Upstream Paddling

It's always exciting to get a new map in the post! The only frustrating thing with this one, is whether we'll be allowed to travel far enough to use it!? Rain of biblical proportions has been falling all day. There's been a 'late November' vibe at The Cottage rather than one of the summer holidays. I've had the fire lit all day and enjoyed sitting by it working my way through CJ Mee's new novel as well as several cups of coffee. When the post arrived, I moved into expedition planning mode. It's great to be making plans and getting kit sorted.

Later in the afternoon, the rains stopped and by evening the skies had begun to clear. We made the snap decision to go and enjoy the evening light. The clarity of the air is always best after heavy rain and tonight the colours were really vibrant. We gave Dave a ten-minute warning of our plans and he agreed to join us. It would be a fun way to have an outdoor chat (we still are not allowed in other people's homes, here in Wales).

The river was about a meter higher than my previous trip earlier in the week and flowing fast. At first, we thought it might be too fast, but decided to 'have a go' anyway. Perhaps we should have been white water kayaking further down the river!?

As it turned out, we had just enough power to creep upstream on the eddies and edges of the main flow. The light was unreal and ambiance fabulous.

The wind was still gusting hard, but every now and then, it would calm down to a brief millpond.

We managed to double up on one board and enjoyed some good chatter while working our way up the river.

A big Eddie had formed where the river had burst its banks, so we pulled over and chatted for ages, while admiring the view. Going with the flow, we shot back the way we'd come and I had a play around at breaking in and out of the flow. I almost went in the river a few times, but a rapid transition from standing to kneeling saved the day!

As we walked away, the sunlight was just catching the mountain tops. Glorious.