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Russ, Mike’s friend from Warwickshire, (aka Ratty on the Song of the Paddle forum) was up for another paddle on the Caldon Canal ... so we set it up and advertised to both the club and on the SotP too. On the day we had 3 canoes ...
and 3 inflatables ...
It was raining when we met up, the forecast was for maybe an improvement in the afternoon and we were on the water only fractionally after our intended 10:30AM start. The rain/mist fogged my camera throughout the trip ... so apologies for the quality of some of the photographs. The put in at Froghall Wharf ... Cloudman (Sea Eagle) and Ratty (Apache) |
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Ann in the Prospector |
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Fiona & mymini67 ready to launch, I must be on the water ... that’s the nose of my Minuet |
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Flossie thinks ... I’ll just check out this other boat |
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... and we’re off ..... |
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The put in after the 1st lock portage ... |
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We realize that the smallest paddler is in the biggest canoe ... Ann swaps out to the Minuet |
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mymini67 seal launches at speed ... or it he fog on my lens again ... |
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Flossie thinks, I quite like that boat ... I’ll try it for size ... |
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A Deltic on the Churnet Railway? |
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Another put in, well past the Black Lion now, still raining but still the intrepid paddlers didn’t stop |
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Take out by the Boat Pub ... we had a look at the river and decided to return to the Black Lion via the River Churnet. Assembling after the put-in |
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Fiona commences tree hugging ... this could become a theme |
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mymini67 aboard after helping everyone onto the water and we are off ... |
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Squeezing through narrow bits ... |
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Ratty’s Apache is looking good through the mist & rain |
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Ann about to run the immense weir in the Minuet |
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.... and safely over |
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We raft up and watch ... |
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... as Dave (Cloudman) safely negotiates his first weir |
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We negotiate the narrows (and jungle) ... |
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Until stumped by a fallen Oak blocking he watercourse ... it’s clamber out time |
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Portage around and then back in again ... |
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mymini67 (Mark) a water baby at heart, helping folks onto the water |
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Ooops ... is that deliberate? |
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... and we are off again, to quickly find another downed oak ... we were going to try portaging around this too ... but Mike (Potty Paddler) limbo’d the Prospector under a wooden arch ... and with lots of tree hugging everyone followed suit. |
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Sorry the camera was really misted up here ... |
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Follow down the river ... rejoin the canal ... stop at the Black Lion for a pint and a pork buttie for those of us not adverse to a hog roast (sorry Fiona). Then on to the cars & home. |
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Fiona and Flossie tow Ann at speed ... |
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A really good day, despite constant rain ... the company made the trip, of course ... so many thanks to Ann, Fiona & Flossie, Russ (aka Ratty), Mark (aka mymini67), Dave (aka cloudman) Mike (aka Potty Paddler) Follow this link for Part 2 ... Flossie & Fiona’s photographs |
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