Ross on Wye Trip, May 24th - May 28th, 2013.

Many thanks to Nettie for organising another fantastic trip to the Wye ... can’t wait for the next one later this year.

The plan ...

• Friday, bimble down to Biblins as and when folks can manage to set up camp
• Saturday, ~11 mile paddle from Kearne Bridge, through Symonds Yat, getting out at our camp-site
• Sunday, play at the Yat ... a paddle down to Monmouth ... or both.
• Monday ... pack up and a leisurely drive home.

... it all worked really well ... and so on to the pics ...

After the mud slide we set up ready for running Symonds Yat ... Ant’s kayak is strapped to Mike’s canoe ... and we squeeze him in there too ... somehow.

... and so ended a wonderful days paddling on the Saturday ... would Sunday be as good?

Sunday, what to do, play at the Yat, a trip to Monmouth ... or both? We decide to go to Monmouth and if we’ve time afterwards to paddle pack up to the Yat for more surfing fun. Iain & Nettie drive off to leave Iain’s Camper Van at Monmouth Canoe Hire to facilitate a shuttle. On their return we discover that there is a rowing club regatta ongoing ... if we could please not get there till after 4:30PM we’ll have no problems as they’ll have finished by then. We delay the put in .... and then we’re off ...

Underneath the Mistletoe?

But we are early, we see the rowing races still continuing ... so we stop for a stretch & snack

After sustenance had been consumed we continued down to talk to a race marshal, “How are you doing? ... can we get out yet?” ... 48 races to go, who on earth told you we’d be finished by 4:30PM ... arrgh!!

We look to see if we can get out by the church ... no, but Monmouth Canoe hire had set up a get out in a field above the regatta, we could use that. We cross the river, race coxed eights, we lose, Iain goes off to reclaim his camper an to drive it to our new get out. Canoes & kayaks in the field, Iain drives us back to get the cars and we get all the boats & folks back to camp. A REALLY BIG THANKYOU TO ALL AT MONMOUTH CANOE HIRE.

We didn’t have time left to go back up the Wye to play on the Yat

Our resident pyromaniac, Nettie, decided we could have an even bigger fire for most folks last night on camp.

Monday morning most tents were packed, they were dry and the happy campers departed.

A much smaller camp remained .... Mike & Diana stayed an extra day to help out with the 3rd Macc/Prestbury Scouts kayaking ...

Darryl & Mike and the scouts on the water at Biblins ... why does Mike’s canoe look so much like a mother duck with it’s ducklings?

Thank to all who came on the trip, everyone did the Symonds Yat rapids and no one swam ... I think one of the best Wye trips yet.

Mike.

Photo Credits .... Helen Beech, Diana Stafford, Mike Fennell.