We left London Thursday night, finally arriving at Lucksall Campsite in Holme Lacy just as it was getting dark. Once the tents were up most of us decided to drive to Hereford to get some supplies and to sit down for a curry.
Friday morning we packed the tents away, used the camping stoves to cook breakfast and after washing it all down with a coffee sorted out our canoes. Hereford Canoe Hire had an office on the campsite so it was easy to load up our gear in the waterproof barrels and get on the water quickly.
The group consisted of 10 of us and 5 canoes. Those with previous experience began in the back seat to keep the canoes straight. The first day was quite a short day, our destination being Hoarwithy. Once we’d arrived mid afternoon we pitched the tents and went for a walk. Hoarwithy is only a small village but they do have a rather impressive church called St Catherine’s. As luck would have it inside the church there was a group rehearsing classical music which added to the atmosphere of the place. The pub was not open so some waited in the village whilst some of us returned to the camping field to soak up the sun.
That evening we enjoyed a pub meal whilst outside the weather took a turn for the worst. Dodging the showers we returned to the tents and when the rain finally stopped we started a campfire.
Saturday morning we awoke to grey skies. It finally cleared enough and the tents were dry enough to pack away. We were on the water before 10am for a long paddle to YHA Welsh Bicknor. We made a few stops on the way on what was a hot day. Lunch was taken in a pub near Kerne Bridge.
After a good meal we paddled on for the short distance to our hostel but not before some drama. First Grant and Yuan managed to fall into the River, Yuan losing a flip-flop in the process. Then we managed to paddle about 20 metres past the hostel and had to paddle upstream back to the bank. Rachel and Harjit could not quite beat the fast running water so Grant and I took another canoe to help them.
We decided that Grant would get in the back of one canoe and I would take the back seat of the other. Switching people between canoes whilst on the river is not that easy as it proved when all 4 of us fell in and got wet. Once back in the boats is took only a couple of minutes to reach the bank and our accommodation.
We all took advantage of the chance to have a shower. Six of us were to sleep in a tipi and four had a room in the hostel. After eating the group gathered round the log burner, drank a few beers and relaxed. I had a much better sleep in the tipi than I had in a tent and felt quite fresh for the final day and the paddle to Monmouth.
We were on the water by 10am and did not have to be in Monmouth until 1pm. Richard was too posh to sit on the hard canoe seat and used a folding camping chair with its own back! Always one for a little luxury he also had a wind up radio which was very relaxing tuned to a classical station as we paddled downstream. The rapids at Symonds Yat were good fun and I’m keen to try more adventurous rapids in the future.
We arrived in Monmouth exactly at 1pm. It had been a fun trip and we were not looking forward to returning to London. If you were one of the unlucky ones who did not get one of the 10 spaces keep an eye on the programme. We will be planning more canoe trips in 2009, both in the UK and overseas.
