BY RICHARD HARPHAM
Bio
Richard Harpham, FRGS and Ashley Kenlock are human-powered adventurers, paddling coaches and leaders who have completed over 12,000 miles of expeditions by kayak, canoe, SUP, ski and bike. www.richadventure.com They run the award-winning Canoe Trail, watersports and adventure business together, offering coaching, expeditions and canoe and camp in Bedfordshire.
Thanks to BAM Clothing, Paramo, Valley Sea Kayaks, MSR, Palm Equipment and Silver Birch Canoes for sharing the dream.
Spring greens!
Watching the vibrant green leaves unfurl has been lovely, celebrating the start of another spring-to-summer transition. The start of our canoe trail season has been busy fencing land for our new Duke of Edinburgh campsite, like a scene from Clarkson’s farm. The weather has done its best to keep us all guessing, delivering four seasons in less than a day.
One of our first real trips of the season was paddling the River Tweed in April, which delivered plenty of excitement and so many friendly fisherfolk. The weirs and rapids made for a great paddle, and the ospreys catching fish before us was one of those golden moments we treasure. We picked up some new boats from Palm Dagger and I managed to drop in on the Thames at Lechslade.
For a paddle – it was a trip down memory lane as I cast my mind back to 2009 and our length of the Thames paddle from Cricklade to Dartford in 33 hours. It would have been tough anyway, but the major blizzards certainly gave it an edge. It started our love of longer journeys which now stands over 12,000 miles between us.
By the time the August Paddler hits print, we will have completed our annual Yukon canoe expedition, although this will be my first trip for a few years with the lockdown. We are really excited to hit the trail as it will be Ash’s first trip to my adopted lands. In between, we have another exciting commitment with the Bushcraft Show 2023, run by the Bushcraft and Survival Skills Magazine at Stamford Hall, speaking on stage and running water sports. It is a family show with a real community and, of course, headline speakers with Ray Mears back on stage this year.
We have been excited to develop new courses around pack rafting with a trip and some paddling skills and rescues combined. We have partnered up with Paqualife to become the world’s first Packaraft adventure training centre possibly. I first used them over a decade ago from Juneau to Whitehorse over the Chilkoot trail following the gold rush route of 1898.
Despite the wet weather, we are looking forward to paddling new rivers, making new paddling friends and embracing 2023 as another year of adventure and messing about on the water. We reckon it will be a vintage year.
Happy Trails, and stay safe
Ash and Rich
