Foreword
Rich Adventure
Musings from my world of adventure and paddling
We have been on the wrong end of some pretty intense weather over the past few weeks , reminding us of the power of mother nature . As we always say on our expeditions , “ Paddle to your limits as the best you will achieve against the environment is a score draw !” A gentle reminder to check forecasts and conditions before you are in the eye of the storm .
The last few months have been busy for us in our watery world , heading up to the northeast and Scotland for our Advanced Canoe Leader assessment with the paddling ninja Ken Hughes . Of course , it takes a village to raise a child , so my coaching chain of mentors includes Ray Goodwin , Leo Hoare , Olly Jay , Rob Campbell and a host of other peers and coaches over the years , helping to hone some rough skills .
We are now back at live shows in and around the paddling and outdoor community running the SUP and kayak pool and climbing wall at the Caravan , Camping and Motorhome Show last week , The Outdoor Show next month , The Bushcraft Show 2022 and the Bedford River Festival in July 2022 in our home town , sharing watersports to over 300,000 people with our big air ramps , SUP race and cardboard box boat races .
It makes me chuckle that a certain Bren Orton joined us a few years ago as a teenager to wow the crowds before going on to become one of the most humble and yet talented paddlers on the planet . We have also been working with Shuttleworth College running open days for young outdoor instructors joining our industry , literally learning the ropes , on our high ropes course . Great to see the future talent coming through .
I have been reading Blazing Paddles by Brian Wilson about his sea kayak mission a few decades ago to paddle around Scotland in a sea kayak . It has left me itching for more time in a sea kayak , so I am excited we head down to the Jurassic Coast in April to share some of the incredible coastlines of our southern flank , Durdle Door , Lulworth Cove , Old Harry and the Needles ( slightly off the UNESCO world heritage designation ) but incredible never the less .
We have had some incredible adventures in this part of Britain , filming with BBC1 almost a decade ago , dodging hovercrafts circumnavigating the Isle of Wight and photobombing a Bollywood movie . The latter moment was hilarious as the movie stars delivered a serious scene with the leading man and woman in front of Durdle Door as four multi-coloured sea kayaks cruised under the arch .
Our piece de resistance on a different trip was paddling past Man O ’ War Beach and landing for lunch to find a group of surprised skinny dippers who evacuated the sea with much shrieking and little to the imagination ! The pros and cons of stealth kayaking . We wondered if you have any similar stories to share ; send them in if so .
I am so excited for spring paddling , longer daylight hours , warmer waters and time on the water .
Happy trails and stay safe . Rich
Richard Harpham , FRGS , is a human powered adventurer , coach and inspirational speaker who has completed over 11,000 miles of expeditions by kayak , canoe , SUP and bike
www . richadventure . com
Richard runs the award winning Canoe Trail watersports and adventure business with his wife Ashley . Thanks to BAM Clothing , Paramo , Valley Sea Kayaks , Palm Equipment and SilverBirch Canoes for sharing the dream .
www . canoetrail . co . uk
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