While in Northern Ireland this week John Wilkinson has taken my upper body measurements and is making me a paddle for my trip! There is something so wonderful about a paddle being made to fit me and the boat that I'm paddling for this. Very special. Here in the north, John Wilkinson of Valkyrie Craft is a builder of classic canoes, skin-on-frame kayaks and handcrafted paddles. He has been building boats since 1997 and has worked with wood since the mid '80s. His family business builds boats to order and they have been hired to build boats and paddles for various outdoor activity organizations, as well as the National Trust, The Department of the Environment, and the HBO serial production of "A Game of Thrones".
Besides the business of making craft, he also hosts boat building and paddle making courses in his workshop in Castlerock on the north coast. His courses include the making of F1 modern kayak, west greenland kayak, and Merlin 14 boats as well as single blade paddle, greenland kayak paddle and S.U.P paddle courses. There are also coracle making, greenland skills and spoon carving courses.
He is hosting two upcoming paddle making courses, on July 13th, and November 16th. Here is the link to register: https://valkyriecraft.com/product/paddle-making-workshop/
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