LOCATION: Llandrinio to Shrewsbury
DISTANCE: 24.67 Miles (39.7 Km)
PADDLING TIME: 5 Hours, 56 Minutes
FINISH: https://w3w.co/elite.modes.flood
STRAVA ROUTE: https://www.strava.com/activities/12314890930
My first night was spent under canvas at the boutique Boat House campsite at Llandrinio Bridge. For the princely sum of £12 (plus £2 for the shower,) I had the entire place to myself including the luxury of a mini campers kitchen. This meant my first dinner could be eaten sat on a real chair rather than the expected tent porch or standing options. Having had a dry first day, the rain made up for it over night with the constant sound of wind and water lashing my tent as I drifted off to sleep. Having packed away a sodden tent in the morning, I headed back to the same location I had left the river 12 hours previously to discover my little sand bank had disappeared and was now a good 18 inches under water with the river having risen over night. Far from feeling annoyed, it was heartening to see the river flowing even faster than the day before and good to know the risk of grounding on my fin again had been greatly reduced.
One of the greatest joys I find on a multi day river paddle is the absence of mental stimulation and the chance it gives for your brain to re-set. Much of the river would see be away from any noise from roads, planes, music or people. No visual distractions or input to steel my thought process away. I’ve found that after starting paddling at 07:30 I can get to around 10:00 when the first pangs of hanger hit and the need for a morning snack creep into my brain via my stomach. Reflecting on the first few hours of paddling I can honestly say I wouldn’t remember a single thought, just a beautiful, blissful connection with the river and the countryside I had passed through. When thoughts do come into your head, a river paddle gives you time to mull them over and swirl them round without being snapped away by the busyness of normal, modern life.
With the river still being well below the top of the banks, day two taught me a valuable lesson. If you feel the need to pee, as soon as that sensation hits you, start looking for somewhere to exit the river. At one point on that second day it took a clear hour before I could find a suitable get off point where I could head for the bushes and relive myself. Having stuck religiously to my mantra of drinking every 20 minutes to ensure I stayed hydrated; an hour felt like a long long time and hence forth, I promised never to take that risk again for the reminder of my time on the river.
The first few miles of day 2 continued in a similar fashion to the first day with the river regularly twisting and turning and the odd tree of branch trying to block my progress. So twisty was the rivers path I paddle North, East, South and West at various points in the day. As the day progressed and the Severn is fed by more and more of its tributaries, the river started to widen, obstacles became a thing of the past and the rivers bank started to lessen giving me views out of the fields and to the hills beyond.
When planning the trip I had based by anticipated daily distance on that of previous river trips and worked on the premise of traveling at and average of 3mph. This meant trying to cover 25miles would take approximately 8 hours of paddling; combined with time for food breaks and general rest, 10 hours from start to finish was my best estimation. What I hadn’t counted for was the extra speed I would get from the rivers flow or that paddling solo (unlike the Wye) meant that I would paddle faster and stop less frequently. This combined meant at 14:10, after 5:56 hours of paddling and a total elapsed time of 6:40 I had reached my destination for the evening. The county town of Shropshire, Shrewsbury.
Comments