Tame Otter Loop:
Date: SATURDAY, 11 July 2020
From: The Tame Otter Pub, Hopwas
Distance: 10 km
Photos: See Facebook Album
So, I’m new to the club… And I think that’s how I managed to get roped into a trip report! But it’s a really good opportunity for me to share my first impressions.
We started off at the Tame otter pub. I think this is a pretty well known loop for the club, as many had done this paddle before. I’m told its been done at a far higher, and lower water level. This trip was right in the middle. I was really impressed with how quickly everyone got kitted up, how the coaches quickly organised us and how simple it was to get on the water, even with COVID procedures in place.
The first leg of the trip was on the Fazeley canal, which was a perfectly nice stretch of water. Everyone was having a nice chat in our groups, the sun came out for us and it was a nice start to the day. After a couple of miles of that, we made a portage to the Tame river. This took a bit of doing, as we had to make a get in, and fight some long grass. It was a touch hairy a couple of the boats getting in… Long boats aren’t meant to seal launch! But with some help and a pretty heroic seal launch from the two touring boats, we were back onto the water and cruising down some slowly moving water. The Tame runs through the centre of Tamworth, and there’s some lovely scenery along the way. We all stopped right at Tamworth castle to take a look at the weir there. It was a little low, so the coaches decided it was better for us to take the fish ladder to the side. Highly uneventful! A few hundred yards down river from this, we grabbed a quick lunch and carried on, homeward.
At this point, a nice surprise turned up by way of a nicely flowing weir. It was a great chance for all of us have a little play, throw some boats around and practice some moving water moves. Sadly, (or not) there were no swimmers, but we did get some nice photo’s! The next surprise came right at the end of the river section, in the form of our last portage. It was mainly hidden, and you had to climb a vertical bank, stepping on tree roots and hanging on for dear life to a rope… OK… It wasn’t that bad, but I did end up standing up to my knees in river. It was a good bit of fun before we headed back onto the canal again for the last leg.
The final section was thoroughly uneventful and sadly quite short. But we did end up back at the pub, for a quick bite, some chat and a nice pint (of coke). It was a lovely way to end a relaxed trip. I couldn’t recommend it enough.
Chris Tooze