Our story
Born on the banks
of the Stour.
New Wave Paddleboards started the way most good ideas do — with one board, one paddle and one very sunny afternoon at Dedham. What began as lending boards to friends quickly became a small fleet, a van, and a full-blown love affair with getting people out on the water.
Today we're a family-run hire operating from the meadows at Dedham, right on one of the most beautiful stretches of river in England — proper Constable country, with willows, swans and water so calm it feels made for paddleboarding.
Whether it's your first wobble or your hundredth mile, we'll match you to a board, kit you out and point you at the good bits of the river.
What we're about.
Everyone's welcome
First-timers, families, dogs on boards — if you fancy a go, we'll get you afloat. No lycra required.
Safety without the fuss
Life jackets and a proper briefing come with every hire. We watch the river so you don't have to.
Community on the water
From kids' clubs to sunset socials, we're building a crew of NewWavers who love the Stour as much as we do.
Dedham Vale
Paddling in a
painting.
Dedham Vale is a designated National Landscape — the water meadows, church towers and drooping willows here were painted by John Constable two centuries ago, and honestly, not much has changed.
The Stour at Dedham is shallow, slow and sheltered: about as friendly as river paddling gets. Head upstream for quiet wildlife spotting, or drift down toward Flatford Mill and paddle straight through The Hay Wain.