SUP Touring is a great way to use paddleboarding to explore the waterways around the UK

So many people look to explore and take trips out on the water, which is where the SUP Touring boards come into their own.

SUP Touring

We absolutely love SUP Touring and the eye-opening journeys and adventures we’ve had on the water over the years.

Having the opportunity to head out on an adventure at sea or on rivers is the perfect way to help unwind and lose yourself.  Head out with friends or family or maybe just yourself, it can be whatever you make of it.

For us, it started with local beach trips, and over time we expanded those horizons to the point we adventured over the sea and into wild locations around the UK and Ireland.

How long can you head out for on a SUP Tour?

As you’d expect, there are no limits, no rules, and it comes down to you and those you’re going with.

If you’re limited on time, then why not head out for a couple of hours – just take a flash with a hot drink, your camera and enjoy your time, but don’t get too hung up on  how far you’ve paddled or travelled, just enjoy.

But if you really fancy a longer trip, you’re going to need to consider preparing a bit more thoroughly.   Make sure you prep, with food, water, clothing if you’re staying overnight and your safety kit and comms such as a mobile phone.

Do I have to an expert paddler to enjoy SUP Touring?

There’s nothing to say you need to be an expert to head out on a sup tour, but it i always recognising your weaknesses to help make both yourself and others safe.

If you’re planning to paddle all day, then make sure you’re comfortable, with standing for that long on a board. Suddenly announcing you have back problems won’t help once you’re miles away, so think about all possibilities.

If you’re going to encounter rougher waters, then you should be comfortable in that environment and have put in the practice, especially if you’re going to be carrying baggage.

And most importantly, remember that you’re in charge of you, and so you need to make sure you do your own research and fact finding in all aspects of your adventure.

Where can I go on a SUP adventure ?

The plus side to stand up paddleboarding, is you can go literally anywhere within reason. This may be lakes, rives, the sea, lochs or canals. All of these options makes for a great SUP Adventure.

When you’re considering where to go on your adventure, you need to make sure you’ve given thought to staying safe, and that includes knowing rescue and out points. This is so important as you can easily find yourself out of phone signal or away from immediate help.

Make sure you’re aware of any tides, wind patterns, local environmental conditions, currents other risks associated with the places you’re planning to visit. This should be done and documented, no matter how confident and competent you are.

Who should I head out with on my SUP Tour?

It is critical to have good backup from your fellow paddlers, and that is when it is important to be brutally honest about each other skills and the relative environment. Heading out alone is fine if you’re comfortable with yourself, but do bear in mind, you’re totally alone, so a good backup plan is crucial.

I much prefer to paddle with one or two friends who I know will have my back in the event of a situation, but whatever you choose to do, it is going to be huge amounts of fun.

What board do I use for SUP Touring?

If we disregard price and the fact of inflatable or hard board, there’s a number of basic factors that help us determine how useful a board will be for touring.

You’re going to be paddling quite a distance, so you need to be able to glide comfortably, which would lend itself to a board that has a more piercing bow. A collection of tie down area to strap baggage to. A wider tail, increases stability. Not too low in the water, so you get wet feet.

Many say they prefer inflatable paddle boards as they’re robust and often sit higher off the water, but that said means you need to look for a better made board and not the cheap amazon ones.

Hard boards are very capable, and something like the Infinity eTicket is a superb sup touring board that has heaps of performance qualities.

Should I plan my trip?

Planning any time on the water is crucial to be safe. We plan when we surf, we plan when we windsurf, so planning when you’re heading off on an adventure is super important.

Look at the immediate and future weather patterns as this can have a huge effect on water state.  Plan clothing based on air temps etc, plan food for the duration, exit strategies, emergency routines. Document it and make sure copies are left with those on land as well, so these records can be accessed in case of emergencies.

How big a challenge is SUP Touring?

This all depends.  Where are you going, what time of year, what is the weather going to be like.

The best thing about SUP Touring, is to push yourself and experience another side of life where gadgets aren’t stuck to your ear and computers are left home.

Your own fitness and endurance, will be challenged as well as being outside your comfort zone, which is a good thing and builds you as a person.