The Dart river valley is bursting with life and vitality, its beauty unspoiled and waters teeming with wildlife. 3 days meandering gently downstream and upstream gives you the opportunity to sink into the exquisite scenery and the rhythm of the river, at the most beautiful time of year.

The adventure starts at Totnes on Friday afternoon. Carrying everything we need in the canoes, we will journey several miles each day, reaching as far as Dartmouth before we turn with the tide. The pace is relaxed, and there is plenty of time to stop and rest, swim, explore, and eat delicious food (eg. what we have fished out the river). We will set up camp each evening by the water’s edge and enjoy a communal meal and campfire.

In between the paddling, there will also be an opportunity to learn some backcountry outdoor skills, to help make life around camp even more comfortable. These may include fire-making, natural cordage, campcraft, hobo fishing and some fieldcraft awareness.

The evenings around the campfire will be spent in the company of the riverbank storyteller, Spindle Wayfarer!

The second night includes a nightpaddle down river to sample the local hospitality at a traditional riverside inn. The trip will end back at Totnes at the end of the afternoon on Sunday.

NB. No previous experience of canoeing is necessary, although participants must be able to swim.

We provide canoes, equipment and teach all the necessary skills. Also included in the cost is dinner for the first day. Please bring lunch and breakfast with you, and enough money to buy an evening meal at the pub.

Event Leaders - WildWise's Chris Salisbury and canoe instructors.

Chris Salisbury - Educator, trainer and storyteller, Chris founded WildWise after many years working as an education officer for Devon Wildlife Trust. With a background in the theatre, a training in therapy and a career in environmental education he uses every creative means at his disposal to encourage people to enjoy and value the natural world. He has worked with Ray Mears and John Rhyder, amongst many others.

Experience of a previous participant -
Rob Hopkins, founder of the Transition Town movement, came on our River Safari in 2006 with his family. He writes "The great thing about an event like the River Safari is that it immerses people into the magic of Nature, as well as taking people out of the cocoon of daily life. Mary-Jayne Rust, the eco-psychologist I met with last year, talks about how immersion in Nature is one of the most powerful tools for reconnecting people with the world, and for giving them the space to rethink their relationship with it.

It was great for the kids to experience collecting cockles from the beach and cooking them, seeing how to make fire with no newspaper, making soap from horse chestnut leaves, which are the tastiest seaweeds, and how, in a canoe, they can’t sit back and expect everything to be done for them, they are part of a team, and that they are an essential part of making it to the other side! It was also amazing to spend time on the river, connecting to this bioregion and what a beautiful place it is."