New pedalos available to hire at Frodingham Landing

The Mayor of Driffield, Councillor Mark Blakeston, was on hand to ceremonially launch three new pedalos that have been purchased by the Driffield Navigation Trust.

The four-person pedalos are docked at Frodingham Landing and available for hire on a half-hour or hourly basis.

The brand-new pedal boats are ideal for families to use, particularly on a summer’s day, with the area around Frodingham Landing the perfect place to enjoy a family picnic.

As well as providing entertainment on the water at Frodingham, the pedalos will be taken further down the Navigation to Canal Head in Driffield at the end of July, when the Trust hosts its popular Canal Festival.

After seeing the pedalos in action for the first time when Councillor Blakeston and Wolds Weekly reporter James Richardson had a ride in one, chairman John Scholey said he was delighted with the latest additions to the Trust’s fleet.

“The pedalos are a completely new venture that we discussed at the last meeting of the Driffield Navigation Trust,” said John.

“We did look at buying some second-hand ones from London but in the end, it was decided to buy brand-new ones, which means we won’t have to carry out any maintenance on them.

“There are no running costs and the pedalos seem to go very well, even in breezy conditions.

“They will be based at Frodingham Landing for the summer, but there is no problem moving them.

“Frodingham Landing is a good venue and is doing very well with kayakers and canoeists, especially during the weekend.

“People will be able to come along and use the pedalos too now, for a charge, but we will keep this as reasonable as we can.”

At the end of July, the pedalos will join several other boats for the ever-popular Driffield Navigation Trust gala weekend.

The event sees hundreds of people flock to Riverhead to enjoy two days of fun to help raise funds for the Trust.

It’s the first time the organisation has been able to hold the event in Driffield since 2019 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and John said everyone is excited for its return.

“We’re really pleased with the pedalos and I think they will go down really well at our Canal Festival,” he said.

“This year, we’re hoping to have five or six boats lifted into the water for the festival, along with our usual barbecue and bar.

“We’ll be offering short trips down to the Town Lock and back, as we have done previously.

“We’re looking forward to it. There is always something going on along the Navigation and we have started talks with East Riding of Yorkshire Council regarding the fixed road bridge in Wansford.

“It isn’t going to happen overnight, but at least we’re talking.”

Councillor Blakeston has chosen the Driffield Navigation Trust as one of his charities of the year and will be showing his support in various ways over the next 12 months.

Although surprised he was offered one of the first rides in the new pedalos, Mark was pleased with the latest additions, part of ongoing improvements the Trust continues to make at Frodingham Landing.

“I didn’t expect to be having a ride on the pedalos when I arrived here this morning,” said Councillor Blakeston.

“But it was a very nice thing to do on a Wednesday morning.

“The pedalos move very well and are really stable.

“I think they will be a massive asset to Driffield Navigation Trust and will be really well used.

“On a nice day, either at Frodingham Landing or further down the Navigation in Driffield at Canal Head, they will prove popular.

“Previously, I’ve said that the work the Trust does is fantastic.

“Even through COVID, they have just cracked on and you can see the improvements that have been made.

“Every year, there is something new and the Trust is always adding to it.

“Of course, the ultimate aim is to get the Navigation opened up to its full capacity.

“I’m up for anything and would definitely have another go on the pedalos.

“I used to have a kayak, but this was the first time I had been on the water for a long time. It was good to get my sea legs back!”