Great Haywood to Armitage Flat Water Trip
Saturday March 2nd 2019
This was a re-arranged trip, which had originally been cancelled due to the frozen canal. The route was 7-8 miles down the River Trent, past Shugborough Hall estate to the village of Armitage. It was my first kayaking trip with the club and I have to admit feeling rather nervous the night before! Having only done one pool session I was convinced I would be getting very wet at some stage of the day. We all met at 9am at the Canalside café in Great Haywood. After a very nice breakfast and coffee, we did the car shuttle and returned back to the start.
It felt very much like a case of “all the gear and no idea” as I put on my dry suit and buoyancy aid! Then the sun came out and it seemed Neil’s promise of needing sunscreen would be right. Our route saw us get on the Trent & Mersey Canal for a short stretch, then portage over to the River Trent.
Once on the canal I felt much better about it all and immediately started to enjoy the day. Although I started to regret wearing my fleece undersuit now the sun was out! We were quickly on the River Trent after a walk and paddling down stream. Martin Stretton was the lead boat, keeping an eye on any issues ahead and Neil Smith was keeping an eye on things from the rear. I must say they both did a fantastic job and made me feel very safe knowing that they were around. Mike Dallaway was also with us in his canoe/support boat/Ice breaker! We continued for a couple of hours and then stopped for lunch. So far so good and I still hadn’t been for a swim!
After lunch, Neil and Tyler demonstrated their seal launches back into the Trent for the second leg. Expertly done but I gave it a miss from that far up the bank, opting for a much lower drop. Further down we did some work on Eddies and Ferry gliding which was very enjoyable. The river itself was rather calm but there was still strong flow in places and I did have to concentrate on going in a straight line and not going in. All the way down, everyone offered advice and tips and I was extremely grateful for all the help. It was a fantastic day out with some beautiful scenery. The weather held out and we only had some slight drizzle towards the end. We then did a quick portage back onto the Trent and Mersey canal and after a short stretch we reached the car park near the village of Armitage.
It was a brilliant trip and Ewan and I look forward to the next one. I was extremely happy to not go for a swim but I was assured it’s only a matter of time!! Also like Neil had warned, I could feel aches and pains in muscles I forgot I had! We had a well earned pint in the local pub then said our goodbyes. I would just like to thank every single person on the trip for their advice and help throughout the day. It was a very well organised trip and I was impressed with everyone’s knowledge and experience. I learnt so much but I have so much more to learn and I cannot wait!
Thank you all for a superb day
Marc Corbett