NOTICE: Please note that our canal boat holidays and trips are unaffected by the breach at Whitchurch, click here to learn more.➤
The Lyneal Trust is a registered RYA Training Centre based in North Shropshire.
The Lyneal Trust is a registered RYA Training Centre, delivering the Inland Waterways Helmsman course, a nationally recognised qualification run by the Royal Yachting Association.
The course provides practical, hands-on training in boat handling, safety, and good practice on canals and rivers, making it suitable for both first-time helms and more experienced boaters looking to formalise their skills. Training is primarily for our volunteers, but we occasionally open courses to the public.
Please email secretary@lyneal-trust.org.uk about available course dates.
The two day RYA Helmsman’s Course for beginners or experienced boaters covers the complete RYA syllabus. Afterwards the RYA Inland Waterways Helmsman’s Certificate is awarded to successful students. We require a minimum of two bookings in order to run the course.
The course includes:
This is a highly practical course with students spending the majority of the day out on the water or on the bank mooring up or working locks. Therefore it is important that you have suitable clothes (including wet weather gear) and sturdy non slip shoes (no flip flops or sandals). We also recommend that you bring a hat in the unlikely event that the sun is shining. The weather can have a big impact on how safe it is to boat. We will run the course unless the weather forecast means that doing so would be unsafe. For complete details of how we determine this please see our terms and conditions. Lifejackets are provided and wearing them is mandatory.
Included in the course cost are:
The RYA Inland Waterways Handbook and RYA Inland Waterways Helmsman’s certificate for successful students.
© 2026 Lyneal Trust.
The Lyneal Trust is a charity registered with the Charity Commission no. 516224.
