities, with appropriate safety and safeguarding measures in place.
Run entirely by volunteers in their spare time, the club is probably most often associated with white water kayaking, though in reality our paddling also includes open canoes, sea kayaks and more recently SUPs. Our members range in age from around 11 to well over 70 and can be found on (or in!) canals, lakes, rivers, man-made courses, seas and “tree-infested” ditches all over the UK and frequently internationally too. Special events during the year frequently include The Mince Pie Paddle, River Raffle, Ockathon and Blastathon Freestyle Competitions, Tony’s Dart Trip, BBQs and Aunt Sally.
After being based on a shared site along Wilsham Road for around 20 years, in 2021 the club relocated to a brand new base at Abingdon Lock, accessed from the road through Rye Farm Car Park (see How to Find Us under Contact section for more details). Funded with the help of donors such as Sport England, River Legacy, Christ’s Hospital Abingdon and Thames Water and made possible only through the fantastic support of the Environment Agency, this new facility includes indoor boat storage, basic changing facilities and our own launching area. As a result, the club has grown in size to over 150 members and has been able to run a greater number and variety of courses. This includes outdoor first aid, which due to the number of bandages and simulated injuries certainly creates a lot of interest from those walking along the nearby footpath!
Paddling with Kingfisher Canoe Club
A lot of regular paddling happens in the Abingdon/Sutton Courtenay area. Throughout the year we paddle from the club hut in Abingdon – Adult sessions run Wednesday evenings starting around 6.00pm in Summer (late May to October) and periodically on Sundays in Winter (October to May). Pathfinder Youth sessions run on Monday evenings, usually commencing the first Monday of the Summer school term.
In addition to the local paddling of the Thames and its weirs and backwaters, there are indoor pool sessions in Winter and a number of annual trips to rivers further afield. Rivers in Dartmoor, Wales and Scotland are regularly paddled, along with man-made whitewater courses in Northampton, Nottingham, Cardiff and outer London (Lee Valley). Offering managed flows and many features in close succession, these courses are a great opportunity for paddlers to develop their skills, tricks and confidence in a controlled environment before testing themselves on “the real thing”.
There are also numerous ‘ad-hoc’ trips arranged by members during the year such as canoe surfing, sea kayaking and trips to various rivers in the UK and further afield. There aren’t many parts of the world that members of KCC haven’t paddled and the general rule of thumb is that if you fancy paddling somewhere new or exotic, just ask. Someone in the club is bound to have been there or fancy joining you in your adventure!
Our History
Kingfisher Canoe Club (KCC) was founded in the Spring of 1974, and within 12 months had attracted a membership of 30 adults, acquired a formal constitution, affiliated to the British Canoe Union (BCU, the national governing body) and found a riverside base with the Sea Cadets at their centre in Wilsham Road. Originally founded as a club for adult paddlers, KCC relied on its own resources from the start – mainly annual subscriptions. The Club ran successfully from the Sea Cadet Headquarters for the next 12 years or so, organising national canoe slaloms at Abingdon weir pool, training courses to BCU standards, local and away day and weekend events for members and annual trips to Scotland and the continent. Following the sale for residential development of the Sea Cadet site by the Council in 1986/7, the Club found itself homeless and for the next four years operated from local car parks with a canoe store at Rye Farm. Despite this, the Club continued to prosper and run events, courses and trips.
In 1989, a paddling club for youngsters, Pathfinders Youth Canoe Club (PYCC), was founded by a few local canoeists. Later, on becoming a Registered Charity, Kingfisher Canoe Club and Pathfinders Youth Canoe Club merged, though the two clubs have retained their individual identities and have different functions and aims. However, they work together to provide facilities for canoeing of all ages in Abingdon and the surrounding area. Most of the adult instructors in the Pathfinders are individual members of KCC in their own right.
In early 2016, the club was informed that it would need to find a new home after operating from a shared site on Wilsham Road for over 25 years, beginning a search that covered over 30 possible locations, involved many hours of work and fundraising by club volunteers and lasted until 2020.
In 2021, the club proudly opened its new club hut, comprising a larger boat store and adding changing facilities, on Abingdon lock island. Ideally located near Abingdon weir for those who wish to play or develop their white water skills, and with access up and downstream on the Thames for longer flatter trips, the new hut is a great place to try kayaking, open canoeing and stand-up paddleboarding. It also offers the chance to explore Swift Ditch, once the primary route of the Thames, and the River Ock, with features such as Tesco Trolley Falls and The Ock Weir.
The new facility was only made possible through the generous support in time and funds from our members and organisations that included The National Lottery / Sport England, The River Legacy Fund, Christ’s Hospital Abingdon, The Environment Agency, Thames Water, Hogan Lovells Solicitors (London) as well as the many smaller donors who are listed by the hut entrance. We are also grateful to the local press and people of Abingdon, whose support kept our spirits up during the long and winding road to the opening of the new site in September 2021.
Today, we are again a thriving, vivacious community club with paddling taking place almost every day during the Spring and Summer months. This includes SUP and open canoe, as well as whitewater, flat water and occasional sea kayaking. We run an extensive range of courses and trips, thanks to our dedicated band of qualified volunteer coaches and leaders, and have many peer paddling activities organised by members.
If you are interested in learning more or considering joining the club please get in touch!
Paddling rivers, lakes, seas and tree infested ditches all over the world since 1974. 