BY RICHARD HARPHAM

Photos: Ash Kenlock &
Richard Harpham

Richard Harpham bio
Richard has become a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society. 

Richard is a human powered adventurer and inspirational speaker who has completed over 10,000 miles of expeditions by kayak, canoe, bike and on foot including exploring the Yukon, cycling the Sahara and Canada’s Inside Passage.

At home he runs www.canoetrail.co.uk, a watersports and adventure business with his wife Ashley in Bedfordshire providing qualifications, canoe camping, coaching and paddling trips to some of the UK’s and world’s best locations. He is the former editor of Bushcraft and Survival Magazine and writes for Outdoor Adventure Guide, MoD’s Resettlement magazine and the Paddler magazine.

His adventures are supported by: Flint Group, Paramo Clothing, Olympus Cameras, Valley Sea Kayaks, Silverbirch Canoes, Bamboo Clothing, MSR, Canadian Affair, Osprey Rucksacks, Extreme Adventure Foods, Air North, Reed Chillcheater and Exposure Lights. You can follow his adventures through social media & @ www.richadventure.com

The River Tweed – The epitome of a touring river

The River Tweed is one of our favourite paddling destinations in Britain, with a perfect blend of magical rapids, embedded rich history and a narrow divide threading a line between Scotland and England. Over the years, we have explored Northumberland’s hidden gem with days honing skills on the more challenging rapids and multi-day trips from Peebles, Kelso, and Coldstream, finishing in the impressive walled town of Berwick Upon Tweed. 

Last autumn, we embarked on a guided trip for our customers, from Peebles to Berwick, with one of the most lovely groups of new friends we could have hoped for. James and his family and friends had paddled other moving water rivers before, he had tackled Everest, and they did have a desire for big adventures – the perfect group. We shuttled the trailer to the end and got ready for a conveyor belt flow of big and small weirs, historic border towns and some solid rapids.

Peebles

My long-suffering expedition buddy Olly Jay joined us; he runs the brilliant Active 4 Seasons from Berwick, offering guiding on the Tweed. Peebles is lovely with carefully hewn stone buildings making it fairy tail like and mystical. The first sections were gentle riffles, so introducing ferry gliding and breaking in and out was easy to share.

Once out of Peebles, the river revealed its charm and passion for excitement, immediately providing rapid after simple rapid. James, Jonny, Imy, Chalie and Ollie were soon into the swing of things. James is a trustee of the Woodland Trust and knowledgeable about all things nature, so the conversation was brilliant. We were treated to kingfishers, otter scat (less of a treat) and watched ospreys fish as we paddled Eastwards. From the start, we passed old castles, ancient bridges and towers. The border is littered with historical sites, so if you are day-tripping and using accommodation, you can visit lots in the local area: William Wallace monument, Dryburgh Abbey and Melrose Abbey, to name but a few.

Downstream from Tweedmouth and Melrose is the first massive viaduct we passed under on the trip. Leaderfoot Viaduct, with its massive pillars, must have been a nightmare project to build and maintain. Near Dryburgh, the river kinks and wriggles like an angry snake, possibly heading for an oxbow in another millennium.

We made camp upstream of Makerstoun, where the reduced light impaired our efficiency around camp as we prepped dinner. Paddling the rapids during daylight seemed a preferable option. We briefed the team and asked the standard two questions: are you happy paddling it? Are you happy swimming it? We walked to the bottom feature investigating the Goat Hole. Rumours are it can swallow a canoe standing on end.

Makerstoun Rapids

Floating down to the top of Makerstoun Rapids, our group was filled with nervous energy and tension regarding the water levels below. I had paddled it before in spate a couple of times with Ollie years ago, but I needed clarification on what to expect at these levels. Some time spent scouting proved invaluable in confirming the lines. The line is river right with drops and chutes down the 200m length. At the levels we experienced on this trip, it was about going slow and controlling the speed to allow turns to avoid rocks and nail the downstream V.

Damien, one of our young ‘padawan’ instructors, nailed the perfect line and then returned to the top of the rapid to paddle down customer canoes. As we have written in our recent Tay article, “Go fast when you need to go fast; go slow when you need to go slow.” Avoiding pinned canoes or injuries was our number one objective. Below Makerstoun, things relaxed as mentally we knew we had passed the biggest rapid, Grade 2-3, with the remaining features of Grade 1-2 with a few bigger awkward weirs to potentially portage. Above Kelso is one of the bigger weirs where we took a paddling breather to portage the right-hand side bank.

Kelso

At Kelso, we met my brother, who was joining the crew and going tandem with Damien for the rest of the journey. We walked into Kelso in the warm sunshine and marvelled at the impressive and somewhat ruined abbey dating back to the 1100s. King David 1st invited Benedictine monks from France to found the abbey in around 1128. Back on the water, we passed under Kelso Bridge, a suitably impressive number and then a second bridge for the A698. The river flowed over some shallow gravel beds and accelerated around various bends, and the team were back into the swing of things.

