Frequently Asked Questions

Through our website. Choose an experience and click ‘Book Now’ to be taken to our booking system. You can also contact us by email at [email protected] or call 07397005355. If you have a large booking of more than 16 people, please check out our group bookings page for more information. We can take group sizes of up to 100 if you give us enough notice!

Pay by credit/debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay through our online booking system.

Yes – maximum capacity for boats is 100 people. You can book group hire here.

We operate a 48-hour cancellation policy. If you cancel within 48 hours of your booked slot, you will not be entitled to a refund or reschedule.
If the river is unsafe or unsuitable for hire, we reserve the right to cancel your booking for your safety. In this situation, your booking will be saved, and you can rebook with us for another date.

We operate until conditions become unsafe. Your safety is our priority, and if our qualified team decide conditions are unsafe for hire, we will contact you and rearrange your booking.

We understand that plans can change, so our cancellation policy is designed to be fair while allowing us to run the business safely and sustainably.
Customer Cancellations
• Cancellations made more than 72 hours before your scheduled start time are eligible for: A full refund, minus a 20% administration fee, or
A free reschedule to a later date (subject to availability)
• Cancellations made within 72 hours of your booked start time are non-refundable and cannot be rescheduled.
This is because staffing, transport, and equipment will already have been allocated.
Weather & River Conditions
Your safety is our priority. If weather or river conditions mean it is unsafe or unsuitable to run your activity, we reserve the right to cancel your booking.
If we cancel due to conditions, you will be offered one of the following options:

• Reschedule your booking to a new date of your choice (subject to availability)
• Transfer the full value of your booking to a gift card
• Request a full refund

Important Notes

• Light rain or cool weather does not usually result in cancellation — activities only stop when conditions are genuinely unsafe.
• Decisions regarding safety and cancellations are made by our experienced team and are final.

If you’re unsure about conditions ahead of your booking, feel free to contact us — we’re always happy to advise.

Any person under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

At the Quarry, the minimum age is 4+, but only if there are 2 adults in the boat. If there is only one adult, it’s 10+

If you are taking part in our river trips, the minimum age for a canoe is 10+ and 13+ for a kayak.

The style of canoes we have for hire are extremely stable and are fitted with additional flotation blocks for safety. Whilst capsizing is very unlikely, it is always possible, so please ensure all of your group are water confident.

Please note: For your safety, we require you to be able to swim 25m unaided.

Although capsizes are rare, they remain a possibility!
During your safety brief, it will be explained to you what to do in the event of a capsize, in short: gather your belongings and paddles, grab hold of the rope at the end of your canoe and swim/wade to the bank. Flip your canoe the right way up and get back in!
We are always at the other end of the phone to talk you through this process and to offer assistance if necessary.

At Hire a Canoe, Montford Bridge, there is a portaloo and an outside tap for our customers to use. There is also a pub on site.
At our Shrewsbury Quarry Park site, there are public toilets nearby.

The most convenient public car park to use will be detailed in your confirmation email upon booking.

Dogs are welcome on many of our canoe activities. Please note:
Dogs are not permitted in kayaks.
Dogs must be well‑behaved, calm, and kept under control at all times.
Dogs must stay inside the canoe while on the water.
A lead is required on land.
Please bring anything your dog may need (water, treats, towel).

• We do not provide dog buoyancy aids, but you are welcome to bring your own.

If a dog becomes distressed or poses a safety risk, our team may ask that the dog doesn’t continue with the activity.

For our Montford Bridge river day trip, you get a free minibus transfer from Frankwell car park to our Montford Bridge centre. All equipment, such as buoyancy aids, paddles and canoes, is included in the price.

The Quarry canoe/kayak hire includes the canoe/kayak, paddle and buoyancy aid.

You advise wearing some form of quick-dry clothing, such as walking trousers or tracksuits. Jeans are not ideal as they take a long time to dry and become very cold and heavy when wet.
It is always a good idea to bring a spare change of clothes for your journey home. Wear sensible trainers or boots for grip in potentially slippery mud that you are happy to get wet. We do not recommend Crocs or flip-flops.

There are no pubs between Montford Bridge and The Quarry, Shrewsbury.

The meet point will be detailed in your confirmation email upon booking.

No need to worry about that! We offer free minibus transport to the launch point at the start of every booking and then you canoe back down to where your car is parked.

This is only relevant for the Monthford Bridge river day trip.

You will need a fully charged mobile phone for emergencies and a way of keeping it dry. We also recommend bringing drinking water, snacks and suncream.

You are welcome to bring a picnic on any of our routes, but please remember to take any rubbish with you.

For your safety and the safety of everyone on the river, alcohol is not permitted on any Hire a Canoe activity. Anyone found to be consuming alcohol will not be allowed to participate, and no refund or reschedule will be offered.

We understand that not everyone paddles at the same pace! For the river trips, we give you a rough guide of how long it usually takes. If you take a little longer, that’s fine, but if you notice you seem to be a long way from the finish and have already been out for the specified time, please give us a call to keep us in the loop.
If you intend to stop for a long picnic or lunch along the way, that is generally fine, just let us know beforehand and pick a launch time earlier in the day so that you can be back within our opening hours.
If you are out on the water for an unreasonably long amount of time, you may be charged a late return fee.