Stand Up Paddleboarding with KoruSUP - The Helford River

The Helford River is arguably one of Cornwall’s prettiest spots. Nestled between Falmouth and the Lizard Peninsula, the Helford River offers beautiful landscape to enjoy from not only the land but from the water too. We joined KoruSUP for a stand-up paddle-boarding adventure along the Helford River, to Frenchman’s Creek.

KoruKayaking has two locations where they offer watersport adventures. Either venture along the North Coast for a two-hour Kayak Adventure from Trevaunance Cove, St Agnes, or from a private beach at the bottom of the Budock Vean Hotel garden. More recently, KoruKayaking launched their brand new SUP-guided adventure from here and we were lucky enough to be invited along to test our Paddleboarding skills!

The two-hour adventures costs £45pp and you can have up to six people in a group. Emma, our lovely instructor went through a safety briefing and introduction into paddleboarding - something that I needed considering my lack of experience! We learned the different strokes and how to get on and off of our paddleboard - we were standing in no time thanks to Emma’s short lesson!

We launched from the private beach at Budock Vean Hotel. With the sun shining and the water calm, the conditions were perfect for a SUP adventure. To begin, we paddled through the boats at Port Navas Creek and across the Helford towards Frenchman’s Creek, the inspiration for Daphne du Marier’s novel ‘Frenchman’s Creek.’ As we paddled, Emma would stop us to offer more insider information about certain locations.

Exploring the Creek by water was a dream. The area is so untouched and secluded, so much so, the only thing that we could hear was the sound of the bird song and a couple of wild swimmers gliding by.

We stopped at a remote beach on the river for a quick dip to cool us down. The weather was on our side, and spoilt us with beautiful sunshine and high temperatures - we were very happy for a swim in the ocean!

We all paddled back to the private beach at Budock Vean with huge smiles on our faces. A truly magical morning on the Helford left us hungry, so we ventured to the hotel for lunch.

We walked back through Budock Vean’s subtropical gardens and crashed on the terrace, all exhausted but totally excitable from the morning on the river. Budock Vean is a 4-star hotel set within 65 acres of gorgeous gardens. It is home to a Natural Health Spa, luxury 5* Gold Award self-catering holiday homes, cottages, and restaurant.

We were all super hungry, so decided to go for something heavy and carby, however, Anna, Amy, and I couldn’t stay away from the crab sandwich. We added a side of chips to boost the carbs, and oh my goodness, it was delicious! Lowenna went for the burger and Niki chose the fish and chips - both meals looked incredible!

I would definitely recommend KoruKayaking and KoruSUP. Not only are the Cornish locations absolutely stunning, but it’s such a fun way of exploring the coast. Emma, our instructor was incredible and so patient - even when we received some unexpected wind! If you’re in Cornwall and looking for an adventure, then you definitely want to check out KoruAdventures. Thank you, Emma and Hetty for a fantastic day!

*our SUP trip & lunch were complimentary in exchange for a review but all opinions are my own - we had a great day!