Paddle Peak Cromford Mill adventure weekend

Words:
Andrew Whiting

Photos: Peter Astles &
David Leathborough

Paddle Peak

Paddle Peak

Paddle Peak is a local charity and club that cleans and cares for the River Derwent and takes local youngsters kayaking. For more information, check their Facebook Page and website: www.paddlepeak.org

Paddle Peak Cromford Mills adventure weekend

Each August Bank Holiday weekend, for several years now, local charity Paddle Peak have run ‘come and try’ kayaking sessions free to local youngsters keen to get on the water as part of the Cromford Mills Adventure Weekend. This superb event based around the historic Cromford Mills gives opportunities to try all sorts of activities, including kayaking.

A unique opportunity
The canal at Cromford offers a brilliant and safe space to try kayaking for the first time, and the weekend is staffed by such well-experienced and qualified paddlers; it is a unique opportunity.

This year was no different, and around 275 kids took part in the sessions over three days alongside the opportunities to meet GB Olympic paddlers fresh from the Paris Games. Adam Burgess, Kimberly Woods and Mallory Franklin, as well as newly crowned U23 European Champion Ben Haylett, were all on hand to talk about their experiences, show off medals and sign posters, hats and t-shirts – some lucky kids even got to paddle with them and get tips from the superstars!

Huge thanks to all the volunteers who make these sessions possible, Cromford Mills for their continued support, Peak UK for supplying the best equipment, and Pyranha Kayaks for bringing their demo fleet. This wouldn’t be possible without all of you.

The Peak Challenge
The Peak Challenge was (probably) the biggest and best multi-discipline kayaking event series the UK has ever seen. Running for almost a decade, it combined slalom, freestyle and downriver racing skills to find an overall champion. It ran as a series throughout the UK and even ventured to Nepal and Africa. Almost 20 years after the chapter closed, the flame has been re-ignited and re-modelled into a fun-filled family weekend.

Over the August Bank Holiday weekend, around 60 paddlers aged six to 60 descended into Cromford in the Derwent Valley, based around the historic Cromford Mills and Willersley Castle, to participate in this inaugural event. There would be a slalom, Downriver and as a finale, the new Olympic discipline of Kayak Cross would round off the three days.

Slalom event
Saturday would be host to the slalom event. A course of 18 gates was set over a couple of small rapids, training grounds of the local Paddle Peaksters, to ensure enough challenges for all but not too daunting for any paddler with some moving water experience. Paddlers briefed, judges in place, the racing began. There were some seriously hot laps from the ex-premier division and GB team paddlers, GB coaches of several disciplines, and the youngest competitors being chaperoned by their parents. All cheered on with tremendous enthusiasm.

After two laps, results were crunched, and medals were presented by double Bronze Medallist from the Paris Olympics, Kimberly Woods, who also spent the day showing off her medals, chatting and signing posters. What a memory (and podium picture) to cherish alongside all the fun and camaraderie of the day. Willersley Castle (Manor Adventure) hosted a social gathering in the evening with dinner and entertainment from local superstar ‘Buskin’ John Gill, rolling out the tunes until the last person had left the building (apart from the residents!).

A seriously impressive coaching list
Sunday was the Downriver. But before that started, slalom coaching sessions were offered to any challenge participants, with a seriously impressive coaching list. Fresh from the Olympics, we had Adam Burgess (silver Olympic medallist in Paris), Kimberly Woods (2 x Bronze), and Mallory Franklin. Also on hand were slalom superstars Fiona Pennie and Chris Bowers and recently crowned U23 kayak European champion Ben Haylett. What an experience for the kids!

A course of around a kilometre was decided as suitable for the Downriver race (by someone fitter than myself!). Safety was set (thanks to the GB Slalom folks, Gav Barker, Pete, and Olly from Plas y Brenin), and racing was go! A full race spec whitewater racing boat was a notable addition to some paddler’s quiver for the day. These folks displayed tremendous speed and skill in negotiating the tight lines and even shared boats for others to try. Despite this, the other paddlers battled to fight for positions, smiling and cheering.

Incredible paddling from everyone throughout the day and medals presented by Adam Burgess lead into a well-earned social up at Willersley Castle once again. There’s no better setting in the Derwent Valley. Dinner was served once again, followed by a screening of the legendary PeakUK film Id10t1c Go Boating (remastered for a family audience), which showed the paddling and exploits of the PeakUK team from 2000-2001.

Kayak Cross
Monday dawned bright and (too) early! The big event was here. Kayak Cross (Peak Challenge style) would involve launching from a start ramp and negotiating eight larger-than-life gates – initially as an individual time trial to seed competitors into heats for semis and finals for each category, then as pairs or threes for the semis and finals. Thrills and spills ensued, with some amazingly tight and fiercely competitive racing throughout.

This was drawing the crowds for sure! Results were crunched throughout (thanks, Steph and Paul!), and finals were fought to end the weekend with medals for the kayak cross, presented overall by PeakUK’s own Pete Astles.

One of the best things to see from the whole weekend (although there were so many) was that the J12 (under 12s) category was the biggest of all. What a promising future – and I guess it means the Peak Challenge is back for a new generation!

Huge thanks
Fantastic work, and huge thanks to all who came, paddled, supported and volunteered. The pictures and results show most of the story, but the memories from the shared paddling, friendships, meetings and cheers will ensure it’s back again next year.

Special thanks to Cromford Mills and Manor Adventure Willersley Castle for making the event possible, Swadlincote Ski Slope for the kayak cross-start ramp, Peak UK, Pyranha, P&H, Ainsworth and Dagger for all of the kayaks and equipment, Plas Y Brenin for rescue skills, all of the tireless volunteers, instructors, and caterers, Thornbridge Brewery for the cool refreshments, and last but not least, everyone who came along and joined the fun. Well done.