Ripon 2 London in kayaks!!!

Start date at last!

2008-04-02T15:52:00.000-07:00

Once again I've been unable to get onto this website and post things.
My PC has given up the ghost for good (Hard drive has fried) and with moving house things have been a tad hectic. I'll be using my Dad's laptop when I can.

The good news is I now have a start date for the trip at last!!!

The journey will begin on the 17th of May and hopefully end on the 1st of June
I've got the time booked off work.

Sadly Alex has had to pull out of the event and for the time being it looks like I'll have to do the trip by myself, which wasn't what I hoped for. If anyone is keen to join me then by all means they are welcome as long as they are up for the challenge!!

Fundraising is now beginning at last, I will be going around locally for sponsorship in my area, all funds I collect locally and along the journey will go to the Blyth RNLI station, and all funds from the justgiving.com website I've just set up will go to the whole charity (Into the central pot in other words!)
The address for the website is www.justgiving.com/ripon2london

Another thing different about the the trip is that I now have my own kayak to travel in. I am now the proud owner of a blue Pyranha Speeder (photos coming soon when I can post them). Not the cheapest of boats but it's a high spec piece of equipment and it'll go along at a good turn of speed without paddling too hard, so hopefully the trip should be a breeze!

Using the Manta Ray paddle donated by Avoncraft and the combination of the new kayak and the paddle is superb. They work brilliantly together.

Soon I'll be putting labels on the kayak to advertise the event and I'll also be putting the Great Outdoors Superstore logos on the sides (My employers by the way)

Kev

Still organising for the trip.....

2007-09-26T04:25:00.000-07:00

Things are still going ahead for the trip, it hasn't been forgotten!

Alex and I were hoping to get the trip done this year in September but there's been a few problems, so for now the start date has been moved to Easter when the days start to get longer again. This will also give more time for training etc.

On June the 24th I took part in the Coquet Island Race in Amble. I raced in a plastic sea kayak (which is a touch heavier than the glass fibre boats that most other people used) in the 4 mile course and managed to win my class, which suprised me a lot!

You can see the results on this webpage http://www.auiq99.dsl.pipex.com/RaceResults07.html

I've also been out paddling in Blyth Bay for practise with the club, round the bay and up to Cambois behind the pier etc.

So for now I'm planning to get more practise too and keep my fitness up, (and also on the lookout for more races, I enjoy them a lot)

Most of the camping equipment has been sorted out save for a few items such as food which will be sorted out nearer the time.

Next update should be soon (and this time I mean it lol)

Kev

An overdue update (Another one)

2007-05-30T15:44:00.000-07:00

Once again my apologies for the delay in my postings. It's been a bit hectic and to makes things harder the PC has been playing up and I've had trouble getting online to edit the website.

At the end of April I took the long trip down to Holyhead in North Wales to meet up with Nigel Dennis of Sea Kayaking UK, who are kindly offering support for the trip. I got to look around the factory to see how the boats are made, and they are certainly built to a very high quality.

After trying out the boats for size it appears that the Explorer HV is the best suited for my lanky legs!
A big thank you to Nigel for your advice and support and also to Tom from the Wansbeck Paddle Sports Club ( just up the road from me) who was also there when I visited.

I'm still regularly out on the water exercising. Today I was taking part in the Hexham flat water races, for me it was full day of paddling so it really gave me a good workout.

Kev

An overdue update

2007-03-21T16:33:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since the last update, a bit too long to be honest so apologies for that.
About a month ago I passed my BCU 2 Star Award so I'm no longer what you call a complete beginner! I'm now practising 3 Star Award techniques and I hope to take that test pretty soon.
I now have a new job with JBT Waste Services so with some new income I can finance the trip a lot easier!!

I'm now a member with the British Canoe Union. With the membership I have sorted out the licences needed to use the inland waterways and the Thames, and also some 3rd party insurance which hopefully we will never have to claim.
Once a date for the trip is confirmed between us(which will be very soon hopefully!) then the very important task of fundraising for the RNLI will take place, since this is the most important aspect of the trip.

Fitness training is going well. I'm keeping up with my regular cycling exercise and attending sessions with the kayak club. In general I'm in good shape and I'll just need to keep at it and slowly build it up.

Thats all for now, and the next update I won't leave it for so long!

Kev

Paddleaid (another good worthy cause)

2007-01-29T15:44:00.000-08:00

Daniel Bloor paddled from Kendal to London last year for his chosen charity, WaterAid.
He raised £3000 and this has so far helped to change the lives of over 200 people in the third world.

