Greetings from Greece The summer has been a whirlwind at our adventure HQ , with over 900 young people ‘ re-wilded ’ through bushcraft and adventure activities with plenty of paddling , British Canoeing awards and climbing .
PADDLER 3
Foreword
Rich Adventure
Greetings from Greece The summer has been a whirlwind at our adventure HQ , with over 900 young people ‘ re-wilded ’ through bushcraft and adventure activities with plenty of paddling , British Canoeing awards and climbing .
RICHARD HARPHAM
We have just returned from running our best of Wales trip featuring fun white water , two UNESCO world heritage sites , Conwy and Pontcysyllte Aqueduct , tidal paddling and Bala Lake to complete the tour . We would ask the classic leadership question : “ Are you happy paddling this ? Are you happy swimming it ?” The weather was cracking , and the progression of our customers was incredible . We cast our minds back to the last time we crossed the aqueduct , which was blowing a force 5 / 6 head down and gritted teeth . We arrived in Greece for a week of decompression from a busy peak season before we returned to leading expeditions and trips in the autumn . Our basic plan was ‘ R & R ’ with time on the beach , strangely a tough sell to sit still for water and adventure-loving junkies . We packed our smallest SUP , a Red 9 ’ 8 , snorkels and fins , and books and arrived in the land of fine alfresco eating . By day five , we had already explored the tightest of underwater caves and arches , ridden horses on the trail through the bubbly ancient river Acheron and practised breath-holding to explore the underwater kingdoms .
Over 30 years ago , a particularly scary thought for one of us , Rich , qualified as a commercial diver and spent time in Malta mapping underwater wrecks and archaeology . A favourite pastime was to snorkel down to divers supporting ROVs ( remote-operated vehicles ) and tap them on the shoulder ; the deeper , the better for maximum startle effect . Now , with more wisdom and less fitness , it certainly doesn ’ t seem as easy . That said , a few quid for a mask and fins is much cheaper than heading to space to experience another world ! Packing a SUP and snorkelling kit was a game changer for hyperactive types .
Today , we embraced a brilliant day of adventure exploring the Acheron Spring and Gorge , wading up cascading rapids , smooth eroded cliffs and channels , sometimes waist depth in the freezing waters and other times swimming with kit overhead , swimming against the flow . What amazed us most was the diversity of ages , sizes and nationalities , giving it a bash . We commented on how adventure is in all of us ; we must remind ourselves of the possibilities and remove any doubting voices or conflicting priorities . Further downstream , they offered duckies and rafting on the clear alpine spring waters .
We have been excited to develop new courses around pack rafting with a trip and some paddling skills and rescues combined . We have partnered up with Paqualife to possibly become a world first Packaraft adventure training centre . Paqualife were alongside us at the Bushcraft show , showing off an array of lightweight and robust rafts . Rich first used them over a decade ago from Juneau to Whitehorse over the Chilkoot trail following the gold rush route of 1890s , joining up a 1000-mile sea kayak expedition on the Inside Passage and a 700-mile Yukon canoe trip .
Returning to the UK , we are humbled to run various trips and expeditions , including the River Tay , Tweed and Norfolk Broad trips . The UK has so much to offer , and our last trip on the Tweed saw Osprey catching a fish and seal playing grandmothers with footsteps popping up behind our canoes . Wild camping on small islands and river banks is perfect for escaping modernday distractions .
Our off-grid house project tests the patience as local planners rejected our agricultural barn plans for the second time as it was deemed too embryonic , surprising as the land has 500 established fruit trees in the orchard . Drop us a line if anyone fancies a camp and undergrowth weekend exchanging fruit and outdoor learning for free labour .
The big step comes next as we leave our house to move to a winterised caravan , living the dream . Thinking back to our wedding , we were given more than one card sporting the old TV series , the ‘ Good Life ’. Someone must have had a pretty good crystal ball with a paddler ’ s life , shire horses , orchards , chickens , and plans to raise our own meat . If that wasn ’ t enough , we also have the small matter of breaking in our one-year-old shire foal , appropriately named Storm . Living by the seasons and off the land is nothing new for our ancestors , so here goes to the next few months of relearning the ropes .
Happy Trails , and stay safe Ash and Rich
PADDLER 3
Richard Harpham , FRGS and Ashley Kenlock are human-powered adventurers , paddling coaches and leaders who have completed over 12,000 miles of expeditions by kayak , canoe , SUP , ski and bike . www . richadventure . com
They run the awardwinning Canoe Trail , watersports and adventure business together , offering coaching , expeditions and canoe and camp in Bedfordshire . www . canoetrail . co . uk
Thanks to BAM Clothing , Paramo , Valley Sea Kayaks , MSR , Palm Equipment and Silver Birch Canoes for sharing the dream .