By Richard Harpham
Bio
Richard Harpham, FRGS, is a human powered adventurer, coach and inspirational speaker who has completed over 11,000 miles of expeditions by kayak, canoe, SUP and bike www.richadventure.com
Richard runs the award winning Canoe Trail watersports and adventure business with his wife Ashley. Thanks to BAM Clothing, Paramo, Valley Sea Kayaks and SilverBirch Canoes for sharing the dream. www.canoetrail.co.uk
Foreword: Rich Adventure
Musings from my world of adventure and paddling By way of an introduction, I was delighted when Peter the editor, confirmed we could run this as a regular feature. Since the start, I have been a paddler and adventurer in one form or another most of my life and written for the Paddler magazine. In adventure terms, I have completed over 11,000 miles of human-powered exploits over the past decade with some incredible challenges, friendships and camaraderie and giggles along the way. It does honestly feel like I am just getting started and strangely, the more I have done, the more inadequate it seems. I guess that is the fallacy of us all to feel such doubts and insecurities also known as imposter syndrome; it does keep us honest, humble and grounded.
The last year has of course been the strangest of times; you can’t paddle, you can paddle! And onto the next update. As the safety officer of our local club Viking Kayak Club and owner of a paddlesports business, it has been tricky to update our paddling community. I can say that the simple pleasure of getting time on the water has been a real boost to my state of mind, (or mental health) and equally for our peers and customers as we have navigated the ever-changing guidelines.
I can distil it down to magic moments, from beautiful sunsets and brilliant, vivid colours grabbing reflections on the water, to otter kits playing nearby or working on white water technique and being in the zone. Seeing people learn new skills and feel the paddling love has been a real boost and highlights of a very different year. I have combined it to stay fit with plenty of wild swimming as cross-training for a lack of competitive polo. As paddlers, I figure we are born to this wild swimming pastime and already at the destination in most cases.
More recently, between lockdowns, we took time to explore some new locations and rivers from urban cityscapes to rural wilderness paddling, where we didn’t see another soul. Some of the great destinations we loved were the River Cherwell to thread the backwaters of Oxford’s magnificent spires, the Waveney at Bungay, The Wye from Builth Wells down to Whitney Bridge and the Usk. Winter paddling on those crisp blue sky days is one of life’s great pleasures.
Of course, given the current situation, we planned carefully, avoided third-party contact and developed the art of fine socially distant and sumptuous picnics. We did manage one swim on the Wye as we rounded a small ledge drop I watched in horror as my novice teammate grab the gunnels for support. Sometime later after a slow-motion dismount we swam down the river swim lines in hand, we chuckled away like two friends in the pub, shooting the breeze and remarking how this was excellent training and we are all between swims! Like the driving test instructor, I did point out I will not ask you to repeat this manoeuvre.
Finally, with the recent floods, I know there will be debris galore, flotsam and jetsam. Taking inspiration from Peak UK’s Pete Astles and the locals on the Derwent last year, we can make a difference removing spoil and rubbish. Almost every day I have collected rubbish whilst out paddling (and walking), and I think we can make a big difference.
#everydaywomble
Happy trails and stay safe.
Rich
