Click the ‘book now’ button at the top of this page. Choose your hire length (1, 2 or 3hr), preferred date and time of hire, and then choose from all available craft.

We offer single kayaks and two-person tandems.

Full payment is required to secure your booking. We additionally take a £20 deposit for all bookings, which is returned subject to the boats being returned on-time without damage.

You’ll be provided with everything you need for an enjoyable time on the beautiful River Stour, including one of our very-stable Wave Sport kayaks and paddle(s). A limited number of dry-bags and phone cases are available on a first-come first-served basis. Buoyancy aids are also available for children.

Warm clothes should be worn on chillier days, and we advise that you to bring sunscreen, sun hats and bottled water for those (hopefully abundant) warmer days. A towel and potentially a change of clothes too.

Wetsuits are not needed or provided.

Yes, we currently only hire out single and tandem kayaks. However, rowing boats can be hired directly from the Henny Swan. Stand-up paddle boards are additionally available onsite from The Paddle Company.

At the moment we only offer 1, 2 and 3hr hires in our single and tandem kayaks. We are endeavouring to expand the experiences we offer to include one-way trips, full day hire and kayak lessons. We’ll update our website when these experiences are available.

We offer 1, 2 and 3hr return hires. Naturally, the longer you hire for, the more of the River Stour you’’ get to see.

A round-trip to Sudbury typically takes 1.5-2hrs at an average pace (we recommend 3hrs to allow for some more time messing about on the river). A return trip to Cornard Lock can be done within an hour.

We operate rain or shine, so dress appropriately for the weather conditions. That being said, if we deem the weather to be too dangerous, or bad enough to make kayaking difficult (e.g., extreme wind or thunderstorms), we may choose to cancel your booking.

Should we have to cancel, we’ll give you the option of receiving a full refund or rescheduling for another time, subject to availability. We’ll give you a call to cancel, and where it is not possible to reach you by telephone, we’ll send you an email.

We do not provide full refunds for cancellations resulting from personal circumstances, but will endeavour to facilitate partial-refunds and rescheduling where possible. For more information on our cancellation policy, please see our booking terms and conditions.

While we do take up walk-up hires, we strongly encourage you to book ahead. You’ll benefit from cheaper rates and will avoid the possibility of disappointment - we are often fully booked.

A responsible adult over the age of 18 years must accompany all under-18s on the water. We may ask for ID to verify that you’re over the age of 18 years.

Note, supervising from the riverside does not count.

Toilets are available to use at the Henny Swan when the pub is open (please check opening times on their website). Note, facilities will not be available for some of our morning bookings.

Food and drink is available from the Henny Swan - while reservations are not taken for the large river-side garden, reservations are recommended for the inside and outside restaurant.

Yes, there is limited parking for Henny Swan customers. We ask that you travel in as few cars as possible. Note, it is a private car park and for use by Henny Swan customers.

We operate from the beautiful river-side pub garden at the Henny Swan, so there are strictly no picnics allowed on the grounds, including the riverside garden and carpark.

Delicious food and drink are available at the Henny Swan, served in their restaurant, on their terrace and in the riverside garden. The menus are typically served all day, but please check their website for service times. Reservations are not taken for the riverside garden, but you are advised to book for a restaurant table.

We do permit paddlers to take picnics* out onto the water with them, but ask that they bring all rubbish back on their return (one of our staff members will be happy to dispose of this for you).

*Strictly no alcohol permitted on the boats.

Well behaved dogs are permitted on the boats. We ask you to return the boat in the same state it was in which you started.

We are located in the idyllic, peaceful and serene banks of the River Stour at the Henny Swan, near Sudbury in Suffolk. As you enter the riverside beer garden, you’ll find us immediately on the left, by the decking. Look for a person with a blue t-shirt on.

Arrive 15 minutes before your booking for a short safety briefing.

Family and friends are permitted to watch you paddle from the bank and enjoy the facilities, food and drink at the Henny Swan. However, only Stour Kayak customers are permitted on site when the Henny Swan is closed (i.e., in the mornings) - this will be strictly enforced.

We do not extend hires beyond 3hrs, but subject to availability we can permit extensions to 1 and 2hr hires. These will be charged at the in-person, walk-up hire rates.

We’ll be cleaning the kayaks and paddles thoroughly with disinfectant between each hire - this is true even in non-Covid times. We will additionally follow all Government guidelines and recommendations.

Probably, yes. You’ll only get soaked if you fall in, which is unlikely, but a possibility. However, the paddles do tend to create a bit of a splash. We encourage you to bring a towel.