An evening at the marina: Paddle Boarding with Liverpool SUP Company
On Monday evening we discovered there is so much more to do down at Liverpool’s big old river other than sip cocktails down at the docks on a Friday night(although that is also great) as we headed down to the River Mersey to try our hand at something a little different: SUP boarding – or for those that don’t know – Stand Up Paddle boarding, which can be done everyday down at the marina in Liverpool, whether you’re like us, a beginner with a simple goal of staying on the board, or you board regularly and want a gorgeous space to practice your favourite hobby.
As you can imagine, we were a little apprehensive as we donned our life jackets and removed our shoes in preparation for some time on the water, but at the same time with the sun still out and the views of the boats and buildings up ahead, the river was also looking weirdly inviting and it took only a little persuading (and a quick safety brief of course) before we were kneeling on the floating board, paddle in hand, well and truly moving out into the water.
First things first was figuring out which way to move the paddle in order to move in a relatively straight direction and although our fab instructor Louise was super helpful, this is definitely a lot harder than it looks on Instagram. Wobbling around a little, we gradually got the hang of the paddle technique and once we did, manoeuvring our board got a little easier. About 20 metres out into the water it was time for the moment we’d been (sort of) dreading, but kind of the point of the entire sport: standing up.
Going on all fours and steadying yourself is anything but graceful but when you’re on a floating board in the middle of the mersey, being fluid with your movements isn’t on your list of priorities. With a little uncertainty and ALOT of concentration, we were finally on two feet. And now it was time to paddle (and balance, must remember to balance).
If you’re looking for an upper body workout like no other, try paddle boarding on the windy mersey with an intention of moving forwards. It’s difficult. Like really difficult. But once we were past the wind and moving a little faster, it was really easy to see why people find SUP so enjoyable and why it’s such a popular past-time down at the Liverpool Dock. After finding our balance and sailing down the river, unfortunately our hour was over, but we’ve definitely had a taste for it and with our new found water sport knowledge, can’t wait to do it again.
If you’re looking to get into SUP or want to test the water (pun intended) to see if paddle boarding is your thing, you can attend the same fabulously fun beginners session as we did and experience the sport for yourself, with a peace of mind knowing you’re totally safe under the expertise of a professional instructor and wont drift off to the wirral – nobody wants that.
Get in touch with Liverpool SUP today to try out something new!