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  5. Lessons and courses
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Lessons and courses

Make the most of structured courses designed to take you from beginner to advanced white water paddling. For 2026 we have developed a new structure for our courses at Lee Valley White Water Centre.

We'll be offering introductory courses, to teach participants the fundamentals, and how to be safe in Flat Water or White Water environments. From here, paddlers can make the most of drop-in style Skills Sessions to develop thier abilities. These sessions, led by one of our coaches, aim to take the foundation principles and skills learnt in our Intro Courses and build upon them. There is no pressure to commit to every week, these will all be run as unique, tailored sessions.

The Introductory Courses are a pre requisite to joining the various level skill sessions. If you've already gained training or experience elsewhere, then get in touch and we'll be happy to advise you on what level might be most appropriate for you.

Our Skills Sessions are also open to anyone who has passed a Legacy Course Assessment and are a great way to brush up on some skills, or a handy refresher for people who have been off the water for a while.

Course Location Session length Duration Price 
Intro to Flat Water Kayaking Lake 90 min 2 sessions £85
Skills session: Flat Water Kayaking Lake 60 min N/A £25
Introduction to White Water Kayaking Legacy Course 90 min 2 sessions £110
Skills session: Foundation White Water Kayaking Legacy Course 90 min N/A £30
Skills session: Developing White Water Kayaking Legacy Course 90 min N/A £30
Skills session: Legacy to Olympic Kayaking Olympic Course 60 min N/A £30

Progression Pathway

Lee Valley White Water Centre Kayaking Course Progression Pathway

Intro to Flat Water Kayaking

Discover the joy of kayaking with our beginner friendly course at Lee Valley White Water Centre.

This course is perfect for anyone with little or no previous experience. Our friendly instructors will guide you through the basics on the calm waters of our lake, helping you build confidence and control in your boat.

Over the course, we will cover skills such as; setting up and adjusting your equipment, launching and landing, efficient paddling, personal safety and self rescue. By the end of the course we aim to have everyone at a standard where they can operate safely on our lake, meaning participants can be signed off on their Lake Assessment and will be able to paddle here for themselves in the future.

These courses consist of 2 x 1.5 hour sessions:

  • Thursday or Friday evenings: 18:30-20:00 for 2 consecutive weeks
  • Saturdays or Sundays: 10:00-11:30 & 12:30-14:00 (both sessions on the same day)

Come join us at Lee Valley White Water Centre and discover the exciting world of kayaking!

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Skills Sessions: Flat Water Kayaking

Keep building your confidence and refining your paddling with our Skills Sessions at Lee Valley White Water Centre.

Led by one of our coaches, these 1 hour sessions are designed to help you progress after completing our Intro to Flat Water Kayaking Course, or if you already have some kayaking experience. Each session is unique, with the coach tailoring activities and training to the group’s needs, while still giving you plenty of time to practice and enjoy being out on the water.

Some examples of things we will work on:

  • Boat control and balance
  • Efficient forward paddling
  • Turning and edge control
  • Bracing and recovery
  • Rescues and safety skills
  • Confidence building
  • Preparation for white water

There’s no pressure to commit every week - each session is a standalone, tailored experience, making them a great way to keep improving at your own pace. If you have previous White Water Kayaking experience gained elsewhere, and would like to join these sessions, please get in touch.

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Intro to White Water Kayaking

This exciting course will introduce you to the world of white-water kayaking. Our qualified Whitewater Coaches will help you to build the essential skills needed to start your journey on moving water with confidence. The course looks to build a basic understanding of how to use your kayak in white water, but more importantly how to do so safely and how to look after yourself. We will be using the Legacy Course to introduce the concepts of entering, exiting, and crossing flowing water.

This course is aimed at those who are already comfortable kayaking on flat water and who are comfortable capsizing whilst wearing a spray deck.

On successful completion of the course, you would be able to continue your white water journey with us on our regular coached Foundation WW Kayaking Skills Sessions.

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Skills Sessions: Foundation White Water Kayaking

The Foundation White Water Kayaking sessions are open to anyone who has successfully completed our Intro to White Water Kayaking course. These 1.5 hour sessions, led by one of our coaches, aim to take the foundation principles and skills learnt in our Intro Course and build upon them.

The coach will oversee and aim to run appropriate level activities and training for those who attend. There is no pressure to commit to every week, these will all be run as unique, tailored sessions making them a great way to keep improving at your own pace.

These sessions are also open to those who already have passed a legacy Assessment and would like some additional coaching. If you have previous White Water Kayaking experience gained elsewhere, and would like to join these sessions, please get in touch.

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Skills Sessions: Developing White Water Kayaking

The Developing White Water Kayaking sessions the next step after our Foundation sessions. On these sessions we will be looking to use the whole of the Legacy course, looking at reading the water, refining line choice & kayak control, and building confidence in the more challenging sections of the course.

These sessions are open to those who already has passed a legacy Assessment or those who have progressed through our Intro to White Water courses and Foundation Skills Sessions.

Each session is run as a standalone, tailored workshop, so you can drop in whenever it suits you and continue building your skills at your own pace. A white water coach will guide the group with individual coaching and appropriate targeted activities.

 If you have previous White Water Kayaking experience gained elsewhere, and would like to join these sessions, please get in touch.

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Skills Sessions: Legacy to Olympic Paddling

These sessions are designed for confident Legacy Course paddlers who are ready to make the step up to the Olympic Course. With double the flow and far larger features, the Olympic Course can feel intimidating at first, but our coaches will help you break the challenge down into achievable, progressive steps.

These sessions are open to those who have passed a Legacy Assessment. They are also a suitable option for paddlers who already hold an Olympic Assessment but would like to rebuild confidence, refresh skills, or ease themselves back onto the course with guided coaching. If you have equivalent white water experience gained elsewhere and would like to join, please get in touch.

Each session is unique, working at an appropriate level for the individuals in the group. A white water coach will guide the group with targeted activities, individual feedback, and support as you develop the skills needed to tackle the Olympic Course with confidence.

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Assessments

To paddle our Lake, Legacy or Olympic Course in a canoe or kayak you’ll need to have successfully completed one, or both of our Paddlesport Competency Assessments. 

Find out more

Private Lessons

We offer private 1:1 lessons for all abilities if you want more direct coaching to help you improve.

Find out more
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Working in partnership with Lee Valley Regional Park Authority.
The park offers hundreds of great days out, discover more about Lee Valley Regional Park.

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Better is a registered trademark and trading name of GLL (Greenwich Leisure Limited), a charitable social enterprise and registered society under the Co-operative & Community Benefit & Societies Act 2014 registration no. 27793R. Registered office: Middlegate House, The Royal Arsenal, London, SE18 6SX. Inland Revenue Charity no: XR43398.

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