Mr Darren Sherwood

Darren has long held a love of Exmoor. One of his early childhood memories was climbing the south cleave at the Valley of Rocks and being captivated by the view of the Bristol Channel, the wooded combes to the west and the buzzards soaring overhead (not a common sight back then). Darren moved to Exmoor from Hampshire where he’d taught for 5 years to take up a teaching position at West Somerset College in 2007.

In 2012, he and a colleague set up Channel Training, an outdoor training company that aimed to provide pathways to employment in the outdoor sector for the young people of Exmoor and the surrounding area. It has since grown into a national enterprise and has helped hundreds of young people start careers in the outdoors.

Having left the company at the end of 2022, Darren now works for the National Governing Body for paddle sport across the UK helping to develop and shape safe and responsible use of our diverse and varied waterways. He has an intimate knowledge of the Exmoor coastline, its wildlife and its huge tidal range, having spent hundreds of days guiding, coaching and sharing his enthusiasm for this very special place.