Growing up in Devon allowed me to enjoy some great locations for kayaking, such as the Upper Dart in the south for whitewater, Croyde Bay in the north for surfing, and the sandstone stacks of Ladram Bay in the east for paddling on the sea.
My first experiences of sea kayaking were in a canvas-skinned, wooden-framed boat that my father gave me. I used to carry it across the fields and paddle down the River Otter and out onto the start of the Jurassic Coast. Although that boat leaked so badly that I couldn’t stay on the water for more than a couple of hours at a time, I was impressed by how much distance it could cover compared to the much shorter and slower kayaks we used on the rivers.
The kit I use these days is very different, and I now live in Cambridge (about 50 miles from the coast), which will be the somewhat unconventional start point (and hopefully end point) for this journey.
I first became interested in the idea of kayaking around Britain some years ago after reading the book, “Commitment and Open Crossings”, and have been following the blogs of others making similar journeys ever since. Although I’m doing this for fun (and I’m not trying to break any records), I also think it is a great opportunity to try and raise some money for two great charities.
You can get in touch using the form below or email me on guy DOT slater AT gmail.com – I’d love to hear from you!
Contact Guy:
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no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing
My leaky “dry” trousers feel inappropriate at the moment 😉