Blog
Kayaking the Thames from Rainham to the Thames Barrier and back
This trip from Rainham explores the wild, industrial nature of the Thames. As we paddle, oyster catchers call from broken wharves and huge cargo ships slide past, their holds laden with Tate & Lyle sugar and Dagenham diesel engines. The concrete barges at Rainham provide a good access point to the Thames, as long as […]
Homemade kayaking animation is great #stayathome entertainment
With London under coronavirus lockdown, the capital’s kayaking clubs have been coming up with creative ways to entertain and motivate their members. Regents Canoe Club, a whitewater club usually based on the Regents Canal, came up with a special movie night. The Regents Academy of Film & Television Awards, otherwise known as the RAFTAs. Club […]
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 […]
