MEMBERSHIP FAQs

Yes, as long as you live in Wales and have an interest in paddlesport - our members vary from complete beginners just starting out on the water and club volunteers, to coaches, instructors and athletes training for competition. 

Our membership, waterways licence and public liability insurance cover you while paddling all types of "unpowered" paddlecraft, including canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, surfskis and rafts.

If you’re a coach or a competitor, or organise your own paddling outside any club activities, we recommend On the Water  membership.

If you paddle only with an affiliated club, we recommend becoming a Club Associate member.

If you’re an official or volunteer who doesn’t paddle, we recommend On the Bank membership. 

A waterways licence is required to paddle on any of the 4,500km of canals and waterways throughout Wales and England managed by the Canal & River Trust, Environment Agency and other waterways agencies. This includes the Llangollen Canal, Montgomery Canal, Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, and the Swansea Canal, as well as many other canals and waterways in England.

Paddlers using these waterways may be asked to show proof of holding a waterways licence - and may face a heavy fine if paddling unlicensed.

Canoe Wales membership provides incredible value over purchasing licences direct from the Canal & River Trust or the Environment Agency.

Find out more about the waterways licence here.

Yes, your waterways licence covers you while paddling managed waterways in England as well as in Wales.

Read our Waterways Licence FAQs

Public liabiltiy insurance (also called "third party insurance") provides important protection were you to cause injury to another waterway user or damage to property, including other boats, buildings, docks, signage, etc. This could occur if you were to lose control of your boat. If you do not have public liability insurance and you are involved in an accident while paddling, you could be held liable for any injury or damage you cause.

In addition, some lakes and reservoirs require proof of public liability insurance before allowing you access.

Check out our Insurance page for more information about the insurance we provide to our members.

Go to our Paddling Hub then click Sign Up. Fill in your details, then choose the type of membership you require: On the Water, On the Bank or Club Associate. You can choose to pay by direct debit, credit or debit card, or to request an invoice. 

12 months from the date you join.

Yes, we offer a 15% discount for all couples and families of any size. To get the family discount, you need first to create a Family on our Paddling Hub. After you log in, go to My Profile, then click "Add a family member" under Create Family. After you've created your Family online, you'll need to buy memberships for each family member, and the 15% discount will be applied in the shopping cart.

When you declare your gender on the sign-up form, it helps us to better understand the demographics of our members and track progress in our work to improve opportunities for underrepresented groups. Some events and competitions are also restricted by gender and require participants to declare their gender to gain entry.

Online: Click on Member Login on the homepage or go straight to the Paddling Hub. Log in using your username and password, and then select Membership from the blue menu bar. You can then set up a direct debit, or pay by credit or debit card. If you don’t know your username or you have not yet set up your online account, click on What’s my Username, type in your membership number and it will email you a new password to access the system. If we don’t have your email address on our system, you’ll need to contact us and request that we add it to your account before you can use the Membership Portal.  

Phone: If you prefer to renew by phone, call our office on 01678 521199 (option 1) with your membership number and ask to pay by credit or debit card.

• If you live in England, you'll need to join British Canoeing.
• If you live in Scotland, you'll need to join the Scottish Canoe Association (SCA).
• If you live in Northern Ireland, you'll need to join the Canoe Association of Northern Ireland (CANI).

If you live abroad, you can join us as an international member, but please note that you will not be able to enjoy the full range of member benefits.

If you get an error message when downloading your digital card it could be that you need to upgrade your operating software to the latest version. 

Digital cards are automatically sent to the email address on your Just Go record. If you child’s record has a parental email address, the card will automatically have been sent to that email address. 

If your child has their own email address on their Just Go record, please contact us at admin@canoewales.com to request your child’s digital card to be sent to your own email address. 

When you join or renew your membership you will automatically receive a confirmation email containing the following information:

Membership Type; #MembershipName

Membership Number; #MID

Membership Starts; #StartDate

Membership Ends; #EndDate

This will suffice as proof of membership even if you choose not to download the digital wallet app.

Alternatively, you can log into your Just Go account with your username and password to bring up your membership record. You can also choose to print a screenshot of this if you choose.

You can contact us on admin@canoewales.com or 01678-521199 to request a physical card at the time of renewal or purchase. The card will be free of charge until 6 December 2024, after this there will be a charge to cover printing and postage costs.

We ask you to think carefully whether you require a physical card as we are striving to reduce plastic and paper wastage, and save time and money on packing and postage.

You can contact us at admin@canoewales.com to request the digital card to be re-sent by email so that you can download the digital card to your new phone.