Daniel has been very helpful to us with planning and ideas for our own trip and I would like you to visit his website to find out more about Paddleaid, where he is now planning on some more fundraising events in the near future.

You can find his website at www.paddleaid.org.uk

Picture of the paddle

2007-01-29T04:45:00.000-08:00

As promised here's a quick snap of the paddles kindly donated to us by Avoncraft.

I managed to test them last Saturday down at the kayak club and they are superb!! Not only were they light and easy on the arms, but I managed to get a really good speed going, and I believe that the trip will be a lot easier with these.

I found no problems with them while practising support strokes and rolling, in fact they are easier than the paddles I started with at the club!!

Kev

Paddles have arrived!!!!!!!!!!

2007-01-21T17:23:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone.
On Thursday the paddles that Avoncraft kindly said they would supply us with arrived! They are Aquabound Manta Ray paddles with carbon fibre shafts, and they are specifically designed for touring, which is exactly what we are doing.
They are excellent paddles ( I'll try and take some photos, watch this space) and we are looking forward to using them very soon.
Once again a huge thank you to Alex from Avoncraft!! We'd be stuck without you!

As for the actual kayaks to sit in, I'm still planning on how to get down to Sea Kayaking UK in Holyhead, I also need to buy a roofrack to transport the boat lol, but I'll definately be visiting soon, it's just a case of when and how.

More info to come soon
Kev

Happy New Year!!

2007-01-07T18:21:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!!!

It's been a little while since the last post on the blog but don't worry, the trip is still going ahead!
My practise sessions with Blyth Kayak Club have started again now that the Christmas break is over and things are going well, I haven't forgotten how to roll thankfully but it took me a little while to get it done properly.

Hopefully soon I'll be able to go out on day trips to get my endurance built up, I have good stamina in my legs thanks to all the cycling I do but soon I'll have to get my arms used to hours and hours of paddling lol.

On Friday I'll be making the long journey down to that big city down south to visit the London Boatshow yippee!!! I'll be at the show on Saturday 13th and I'll probably be found at either the Guiness bar (even though I don't drink much!) or browsing around the kayak display, and I'll also be looking at the lifeboats on show of course lol!

Well thats about it for now since it's 2:30am, so stayed tuned for more info and I'll try and update the site as often as possible.

Kev

Woohoo!!! Things are looking really up!!

2006-12-08T08:19:00.000-08:00

It's happy days at Ripon 2 London headquarters (well my house!)

Avoncraft said they'd be happy to supply us with touring paddles (from the Aquabound range) for the trip and also for training!

A big thank you to Avoncraft!! You're superb!

It looks like things are really on a roll now and I believe that we can really do this.

This long awaited dream looks like it'll come true!!

Well thats enough for now.

More info to come soon.

Kev

Things are looking good!!

2006-12-07T09:53:00.000-08:00

Sea Kayaking UK have very kindly offered their assistance with our trip. They said they would be be glad to lend us kayaks and help with training.

A big thank you to them!! I'll try and arrange a trip to the factory very soon, it's a long way to Holyhead from here but it's worth it! It's well appreciated!

Note to self: I must get a roofrack

I'm still keeping the options open as I've yet to hear from other kayak manufacturers I've e-mailed to. And one day I should be able to buy my own kayak lol.

I'm also planning on some training exercises to get ready for this energy draining trip!

I'm already cycling 20+ miles a week and weekly kayak sessions with my club, but once I get a kayak for the trip arranged there's gonna be some training on the river and also maybe some portaging exercises, since there's 184 locks and also 4 tunnels to walk around.

The portage exercises could be done by carrying (or pulling using a trolley)the kayak from my house to the river, which is about 5 miles, so a nice little warm up before I paddle lol!

Thats it for now, there's only one thing more important than this trip and thats food, so I'm off for some grub!

More info to come soon

Kev

Overnight stops

2006-11-30T06:48:00.000-08:00

Using the excellent CanalPlan program it has been predicted that the trip will take us 16 days.
However this program is desinged in mind for narrowboats and barges that are pretty slow and have to wait for every lock and swing bridge on the route. With a kayak the journey could be done in a lot less time since we can carry the boats around these obstacles, but for the moment we shall be allowing 16 days to do this. This means that 15 overnights stops will need to be made.
So this trip will involve some camping!!! This will be done either at the canalside or riverside and with luck we could stay at the the odd boatyard and marina.

To let you know this is a rough guide for you where it's likely that we'll have to stop for the night. I have exact spots but they'll just get confusing for you.

