How much fun can you have on the same old stretch of canal?
August is famously the silly season. Here are some ways to really enjoy your time on the water paddleboarding.
Not long ago at the brilliantly name Pirate Castle community kayak club I overheard a tourist guide sharing with passengers on one of the big pleasure boats, that run trips between Camden Market and Paddington, ask “Why on earth would anyone paddle on this dirty old canal?”
As ever the tourists had their phones out and snapped some of the paddleboarders.
I expect they caught me in mid grin.
Because when I’m on the water it’s all about play. I’m paddling because it’s so much fun (oh yes and it’s illegal for water companies to release sewage into canals).
LIFE LESSONS
It’s very easy to take sports too seriously. If you’re trying to be in a team or improving your mph/kph then there’s lots of training and gymwork to do. But when it’s summer warm, or if you’re with people who have stressful lives then do everyone a favour and do some safe messing around. Here are some things I love to do on paddleboards with groups that you might enjoy trying as much as pounding up and down your usual route:
THE TRAIN Lie down and make a train so the lead paddler does all the work. The rest of us can just lie flat and chill out.
TWO ON A BOARD Get two people on a paddleboard for a little cruise. Once you’re comfy kneeling together could one or both of you stand up?
FLIP Practicing the rescue of an unconscious paddler - that’s the flip the board rescue which makes the person being rescued feel like they are flying! Swap so you both get a go.
FORAGE I love, love, love picking blackberries from a paddleboard. And the ones that grown near the canal or river always seem so much sweeter and tastier than any others.
SPIN Sit at one end and spinning the board around. Then upgrade that to standing (either at the rear or the nose of your board!).
LIE DOWN AND PADDLE PRONE See how far you can go before you want to grin from ear to ear.
DRESS UP Halloween and Christmas are always good excuses, but you could always organise a themed paddle to give yourselves and anyone on the towpath/river bank a good giggle. Insta has some lovely examples of Georgian-dressed ladywear along the River Avon.
Have fun on your paddles. And do let me know your ideas about making paddleboarding the best of times.
NOT THAT DEEP
If you like to read about people paddleboarding then try this novel available as an ebook or print on demand adventure on the canals written by me. Link to NOT THAT DEEP is here.