I love the sources of rivers. I grew up near one in Yorkshire. I’mve visited a few in the last couple of years (Thames, Markafjlot, Kaveri, Pjorsa), and I reckon there’s few simpler ways of finding yourself a fascinating journey than to follow your river down to the sea. There’s more than 8000 to choose from in the UK alone.
You can do it by foot, haul a canoe, build a coracle, or blag a tractor inner tube. It doesn’t have to be epic. Unless you want it to be (like this marvellous madman).
Here’s how I got on with the latest installment from my year of microadventure:
Great video but above all a cracking tune to accompany it.
What is the song?
Frank Turner – rivers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StqE9SDLqzc
Great video and brilliant music to go with it, yet another thing I’d love to get round to doing.
Maybe coast to coast, Bristol channel (Portishead) to Thames Estuary (Sheerness) in a kayak (or at least something light enough to portage up and down locks)
Funny how you feel naturally drawn to rivers but the adult in you stops you from entering them as going in a river is bound to result in some kind of certain death. I grew up next to the Wharf and as kids we used to jump off the big big rock at Burnsall, swim the river at Ilkley, canoe down the weirs for some reason now the closest I get now is walking the dog down the edge of the Thames. (the dog always has swim though)
Good microadventure
If you start at Bristol you can take canals / rivers till you reach the Kennet and Avon and then you can follow that to the Thames and the sea…
Where I am located, it is possible to follow the rivers both from one of the Great Lakes or to them. Credit River that originates in a county north of us, drops into Lake Ontario.
Jealous!
Awesome vid man much enjoyin the microadventures.
Cool! Did this earlier in the year with Phil Turner on the River Ayr…
Day 1
Day 2
and had a great time.
Nico video and beautiful music. Reminds me of my first micro adventure in 1987 (wasn’t called a micro adventure than) in Holland. My wife and I followed de river Dommel from Holland to the source in Belgium. This year took our bikes and followed le Meusse et Moussel. Thank you for the inspiration you give us Al.
Keep micro adventuring.
Groeten uit Nederland
Nice to know someone in Holland’s reading this! Cheers!
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Where were you and which river was this? cheers
Dave
Hi
As I explain at the end of the vid I went down the “wrong” river, but don’t think that matters at all.
So I didn’t know the name of the actual river I paddled. And I have deliberately not found out its name now. Just pick a river and go! Enjoy!
Hey man great video. just wondered which river it was that you thought you were paddling and which one you eventually did? I did a section of the Dee on sat and would love to do a source-sea paddle one day soon. Thanks. P
Hi
As I explain at the end of the vid I went down the “wrong” river, but don’t think that matters at all. It was in northern Scotland.
So I didn’t know the name of the actual river I paddled. And I have deliberately not found out its name now. Just pick a river and go! Enjoy!
Hi Al
Which model raft are you using this video?
I want to get one soon, and am looking for the smallest lightest one available.
Thanks
Great video
It’s the Alpacka Yukon.
Great to see you at Explore this weekend.
I’m planning to kayak the Thames source to sea next year & hoping to connect with schools along the route to run some educational workshops based on British wildlife.
For Lancashire would you make that Green Hill to the sea at Morecambe Bay?
Good morning Alastair. I was browsing again wondering how all this adventure stuff works (the communication bit) and came across this video for the second time. I resonated with the idea of source and or origin as it is something my brother and i have been interested in for some years. Indeed, I shared a journey of our own once to the source of a local river (Lugg), which has since grown into the Wye Explorer (www.wyeexplorer.co.uk). At the time I did not know your own source or river connections but do now. Here’s the point. Every relationship whether with a person or river has a source. Sometimes turbulent – other times easy they often lead to places unforeseen. This is, as I know you know, the exciting thing about adventure. I’m sure you found that here in this river. I enjoyed it a second time.
Cheers!
Your welcome. Thanks for the stimulating reply…..ha ha. All the best!
Hi Mark,
Apologies for my brevity!
Well yep Alastair…not forgetting the water, source and the point of this thread ‘brevity’ would be fine if it were a conscious choice to be exact. Now did you know water has been proven to be sentient-you know having awareness? Interesting! I wonder if the water knew you were there. If it did and you knew that it knew what conversation would you have with the water? And how would you treat it? I’m going to expand upon this. I’ll share it with you when I’ve thought about it in more depth…