Aimed at:  Beginners, Improvers

Suitable for: Adults

Considerations: Physically demanding, outdoors (with some cover from the rain), standing for long periods

What to wear: Sturdy shoes (very important) and outdoor clothing

Refreshments: Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available throughout the day. We also have a fantastic on-site cafe, Embers, run by local chef 'Shropshire Lad'. 

The course: 

Work alongside boat builder and artist Clinton Chaloner to make your own personalised paddle. A course suitable for water enthusiast, canoeists and coraclers, you will use sawn ash to craft a paddle suited to your needs. 
 
On the course we will produce a paddle from a single piece of wood.  Rough shaping of the paddle blanks with an axe will be followed by measuring and reducing to thickness with a drawknife before finishing with spokeshaves. A variety of paddle shapes and styles can be accommodated according to what is desired. What you take away at the end of the course may well be a first paddle but with it will go a set of skills to improve upon and the satisfaction of knowing that the paddle in your hands is your own creation. 

You will learn:

• How to select suitable wood 
• Cut and shape 
• Fine finish using traditional hand tools

Tutor: Clinton Chaloner

"My own interest in paddle making sprang from my involvement in the creation of four dugout boats. These were historical reconstructions of ancient vessels which have been made since the stone-age and are still made today. 
I use my own paddles regularly both in dugouts and in a modern Canadian open canoe. To make your own paddle is to join in a tradition which has remained relatively unchanged for several thousand years. With patience, modest skills and simple tools (axe, drawknife and spokeshave), anyone can produce a useful and even beautiful paddle." 
 

Learn more about Clinton: http://www.clintonchaloner.co.uk/