27-07-10, 08:31 PM
Us Essex Paddlers have been looking forward to finding an opportunity to get on the Medway and since Tod recently befriended a new paddler, Barry, they had decided to call the tune and today was the day. We RV'd near Basildon and headed in convoy across the QE2 bridge of misery (without delay 
) and after a brief detour, found ourselves in Yalding at the put in by the lifting bridge.
![[Image: 27072010300.jpg]](http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww175/gurgeh/27072010300.jpg)
We were immediately struck by how wide the river is, twice as wide as our home The Chelmer for most of the way, with each bend being a lovely wide pool. After a few luxurious bends we noticed how beautifully 'walled up' each side of the river was. we've again been used to the Chelmers open and windswept panorama.
Woods abound and in many places hops climbing to full glorious height wild amongst hugely prolific swathes of himalayan balsam and a couple of cheeky outbreaks of japanese knotweeds.
we got ourselves only about 3km upstream to sluice weir lock where we stopped for a cook up and brew. Barry and his mate Stuart were startled to see a kelly kettle and wanted to know all about it. this served to distract them for all of 90 seconds which was all the time Tod needed to establish a well presented kitchen and get burgers on the go for anyone interested.
After a barely survived bout of 'not listening to Dad', i bundled my bonkers kids back in the boat and the three canoes continued upstream to Oak Weir Lock. Another gorgeous place to have a brew and a rest and I reckon on it being about 7km from where we started. We saw a trio of gents paddling a plywood prospector type downstream and after giving them a wee headstart, tailed them all the way back to Sluice weir, where they disappeared down the canoe pass...
Tod: "I won't be taking my boat down there, there's not enough water - you'll either get..."
Plywood boat: "BANG!"
Tod: "...stuck getting on, or ground it getting off see"
but the plywood boat had survived, by the look of it (from a distance)
My kids had been badgering me most of teh day about sitting out on the outrigger and paddling along on the annex. Not until the last lock I had replied a couple of dozen times.
And then we were at the last lock.
so i let them both sit on the outrigger spar.
which promptly snapped, pitching two kiddies (6 & 4) into the water. I had been leaning on the outrigger side too, so the apache capsized and promptly submerged.
Both kids bobbed back up screaming and I set about throwing them back into the canoe (pointless exercise!). Tod had watched this from teh jetty however, so teleported himself and his boat right next to me and hauled the still screaming kids aboard. Barry and Stuart set about retrieving all my gear from around the river, freeing me up to chase Tod & the kids back to the jetty. Shark impression was of course an inspiration and tears became giggles became requests that I let them back in the water. Granted and the three of us spent the next ten minutes swimming and jumping in (could have been a minute or an hour - Time was too busy pissing itself laughing to count properly).
eventually the river was removed from the canoe and our gear was removed from the river. Tod gave Isabel a lift back in his boat and I carted the boy back in mine. Barry and Stuart had long since cleared off in a curious attempt to beat the M25 traffic, so two canoes cruised merrily, sleepily back to the cars. all was woken up, loaded up, strapped up, strapped in and away home we went.
At which precise moment the heavens opened up. Wicked
And my confession is that I had turned a blind eye when the kids had taken the BA's off no longer than 30 minutes into the trip, so when we had our swim...
(but they are both swimmers)
) and after a brief detour, found ourselves in Yalding at the put in by the lifting bridge.We were immediately struck by how wide the river is, twice as wide as our home The Chelmer for most of the way, with each bend being a lovely wide pool. After a few luxurious bends we noticed how beautifully 'walled up' each side of the river was. we've again been used to the Chelmers open and windswept panorama.
Woods abound and in many places hops climbing to full glorious height wild amongst hugely prolific swathes of himalayan balsam and a couple of cheeky outbreaks of japanese knotweeds.
we got ourselves only about 3km upstream to sluice weir lock where we stopped for a cook up and brew. Barry and his mate Stuart were startled to see a kelly kettle and wanted to know all about it. this served to distract them for all of 90 seconds which was all the time Tod needed to establish a well presented kitchen and get burgers on the go for anyone interested.
After a barely survived bout of 'not listening to Dad', i bundled my bonkers kids back in the boat and the three canoes continued upstream to Oak Weir Lock. Another gorgeous place to have a brew and a rest and I reckon on it being about 7km from where we started. We saw a trio of gents paddling a plywood prospector type downstream and after giving them a wee headstart, tailed them all the way back to Sluice weir, where they disappeared down the canoe pass...
Tod: "I won't be taking my boat down there, there's not enough water - you'll either get..."
Plywood boat: "BANG!"
Tod: "...stuck getting on, or ground it getting off see"
but the plywood boat had survived, by the look of it (from a distance)
My kids had been badgering me most of teh day about sitting out on the outrigger and paddling along on the annex. Not until the last lock I had replied a couple of dozen times.
And then we were at the last lock.
so i let them both sit on the outrigger spar.
which promptly snapped, pitching two kiddies (6 & 4) into the water. I had been leaning on the outrigger side too, so the apache capsized and promptly submerged.
Both kids bobbed back up screaming and I set about throwing them back into the canoe (pointless exercise!). Tod had watched this from teh jetty however, so teleported himself and his boat right next to me and hauled the still screaming kids aboard. Barry and Stuart set about retrieving all my gear from around the river, freeing me up to chase Tod & the kids back to the jetty. Shark impression was of course an inspiration and tears became giggles became requests that I let them back in the water. Granted and the three of us spent the next ten minutes swimming and jumping in (could have been a minute or an hour - Time was too busy pissing itself laughing to count properly).
eventually the river was removed from the canoe and our gear was removed from the river. Tod gave Isabel a lift back in his boat and I carted the boy back in mine. Barry and Stuart had long since cleared off in a curious attempt to beat the M25 traffic, so two canoes cruised merrily, sleepily back to the cars. all was woken up, loaded up, strapped up, strapped in and away home we went.
At which precise moment the heavens opened up. Wicked
And my confession is that I had turned a blind eye when the kids had taken the BA's off no longer than 30 minutes into the trip, so when we had our swim...
(but they are both swimmers)
