07 September 2024

We had nine paddlers signed on for the trip, but due to various reasons, there were only a few that made it to the start on the Saturday morning. We had a lazy start with coffee and a snack and then paddled up towards Fordwich with our packed lunches in dry bags attached to our boards.

After over an hour paddling, we came across a lake with a place opposite to land where we could eat our lunch. We watched several kayakers and motorboats pass by but no other paddleboarders. Then we paddled back, this time with the tide. As we approached the get out, it became busy with other paddleboarders and various inflatable boats. However, we managed to get out on the landing stage and were met by another two members that had made it in time for a late paddle.

We deflated our boards, had a coffee, and set off for the campsite to pitch our tents. As we were setting up the gazebo, a large rat scurried by, so the squeamish amongst us, decided to spend the night in our vans! We lit an open fire and cooked our supper over a tripod. The scouting and forest school fraternity amongst us were in their element. We turned in early as we were launching from a free parking spot in the morning, so it was going to be an early morning rise.

Breakfast eaten, and with an additional member that joined us just for the day, we set off for the get-in. The water was low but we managed to paddle into the centre of Canterbury, past the Marlowe Theatre and Ducking Stool. We stopped at the weir for coffee from our flasks but Dom and Lisa had a very civilised coffee in a nearby pub! We returned to negotiate another route through some into Canterbury which resulted in us getting soaked in a downpour! We sheltered under trees to eat our lunch. Happy but wet, we returned to our cars, to change into dry clothes for our journey home.