I’m Mark, the person behind Kayak Mad
I’m a digital marketer, a sports lover, an outdoors enthusiast and a dad with a young family. I live in Berkshire in the UK, but my connection with kayaking began on the other side of the world. I started paddling at around six years old, in the coastal areas and rivers around Bundaberg in Queensland, Australia. I’ve loved the pastime ever since.
Kayak Mad is my personal kayaking blog. It began as a hobby and a place to document my paddling diaries, then gradually developed into something broader: a collection of destinations, kayaking articles and equipment ideas for people who enjoy spending time on the water. Behind the website is a real person fitting a much-loved pastime around work, family and everyday life.
From Queensland rivers to paddling abroad
Growing up with kayaking from such a young age gave it a lasting place in my life. My starting point was the water around Bundaberg: coastal areas as well as rivers. Long before there was a website to write for, there was simply the enjoyment of getting out in a kayak.
Over the years, I’ve paddled in Australia, Ireland, the UK, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as other countries. That is part of why Kayak Mad has an international outlook. I’m based in Britain now, but my interest in kayaking reaches well beyond the UK.
Paddling in and around the islands of southern Thailand and northern Malaysia has been a particular highlight. Koh Lipe and Langkawi are two places that stand out for me. Those island experiences belong alongside my river paddles in the story of why I’ve stayed interested in kayaking for so long.
My kayaking life in Berkshire today
These days, my more familiar paddling ground is the Thames between Marlow and Windsor. It is the stretch I mostly return to here in the UK. My kayaking life now is less about how many countries I can add to a list and more about finding opportunities to get out when I can.
I don’t paddle as often as I would like. Having a young family, running a working life and getting older all affect how much time and energy I have available. I still manage several paddles a year, and kayaking remains a pastime I care about deeply.
That is the perspective I bring to this blog: someone with a long-standing interest who also understands that outdoor hobbies have to fit around real life. You don’t have to be out every weekend for kayaking to matter to you.
The kayaks I own and the experience I bring
I own a sit-on-top kayak and an inflatable kayak. They are part of my own recreational paddling life, rather than equipment collected for a professional testing programme. When reading equipment content here, it is worth distinguishing between something I personally own or have used and something featured as an option to research.
I’m self-taught. I have no formal kayaking qualifications and have not followed a formal training route. My background is years of enjoying the activity, visiting different places and learning through my own paddling experiences.
I write as a recreational enthusiast, not as a qualified kayaking instructor. A destination article can help you explore an idea, but it cannot assess your ability or the conditions on the day. Local access rules, weather, water conditions and appropriate instruction still matter when planning a paddle.
Why I started Kayak Mad
Kayak Mad started as a hobby: a way to record my paddling diaries and keep a connection with an activity I have enjoyed since childhood. Writing about kayaking gives those experiences somewhere to live beyond the trip itself.
The blog has grown beyond that original diary. It now brings together destination articles, practical kayaking topics and a shop with links to equipment. My work as a digital marketer helps me build and run the website, while the subject comes from my own interest in kayaking and the outdoors.
I want it to be useful to people discovering kayaking, returning to it after a break, or looking for somewhere different to paddle. My own experience spans local river outings and trips abroad, so there is room here for both a nearby day on the water and inspiration further afield.
Where the destination articles come from
Most of the places covered on Kayak Mad are places I have personally visited. By my own estimate, more than 90% of the destination articles relate to somewhere I’ve been. That personal connection is at the heart of the site.
Not every article is a first-hand paddling diary, however. Some draw on friends’ accounts and experiences; others are researched guides. Visiting a place, paddling there and researching it are different kinds of experience, and I don’t want readers to mistake one for another.
This About page describes my overall background. For any particular destination, the article’s own account is what matters. A personal visit is also a snapshot in time: access arrangements and conditions can change after a trip, so check current local information before setting off.
Equipment links and how the website earns money
Kayak Mad includes Amazon affiliate links. If you make a qualifying purchase through one of those links, I can earn a commission. A product appearing in the shop does not, by itself, mean I have personally tested or owned it.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. You can read more on the affiliate disclosure page. The shop links currently lead to Amazon UK, so availability and delivery options depend on where you live.
Kayaking beyond the blog
There is also a Kayak Mad YouTube channel, featuring other kayakers and experiences from around the world. It is not a video diary of me, and the people shown are not necessarily me. It offers another way to explore the wider world of kayaking alongside the written blog.
Thanks for spending some time here. Whether your next paddle is close to home or part of a trip abroad, I hope you find something useful in the kayaking articles and destination guides.
Mark