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Kayaking the River Roding & Barking Creek, from the Thames to Ilford
The River Roding rises in Essex and flows through East London before joining the Thames at Barking Creek. We kayaked upstream from the Thames on a rising spring tide, reaching Ilford before returning. As curious kayakers we weren’t rushing; the total journey time was roughly three and a half hours. We launched from the steps […]
Submarine hunting in the River Medway
The creeks and saltmarshes of the tidal Medway hide many secrets, including the rusting hulk of a WW1 German submarine, abandoned here almost one hundred years ago. Searching for the submarine Access to this submarine isn’t easy. The Medway estuary is a wide expanse of mudflats, swept by fast moving tides. We went in search […]
Exploring London’s Channelsea River
The Channelsea River is a hidden tidal creek in East London. Discover a secret island and an oasis for urban wildlife! The Channelsea is one of the Bow Back Rivers, a series of man-made channels which date back to the 12th century. They were dug to drain the Stratford Marshes, now long gone and buried […]
Kayaking around Canvey Island
A short sea kayaking adventure within easy reach of London A kayak circumnavigation of Canvey Island is a surreal experience, taking in big, estuarine seascapes, a massive gas refinery and wildlife-rich sea marshes. Get the tides wrong and you’ll also encounter lots of mud. Canvey Island is located about 40 miles east of London, an […]
Ghost ships of the River Thames
The Thames is always moving. Many Londoners don’t even realise the River Thames is tidal, changing direction roughly every six and a half hours, as millions of tonnes of water flows first one way, and then the other. In the centre of town, the Thames rises and falls by as much as seven metres throughout […]
Kayaking the Medway Island Forts
A day trip to explore the Medway island forts, Fort Hoo & Fort Darnet These Medway forts date back almost 150 years and can only be reached by boat, such as a trusty kayak. The forts were built on the recommendations of the 1859 Royal Commission, to protect the important naval dockyards of Chatham from […]