From Kelso, there was a mix of riffle rapids and then more of the classic fish weirs with a clear glassy tongue to aim for enjoying fast, easy downstream V’s. About 4km downstream from Kelso, we saw a bigger weir extending across the river. The left side had a clear channel, a hidden chute, and a bigger drop with a serious horizon line on one of the sections. We paddled it safely to the bottom and did conclude it was bigger than anticipated and that we should have worn our helmets and excited by our progress; the chat and banter were great, and we were all happy exploring this incredible river. The river continued to bend with flows on the outside of the bend, allowing us to zig and zag between the Scottish and English banks.

About 3km downstream, the river kicked at a sharp left as the Carham Burn joined the Tweed. By now, the team were getting better at reading the rapids and setting their canoe angle to make the most of the flow. Despite the time pressures, we stopped to coach skills.

Coldstream Guards

Wark on Tweed Castle is a ruined Motte and Bailey Castle near Wark on the Tweed built around 1136 is reputedly where the order of the garter was formed. We knew we were close to Coldstream, where we have started multiple Tweed canoe trips we run as Canoe Trail for customers and friends. As well as the home of the Coldstream Guards and their museum; from the water, we saw the massive monument tower to Charles Morjoribanks, who, after a Google search, we discovered had helped reform the voting system. And who says paddles can’t multitask!! Just past here, we enjoyed a few minutes with an otter scampering along the bankside.

There is a lovely riverside campsite at Coldstream, about 1km upriver, that we have used on several occasions – take a look at Coldstream Holiday Park (www.coldstreamholidaypark.com). We haven’t listed exact campsites to avoid overuse and to allow you to find your own adventures. It is important to say this is one of the best and most treasured fishing rivers in the world, so leave no trace, respect those earning their living as ghillies, and enjoy the environment.

We paddled under the very high span arches of the Coldstream Bridge built by Smeaton, often credited as the father of civil engineering, who built lighthouses, locks and other structures. The river kicks to the right, and a large concrete barrier spans the river except for a 3-4m wide channel. Our crews paddled through, some making an eddy behind the barrier wall and others flowing downstream, waiting to regroup.

River Till

We continued to stop regularly for snacks and the occasional brew, which added to the team bonding experience with Yorkshire tea on demand. The river snaked left and right in sweeping bends before reaching the confluence with the River Till, which is worth a nosing up to the viaduct. A barrier pushes the flow to the river left in front of a wooded island. We paddled around the island and explored upstream on the Till to the Twizel viaduct, which towered above us. We took the opportunity to stretch our legs up to the top floor, the viaduct over the river below. There is also a small chapel in the opposite field, which is also worth a visit.

On one of our previous Tweed trips, we witnessed a large stag deer swimming the river by the Till island. No such luck this time. Heading downstream from here, we had that nagging doubt to keep paddling to make the ebbing tide to avoid paddling against the incoming tide. Unlike the previous day, all the weirs were a little smaller, with clear glassy tongues of water to float over. I hoped the levels would be perfect for one of the bigger islands where the flow creates a little whirlpool but sadly no spinning time.

Above Ladykirk and Norham bridge, there was a big fishing crew, so we politely asked which channel to take at the large island. We were encouraged to take a sharp turn right down a back channel that reminded me of sloughs on the Yukon River, where I had been lucky enough to canoe with wolves. (Bad joke alert! – it was me canoeing, not the wolves). A little while later, after some zig and zag action, we emerged at the back of the island to pass under the bridge.

Norham Castle

As we passed the island at Norham, where the river bends, we drew breath and floated to admire the significant walls of Norham CastIe. A few years previously, on a similar trip, our friend Dave who should remain nameless, claimed to have spotted an otter from his canoe. Strangely it moved differently, and after a reasoned and heated debate, it proved to be an adolescent and inquisitive seal. The bends drag a little as they get closer to the estuary mouth.

In the interest of civilized canoe travel, we stopped on a suitable grass and beach area to enjoy a last picnic before re-loading boats. By now, there was a small amount of food envy and equally a limited sharing of snacks. The homeward straight (with some slow bends) was in sight. Of course, we still had to dodge the ‘last mile octopus’ paddling out to the slipway near Spittal at Tweedmouth. The last mile octopus is this sensation that your progress is being hampered and is slowing as the octopus grabs you with more and more tentacles.

Berwick

The finale of reaching Berwick itself was a mixed set of emotions and genuine sadness; our trip was close to ending. The huge viaduct was the perfect opportunity for final holiday snaps. The light was good, so after various switches of canoe position, we headed around the corner to the other Berwick Bridges, imposing walls and chimneys, all of which made this a holiday destination for Lowry, the famous matchstick painter.
We finished near the Lifeboat station with hugs and smiles; like so many canoe trips shared, we had moved from strangers to friends during the journey.

further info

Canoe Trail run a few Tweed trips each year for customers. Check out www.canoetrail.co.uk for dates. Ollie Jay of Active for Seasons, a qualified teacher, coach and river leader, runs sea kayaking and canoe trips from Berwick. Check out http://active4seasons.co.uk