Another beautiful night out tonight, wow.
Paddling against the tidal Thames from Cremorne Riverside (just west of Battersea Bridge, and east of Lot’s Road power station) to Putney bridge and drifting back with the flow, in the full moon’s reflection. What an experience.
The twilight paddle will soon need to be renamed, as each week it’s a bit darker than the last by the time we’re out on the water.
Perhaps we can call it the Twinkly Light paddle* – in appreciation of the fancy lights our very own Katy designed and constructed (let’s not forget her trusty sidekick, Ian, who helped with the sawing and velcro-ing).
The pillbox containers on the shoulders look a bit bizarre in the daylight, but as soon as the sun sets and we switch those little beauties on…et voila! The coolest thing since sliced bread. Keep your eye on this page for some pics of the lights in action.
Regardless of what they’re called, Wednesday nights on the river are pretty darn fantastic. Here are some pics to show you what I mean – if this slide show doesn’t tempt you to join us for an evening paddle, I’m not sure what will.
*Editor’s note: Moments after penning that name I’m already cringing when I look at it, so perhaps not!
It’s not every day one comes acorss a neon orange squidgy duck thing that lights up when you shake it… but this is seriously what I found in the Thames today!
Click on the image above to watch a short video clip of the duck in action.
Yesterday saw the adult fitness paddlers taking to the river for their second last Saturday paddle for 2010. It was a good day out – not too cold (5 degrees feels warm at the moment!), no wind and a bit of cloud cover.
We took an easy paddle down to the London Eye and back, and by the time we got to Westminster bridge the sun had come out and it had turned into a glorious day… it was like Christmas had come early, and we even had a bit of Santa spirit in the air.
It’s been a good year for the adult fitness paddling group, and we’re hoping that 2011 will prove to be even better. Most of us kayak regularly on Saturdays, and those fortunate enough to be able to make the Wednesday morning session get two fantastic paddles in a week.
Nothing quite beats a London workout like a 5-10 mile paddle on the river Thames with friends and festivities!
It may be snowing in other parts of the country, and temperatures are close to or below zero, but a bit of cold weather sure doesn’t stop us from paddling the Tideway.
Yesterday got off to a nice and frosty start for the adult paddling session – a trip to Tower Bridge was the order of the day, and gee was I glad I opted for the pogies!
A beautiful morning though, and by the time we started back to Cremorne the sun was out and it was positively boiling, at a whopping 2 degrees celcius.
But, provided you’re dressed correctly with thermals underneath and a cag on top, there’s nothing quite as nice as an autumnal paddle to start your day.
Are the short autumn days getting you down? Has the cold weather stopped you from leaving the house?
Check out Cremorne Riverside’s Flickr stream for memories of summer and to remind you why you love paddling.
