The PaddlerUK magazine July 2015 issue 3 | Page 22

P D L RUK 22
A DE

Once darkness descends it becomes a different
mental challenge as we literally couldn’t see
anything. We were fortunate to have USE
Exposure Lights which helped show the way. As
fatigue set in we began to introduce simple reward
strategies at the portages including coffee, malt
loaf and jelly sweets. Portages become more
difficult with high banks, narrow paths and slippery
put-ins in the dark.The combination of tired arms
and minds coupled with finding our way in the
dark meant things were taking longer.

New paddler

The pace began to slow as a couple of the team
nodded off in their boats. In some ways it was
easier for my brother and I, as we were used to
paddling together and I think it helped to be in a
canoe working together. As we approached
Newport Pagnall, the home of Aston Martin, we
were planning to rendezvous with another friend
and fellow member of Viking Kayak Club, Dom
Milner. This provided a great boost to tired
paddlers and also changed team dynamics with
new conversations and chat. The fact that one of
our mates would venture out at 1 am after a
charity function also meant a lot to us.
Dawn slowly arrived although never quite ‘broke’
in the usual sense of stunning iconic sun rises. We
were closer now to home territory with local

villages we knew and had paddled from time to
time. We stopped for a quick comfort break and
within five minutes both Jay and Matt were asleep
where they sat. By the time we reached Harrold
Bridge we had found daylight and felt like we
were on the home straight but as so often there
was still a sting in the tail to come.
We finished just north of Bedford at Oakley
Bridge having been hammered by storm force
winds for the final few miles with gusts estimated
over 30mph. We would loved to have made it as
far as Bedford, only a tantalizing 12 miles away but
given the long and difficult portages this seemed
more than a bridge too far. A massive thank you
to our support team who brought us two hot
meals and really brightened up the mood.