Paddling is one of the great summer pleasures around the North West, and anyone with a long boat to shift often looks at van hire in Warrington as a far easier option than wrestling a kayak onto a car roof. Van hire for a kayak or canoe lets you carry the boat, the paddles, the buoyancy aids and a group’s worth of dry bags together, safely and out of the weather. From our depot at Tilley Street beside Asda at the Cockhedge centre we run more than seventy vans through the season, and a hire van is the practical way to get one boat or several down to the water and back without roof bars, straps over the windscreen or a nervous drive.
Why a Van Beats a Roof Rack
Carrying a kayak or canoe on a car roof is workable for a single short boat, but it becomes awkward fast once you have two boats, a group of paddlers or a longer Canadian canoe. A van takes the whole lot inside, protected from the wind and free of the buffeting that makes a roof-loaded car tiring to drive at motorway speeds. Our fleet stays within 3.5 tonnes and drives on a standard category B car licence, so a van is well within reach for a day on the water. The key is choosing a van long enough for the boats and loading them so they cannot slide, which is easily done with a little thought. For a paddling trip, a van is simply the calmer choice.
Length and height for the boats
For longer kayaks and canoes, our long wheelbase high roof van gives you the floor length to lay boats flat and the headroom to stack paddles, aids and bags above them without crushing anything. That length is the deciding factor, because a boat that will not lie flat has to go in at an angle, which wastes space and risks knocks. The high roof also means a group can load several boats and all their kit in one van, keeping the party together. Standing kit upright along the sides and laying the boats down the middle makes good use of the space, and the long wheelbase high roof is the van to ask about for anything more than a single short kayak.
Loading boats so they travel safely
Boats are smooth and light, which means they can slide around if they are not secured, so good loading matters. Our guide on how to load a hire van safely covers the principles, and they apply neatly here. Lay the boats flat and strap them to the lashing points so they cannot shift forward under braking, pad the points where hulls touch so they do not rub, and stow paddles and loose kit where they cannot slide into the boats. Wet gear on the way home is better kept in the load area rather than the cab, and a quick check of the straps after the first few miles is always sensible. A well-secured load means you can focus on the day rather than the driving.
Where to paddle near Warrington
The area is well supplied with places to get on the water, from the open expanse of Pennington Flash to the calmer stretches around Lymm Dam and the Sankey Valley, all an easy drive from the depot. Having a van means you can carry boats to whichever spot suits the group’s plans and conditions on the day, and bring everyone’s kit in one vehicle rather than splitting across cars. Check access and parking at your chosen launch point before you set off, since some spots have limited room for a larger vehicle, and aim to arrive early on a fine weekend when the popular places fill up. With the boats and kit all in one van, the logistics of a paddling day become refreshingly simple.
Handy for Westbrook and the west side
Plenty of paddlers live on the newer western estates, and customers near Westbrook van hire are conveniently close to the depot for a quick collection before heading off to the water. A short hop to pick up the van leaves you more of the day on the river or the flash, which is the whole point of an easy summer outing. Plan your group, count the boats and kit so you book a van with room to spare, and agree a meeting point so everyone and everything travels together. With the right van and a sensible plan, getting a kayak or canoe to the water is the easiest part of the day.
Booking your paddling van
Booking ahead is the surest way to have the right van ready for a fine-weather paddling day, and on selected vehicles a reservation made at least two weeks in advance qualifies for the advance discount shown on our van hire special offers page. We open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 4pm and close on Sundays, there is no deposit on most vehicles, and you bring your photocard licence and a DVLA check code at collection rather than a credit card. Leave your own car in our free secure parking while you are out, and choose short or long term hire to suit the trip. To book a van for taking a kayak or canoe to the water, call our Warrington team on 01925 396 222.
