Planning A Kayak Trip Along The Thames

[RobM77]

otolith said:

RobM77 said:

I must confess I'm with Ayahuasca on this one. I give money to charity, but I don't understand the link between doing something hard and charity.

It is a pretty weird tradition, with no logic to it at all, but it does seem an effective way of using friendship to persuade people to donate money they otherwise wouldn't.

And for that we can't criticise it! Provided that, as in this case I'm sure, all the money is going to charity and not part funding holidays and fun days out, I've no problem with it at all. I do find it a bit perplexing though. Well done to the people that do it though, it raises a lot of money

[R500POP]

RobM77 said:

And for that we can't criticise it! Provided that, as in this case I'm sure, all the money is going to charity and not part funding holidays and fun days out, I've no problem with it at all. I do find it a bit perplexing though. Well done to the people that do it though, it raises a lot of money

Correct, in this case 100% of funds raised will go to the charity, all expenses are being paid by us.

[RobM77]

R500POP said:

RobM77 said:

And for that we can't criticise it! Provided that, as in this case I'm sure, all the money is going to charity and not part funding holidays and fun days out, I've no problem with it at all. I do find it a bit perplexing though. Well done to the people that do it though, it raises a lot of money

Correct, in this case 100% of funds raised will go to the charity, all expenses are being paid by us.

I'd guessed we wouldn't be funding the purchase of a new kayak

I'll continue taking photos tomorrow on stage 2 of the walk (Cricklade to Lechlade), and will e-mail you a link to my forthcoming Thames Walk web album when I create it on Monday evening. Glad to be of help.

[Ayahuasca]

I hope you are going upstream, and not just, you know, drifting?

[R500POP]

Ayahuasca said:

I hope you are going upstream, and not just, you know, drifting?

Not bloody likely, we are aiming to cover 40-50miles a day, so most certainly paddling.

[RobM77]

R500POP said:

Not bloody likely, we are aiming to cover 40-50miles a day, so most certainly paddling.

Blimey, that sounds like a lot!!

[Ayahuasca]

R500POP said:

Ayahuasca said:

I hope you are going upstream, and not just, you know, drifting?

Not bloody likely, we are aiming to cover 40-50miles a day, so most certainly paddling.

I was tongue in cheek, but seriously, I don't know what the current is but say it's three knots - you could cover that distance in a day without paddling. A 15 hour day.

Go upsteam - it's for charity!

[R500POP]

RobM77 said:

limey, that sounds like a lot!!

We guessed a bit, walking speed is 3mph, we figured we should be able average double that, so 40miles would be under 7hrs paddling. I could be WAY out though.

[R500POP]

R500POP said:

We guessed a bit, walking speed is 3mph, we figured we should be able average double that, so 40miles would be under 7hrs paddling. I could be WAY out though.

We have a couple of VERY cheap kayaks now to practice in, until we find the right craft, as below, but yellow. Who knows, there is a small chance we may even find they are OK to use for the trip.

[Ayahuasca]

R500POP said:

RobM77 said:

limey, that sounds like a lot!!

We guessed a bit, walking speed is 3mph, we figured we should be able average double that, so 40miles would be under 7hrs paddling. I could be WAY out though.

And with the thee knot current would be under five hours paddling.

[Ayahuasca]

You have seen this: http://www.the-river-thames.co.uk/navigation.htm

And the Thames can flow at 4 knots!

[RobM77]

Ayahuasca said:

R500POP said:

RobM77 said:

limey, that sounds like a lot!!

We guessed a bit, walking speed is 3mph, we figured we should be able average double that, so 40miles would be under 7hrs paddling. I could be WAY out though.

And with the thee knot current would be under five hours paddling.

Yes, I guess so. I've not kayaked in a river, just on the sea, so I'm not used to estimating distances like that. That's very impressive indeed!

[R500POP]

Ayahuasca said:

You have seen this: http://www.the-river-thames.co.uk/navigation.htm

And the Thames can flow at 4 knots!

It looks like I have to register the boat for use on the thames, is that correct?

[Ayahuasca]

R500POP said:

Ayahuasca said:

You have seen this: http://www.the-river-thames.co.uk/navigation.htm

And the Thames can flow at 4 knots!

It looks like I have to register the boat for use on the thames, is that correct?