This show where we could stop after each day:

Day 1: Stop at York and camp on the outskirts
Day 2: A small town called Beal on the River Aire
Day 3: Thorne (a sleepless night cos it's next to the M18 motorway)
Day 4: Either at Walkerith or Gainsborough on the River Trent
Day 5: Newark-on-Trent
Day 6: Nottingham (hopefully find a quiet spot to stay for the night)
Day 7: Barrow upon Soar or Sileby
Day 8: Just south of Leicester or further along at Wigston
Day 9: Foxton locks Country Park ( just before the huge collection of Foxton Locks Staircase)
Day 10: the small town of Crick or Welton Station Bridge, which is at the other end of the Crick tunnel
Day 11: at the south end of Blisworth Tunnel, next to the British Waterways Museum
Day 12: a few miles south of Milton Keynes or a bit further down at Leighton Buzzard.
Day 13: Either at Marsworth or just outside of Berkhamsted
Day 14: at Hemel Hempstead or at Hunton Bridge
Day 15: at Harefield or at Cowley Peachey Junction
Day 16: the Tower Bridge!!!

Well there's a rough guide for you. Like I mentioned before, it's highly likely that we'll reach London in less than 16 days but this is just a backup in case it does take longer.

The finish line is when we pass under the Tower Bridge ( thats the reason for the pic)
So if one day you're just passing over the Tower bridge and you see 2 small boats with some very happy teenagers in, you'll know who!!!!

You can find the CanalPlan program at http://www2.mihalis.net/canal/cgi-bin/canal.cgi?m=js;
So if you want to create your own little trip with it, try it, it's a good toy!

That's all for now. Got some more planning to do, oh and I need to find a job!!!

Kev

Details of the route

2006-11-28T15:25:00.000-08:00

Ok to get things going on this website, lets have some details of this ahem, very sensible journey.

After much research the distance that we shall be paddling on this little trip is just over 341 miles, not so bad if you are sitting on a train or travelling by car but in a kayak that is quite a lot!

Owing to Sods' law, we cannot just sit in the boats all day without any interuption. Oh no. You see, in order for a waterway to travel up and down inclines, it must go through the ingenious system of locks. These are fascinating and clever machines, if that is what you can call them.

Now in the interests of safety which I fully agree with, kayakers are not allowed to use locks. The boats must either be left in the lock and held by ropes, or must be carried or dragged around, the technical term is portaging, and we have chosen to mainly portage the kayaks around the locks

Now portaging isn't too hard isn't it? Well an empty touring kayak may weigh at least 20kg, but think of that boat filled with equipment and vital supplies (like beer!). That's going to be pretty heavy and tiring, and thats just to get around one lock.

And guess how many locks we'll have to deal with? 184 of the buggers in total! Ah well a challenge is a challenge, and it's going to be a trip to remember.

There are also 4 tunnels along the route. Quite rightly saying so, British Waterways don't want unpowered craft using the tunnels on their network, and we will accept their rules and follow them. The kayaks will have to be taken around the tunnels and we'll join the canal again at the other side.

Oh aye and there's also 71 miles of tidal rivers to battle too! So a good tide table book would be very handy indeed!

The map that comes with this post shows the intended route of our little journey. The route is marked in yellow. Please take a look.

Well thats enough for now, more to come later!!

Kev

The site has just been created!!!

2006-11-28T07:54:00.000-08:00

This is the first post of many hopefully!!
If you haven't guessed what this site is about then there is no hope for you my friend!!

The plan is for 2 teenagers (myself Kevin Alsey and Alex Grassick) who need their heads examined to embark on a small journey from one end of the country to the other, from Ripon in North Yorkshire to London, somewhere down south I think.
Now the method of transport is an unusual and relatively slow way of getting there. We have chosen to squeeze ourselves into tiny boats called kayaks and using the natural and environmentally friendly propulsion of paddles, we will paddle down to London!

Oh yes and to top it all off we are doing this for charity!! We are going to raise money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and hope to raise about £1000. If we go over this we shall be thrilled!

The reason we have chosen the RNLI is quite simple. I am a volunteer crewmember on the lifeboat at Blyth and my friend Alex is hoping to join the lifeboat crew in Plymouth next year.
Since we both have a interest in the RNLI we decided we should raise some money for them too.

At the moment the trip is in the planning stage. A lot of work is being put into this to make sure it is a success but also to make sure it'll be damm good fun too!!

Well this concludes the first post of this blog, hopefully many more will follow soon!!

Kev