Only been once so far, for a Wednesday evening drop-in paddling session down the Regents Canal, but…read morethis seems like a great club. There was a big crowd (maybe 25 people?), and while things weren't totally streamlined, the staff was friendly and got everyone sorted out in reasonably short order.
Everyone got their own kayak or open canoe, double-ended paddle (although they ran out of right-handed adult paddles by the time I got to the front of the queue), and life vest. We all piled into the canal and floated around for a bit while the guides gave a quick safety spiel and then we were off, heading towards Victoria Park. The group spread out pretty widely, with the enthusiastic youngsters blazing on ahead, splashing each other, and causing a ruckus, and the old people like me lagging behind. We paddled a couple miles downstream, portaging around the one lock we encountered, before we turned around and returned. Good times!
My favorite staffer, by the way, was Chris, who was amiable, unhurried, and had his enthusiastic blue and white dog Gracie along for the ride, but everyone I spoke with was very nice. The weather was excellent, the water was calm, and the canal was not busy. For £3, on a nice evening, this is a tough experience to beat for some relaxed exercise. I'll certainly be back.