Report by Jancis -

On the 25 February we went kayaking from Symonds Yat to Monmouth. It was my and my mum's first time on the water in a kayak but we are still here to tell the tale! The boats were got off the trailer and cars and while some struggled to get on cagoules, others sat in their boats and tried to name the parts of the boats. When we eventually got on the river, we were frozen to our paddles .

Unfortunately one of the hardest bits was first - the rapids. It wasn't hard .In fact it was on the verge of easy, as I went down - I was one of the first . I got pretty wet and was slightly uneasy ,as everyone had been down before - except me. Afterwards I can safely say it was really fun.

We carried on, spotting buzzards and ducks as well as swans, until our empty stomaches permitted us not to go any further; so we stopped for lunch. The only problem was, in search for adventure, I had gone to the other side - many people had - and as I paddled for the bank, I was swept past everyone into some trees. Fortunately, Judy came to rescue me ,but the current was strong and I was not. In the end Martin heroically waded out to us - thankfully it was not deep - so we paddled and he pulled. I did get my lunch in the end, although others preferred to look at some dead salmon and talk about if they had matches to light a BBQ! I have to say before I go on, that that dead fish stank! Some merciless person picked it out with his paddle - not nice, aye!

My mum got in her double kayak with a girl called Tasha and I was pushed back in mine - unfortunately my spray-deck leaked at the back, so you can imagine (and feel sorry for me) that I could not feel the hardness of my cockpit anymore - meaning I went numb! My spray-deck was tucked back around me , and then I realized that I was at the top of the bank. About a few seconds later I was thrust down the bank and into the depths of the river - well, it was about two foot there!

Determined to compensate for the tree incident, I tried to keep ahead for the rest of the way. I am sorry to say that I failed miserably. Maybe I was just too tired. I soon found out that my kayak - an old white water one now used for general purpose - had a mind of its own. Every time I did a stroke, it decided that it wanted to do a three-sixty! I am slightly abashed to inform you that I got rather frustrated and needed a tow by the end. I was told to do a stern rudder - a type of stroke thing - but unluckily I must have done it wrong, so that my boat was at a right-angle to Judy's. I nearly capsized but managed not to - I'm not quite sure how! - and I was let free to do the last stretch of water before Monmouth.

At the end I found myself thoroughly wet and cold, but satisfied. I had survived my first trip with Paddle On!

Many thanks to Keith for sorting all the boats and kit, to Dave for towing and all who helped in various ways. Thanks Jancis for the report!