A paddle from Ross on Wye to Symonds Yat

Saturday morning was clear and relatively sunny and found six of us meeting at Aust services to rearrange boats, before driving up to Ross-on-Wye.

As there had been lots of rain in the previous few weeks, the river was running fairly fast, but also the green near where we parked had a couple of lakes (large puddles!!) on it. Judy and Dave decided to attempt to paddle in a puddle before venturing out onto the river, however they then realised that it was rather shallow, so no-one else joined them.

We then got out onto the river, leaving Lynn on the bank to drive down to Symonds Yat to meet us. We entered the water at roughly the same time as a couple of men in an open boat who were travelling a similar distance to us, but they were planning to camp overnight and continue the following day. Judy and Ruth had new boats that had only been used in the pool before, and Ruth had never paddled in such fast water before, so it was a hesitant start, but then we set off down the river. There was at times quite a strong headwind, creating some interesting eddies, and at times making conversation a little difficult, but then we would find a more sheltered spot where the sun was glorious, and all that could be heard was the splash of paddles.

A couple of herons flew over us, and Keith spotted a kingfisher. When we stopped for lunch at Kerne Bridge some deer were bounding around on the far bank. Also we met the same guys in their open boat who helped Ruth get her stiff body onto land- before reminding Keith why he normally prefers to canoe in an open boat- they unloaded their chairs, table and cutlery etc for their lunch, while we sat in the mud, glad (in Ruth’s case at least) to be able to move around a little.

We then ventured down towards Symonds Yat past some interesting currents, eddies etc- and found some stopper waves for the more experienced kayakers to play in. We paddled past the imposing Goodrich castle, and under Yat rock, and joined Lynn at the car park at Symonds Yat.

We had had a very enjoyable day. No-one went swimming. Judy and Ruth’s boats had had a good outing and although it was probably a little tame for some of the group after the white water season, it was a good opportunity for Ruth to learn some new techniques with lots of instructors and experienced paddlers, and the weather was amazing for March. Thanks to Judy for organising the day- to Martin and Lynn for driving, and to Lynn for meeting us with our kit at the end of the day.

(Paddlers: Dave P, Judy, Keith, Martin, Ruth)