Looks like it, and get a safety certificate too - seems a bit bureaucratic for a kayak.

[R500POP]

Ayahuasca said:

Looks like it, and get a safety certificate too - seems a bit bureaucratic for a kayak.

It's £30 for a kayak, no safety cert required. Just a money making excercise. Or, If I join the BCU, I get automatic registration, 3rd party insurance, all for about £20.

[RobM77]

R500: I'll upload my Thames Walk pics tonight and e-mail you a link. The 10 to 12 mile stage from Cricklade to Lechlade is where the river becomes feasible for kayaking. Theoretically, you could kayak it about a mile or two downstream from Cricklade, but it's extremely shallow and could be frustrating and require the odd push - I wouldn't recommend it. A few miles upstream from Lechlade though things begin to change quite dramatically, and for about a mile approaching Lechlade it's consistently deep and would be easy to kayak. Places to park and access the river may be limited though - it might be better to just launch from Lechlade itself, where as another poster told us, the river becomes officially navigable and there are lots of boats and launching spots.

If you're new to kayaking I'd recommend at least a lesson or two, especially as I'm guessing it's a sit-in kayak? Firstly, you'll learn a decent paddling technique so you won't get nackered (it's easy to do it wrong and burn twice the energy of someone who can paddle well), and secondly you'll learn how to capsize and then either roll back up again or swim out, which is absolutely essential for safety (for obvious reasons!). If you have to bail out, then getting back in is a total arse, and it's nice to know you can do it without looking like too much of an idiot if there are people around watching! It is of course easiest to swim to the bank and stand up to get back in, but this may not always be possible.

Edited by RobM77 on Monday 31st October 14:26

[R500POP]

That's great, thanks very much. Lessons are on the list of things needed.

[RobM77]

R500: YHM

[psgcarey]

bulldong said:

You could follow the course of Devizes to Westminster kayak race... Start at Devizes on the Kennett and Avon canal and then through pewsey, newbury, hungerford, reading, and join the Thames at Wokingham, through Ham, Teddington and finish under the Westminster bridge. It is a nice route with plenty of camping spots along the side, although for the first 50miles or so there is no flow which might make a plastic tub kayak seem horrendously inefficient.

Or just stick it on the Thames at Cricklade and paddle downstream. Schimples.

If you want to go on the river then join the BCU (costs something like £20) and they give you a boat sticker which covers you to paddle on any of the inland waterways providing its not protected for fishing or genuinely private land. There is a big fight going on between paddlers and landowners/fishermen who believe that they "own" sections of the riverbed and as such paddlers are essentially tresspassing if they don't have permission from them first. The BCU membership also gets you third party insurance, which is useful.

Highly recommend that you check the permissions needed to paddle a kayak (if any) past Teddington lock (where it becomes tidal). When we were paddling there we needed rescue services on standby. I don't know whether this was due to the fact that competitors are tired and its a serious safety risk, or whether its an actual necessity. Don't try to paddle the final stretch between Teddington and Westminster during the middle of the day, the wash from passing boats makes it quite choppy. Furthermore, if you fall in at this point it is advisable to get your stomach pumped due to all the nasty st that flows in to the Thames at this point. I don't mean to patronise you and I don't know your kayaking ability but don't underestimate the nature of this water at this point in the Thames. There are lots of large boats, nowhere with low walls to get out and potentially a 300m swim to the shore with your boat if you fall in at the wrong place in the river.

If you're going to do it now or soon, also consider the hideous winds that have the nasty habit of blowing the opposite way that you want to paddle down the Thames. The river is very wide past about Wokingham and it just channels these hideous north easterly gales in your face. Take warm windproof clothes and be prepared for slow progress.

However, this is not to put you off. The river is actually very nice to paddle and if you have time there are plenty of nice things to do along the way. The wildlife is good too and some of the houses (Henley, Ham, Marlow (you go past Mr Dysons house)) that you would never see from the road but viewable from the river are AMAZING. The Thames is very well set out for paddlers too and you will see that there are a large number of paddlers there.

Always welcome to drop me a line if you need any help planning a trip like this as I have done it many times.

Good luck!

Wokingham isn't near the Thames, agree with the rest of your post though.

[R500POP]

RobM77 said:

R500: YHM

That's great, thanks.