My Adventure: by Rich Ensoll and Johan Hoving
Two men, One canoe, Multiple winds & tides: An Unprecedented Journey Around Ireland by Open Canoe.
In the summer of 2025 Rich Ensoll and Johan Hoving, both from Ulverston, Cumbria in the UK, embarked on an extraordinary and deeply personal expedition: to paddle the entire coastline of Ireland in Ronan, a handmade, skin-on-frame open canoe.
Following the maxim ‘Go out to sea, turn right and don’t die‘ they began their clockwise journey around Ireland at Crosshaven near Cork returning 46 days and 1500km later having navigated one of the most challenging and stunning coastlines in the world.
While fewer than 100 people have successfully circumnavigated Ireland by sea kayak, no one had ever completed the route in a traditional open canoe. This made their voyage not just a bold adventure—but a world-first.
From serene paddling alongside dolphins beneath starlit skies to enduring ferocious storms and towering waves, Rich and Johan experienced the full spectrum of Ireland’s wild beauty and coastal hospitality.
More Than a Record – A Reflection on Life
For Rich and Johan, this expedition was more than a muscular test of endurance or breaking records. “Canoeing Round Ireland” was a personal meditation on slowness, vulnerability, and connection with nature, with others, and with themselves.
“Do you like pie?”
An important motivation for this trip was excitement at the people they would meet, an expectation that was fully realised. Throughout their journey the pair encountered interest, kindness, laughter and generosity in too many forms to recount but each point of connection was precious.
Combining paddling, portaging, sailing, cooking on board and the occasional nap mid-journey, the Ronan the canoe, has been more than a vessel, it was a symbol of adaptability and quiet resilience.
‘Ronan’ designed by Rich and built using a skin-on-frame technique of ancient heritage by John Wilkinson of Valkyrie Crafts, held his own in punishing conditions. When the pair reached the northernmost point of their route, Wilkinson welcomed them, repaired Ronan’s hull, and helped them recuperate for the next leg of their adventure down the Eastern Coast of Ireland.
Their journey was chronicled online through their blog, Canoeing Round Ireland, featuring stories, photographs, and reflective essays. It’s more than a travelogue. It’s an invitation to pause, reflect, and consider new ways of moving through the world.
“It would be easy to think a trip like this is about the destination,” they write. “But even if we never launched, the friendships built and the lessons learned would still be worth it.”
Their journey brought people together, formed communities and foregrounded stories of everyday generosity.
Advice to Others:
Paddling with Purpose
Rich and Johan used this expedition to raise awareness and funds for two causes close to their hearts:
• The Kepplewray Trust’s Participation and Inclusion Fund (Cumbria) – helping people of all abilities and backgrounds access outdoor experiences.
• Oxfam Ireland – working to end poverty and injustice around the world.
