"I’M a bit concerned,” Sean Barry, founder of outdoor activity centre Bridge 8 Hub, says. “It’s pretty windy today and, really, these are not ideal conditions for the waterbike.” Whipped by a blustery breeze on the towpath of Edinburgh’s Union Canal, I quite agree.
Settling in the hub’s Paddle Cafe, we wait for the wind to die down. Barry, an experienced instructor who founded this social enterprise nearly a decade ago, explains why he’s so passionate about enabling people of all backgrounds to get out onto the water: “When I was growing up on a housing estate in the 1980s, I got the opportunity to paddle and it was just an epiphany for me.”
In the era of Covid, the secret’s out – people value access to clean, safe waterways. According to a 2021 survey by the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), across the UK 7.6 million people said they had kayaked, canoed or paddleboarded in the previous 12 months, compared to 3.9m in 2018. Meanwhile, the Scottish Canoe Association has seen its membership grow by 20% in the last year.
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When Bridge 8 Hub first opened, Barry wanted to “offer something slightly different” alongside traditional vessels for hire, and the Akwakat waterbike, which he describes as a “lovely machine, great concept”, does just that.
Barry shipped 12 prototypes, designed by a company in New Zealand, to Scotland, and his business remains the only place in the country to try them.
With trees dancing less of a jig, fingers go into the wind, and we decide that now is a good time to give this contraption a go.
The Akwakat is much like a traditional bicycle. There’s a central metal frame with a saddle, handlebars connected to a rudder at the front and pedals that turn the chain-fitted crank that powers a wee propeller at the back. This is attached to two inflatable blue pontoons, which keep you afloat – or, in the case of extreme wind, could see you airborne.
I’m pondering how exactly you mount the thing. Sam Penman, a trainee instructor and someone who’s clearly at home jumping about on the water, tells us to “stand anywhere that’s metal” – the “not” firmly emphasised – “on anything blue.”
I step on to the back bar of the frame, shuffling my feet either side of the middle bar while stretching forwards, clinging on to the handlebars. A quick leap and I’m on the saddle. It’s not an elegant ascent.
However, it suddenly feels very familiar. I start with a few gentle rotations that bring the propeller to life, and I’m off. Next up, turning. The Akwakats are quite sizeable, while the canal is relatively narrow and the rudder sensitive. I need to master a two-point turn which, with a bit of back-pedalling, is satisfyingly easier than expected.
The secret seems to be slow and steady movements.
Armed with these new skills, we point our pontoons westwards and are soon enveloped by the peace of the canal. The noise from the road is replaced by graceful sounds of gliding over water. There’s the flash of a kingfisher, and Penman tells us that they often see otters here.
We reach the Scott Russell Aqueduct and sail over the Edinburgh City Bypass as we pedal on water above cars merging below. It’s a surreal experience.
Akwakats certainly have their limitations. They are labour-intensive for the team to assemble and owing to their proximity to the water, the mechanisms are often a bit cranky. Penman tells us to listen out for the tell-tale “coffee-grinder” sound, which indicates your Akwakat is displeased.
Weeds present another obstacle. At one point, I’m pedalling hard but not moving because I’m in the grip of weeds wrapped tightly around the propeller. Penman nimbly hops aboard to rectify the situation, and I see why Barry says late spring and autumn, when the flora isn’t in full bloom, are the optimum times for Akwakating.
But the fun is in their originality. Yes, with a top speed of around 3kph, it’s low-octane but it’s also strangely relaxing, great for pootling along in twos.
As the centre comes into view, disappointment creeps in. I could go on but having conquered the frame, fought off weeds, battled wind and enjoyed the laidback nature of the entire escapade, it’s time to, equally inelegantly, set foot on dry land again.
Find out more about Akwakating experience here.
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