River Wye Trip, Monmouth to Brockweir - 28th September 2008

The day began with a thick fog that later gave way to clear blue skies, sunshine and weather perfect for paddling.

As we got into our boats and onto the river we waited anxiously for Andrew to enter the water in style. He sat in his kayak at the top of some concrete steps and proceeded to dart down the 20ft or so, almost vertically, onto the water! A career as a stuntman beckons…

The first half of the trip was fairly laid back, taking in the beautiful scenery the Wye has to offer. Not a kingfisher in sight though. The trip was not without it’s drama, after a stop off for lunch (on a somewhat debatable “island”) followed by a “canoeists and trees do not mix” lecture from Keith, we set off again.

Shortly after we reached a rapid, with huge trees leering over it. After some discussion we decided we should attempt to paddle through the middle of the rapid. Some paddlers did this more successfully than others as three of us fell victim to the trees and capsized. After a bit of unscheduled swimming practice a rescue operation ensued.

A fantastic effort from everybody got the people, boats and paddles swiftly back to where they should be and we continued on with our journey.

It was a brilliant day out on the River Wye and we all look forward to the next trip.

Bring on the River Thames…

Paddlers: Dave, Keith, Judy, Mike, Esther, Vanessa, Henry, Andrew and Jenna.

(Thanks to Jenna for the write up, Keith and Mike for driving and Judy and Keith for ensuring all arrived safely at the destination!)