Easyish

Richard was planning to do the North Tyne for his easyish trip. It would be a fairly easy paddle. However the 'ish' bit was Warden Gorge. Now, any stretch of river which has a specific name must always be regarded with caution and suspicion and Warden Gorge has a reputation and folklore all of its own, making it much more frightening than it really is.

I was nervous. This would be my biggest river for a number of years and while I tried to remove the rust from my joints and skills the river rolled by, the tourists ambled around the Roman remains and the snowdrops glowed in the early spring sunshine.

All rapids negotiated reasonably confidently so far and I would even say I was enjoying myself if I didn't know Warden Gorge was still to come. And then we were upon it. Just before the main rapids there is a four-foot rocky drop to be negotiated. There is a choice of easy options and I really wish I had taken one of these. Instead I decided to join the masses and with them waving encouragingly at me headed for the precipice only to notice a rather large rock sticking out which really shouldn't have been there as it was right in my way.

There are two ways of dealing with a situation like this. The first and preferred way is to think "Ah! Obstacle ~ I must do something to avoid it". The second, and by far the most popular, way is to think "Ah! Obstacle ~ I think I'm going to hit it". This is, of course, the option I chose, and not liking to be proved wrong I hit it. I then ended up upside down. After a few fainthearted attempts at righting myself I decided to take a swim and bailed out. A bit of floundering about and a ride I hitched from Clive saw me safely and soggily to the river bank where I was joyfully reunited with my canoe and paddle - bit of a novelty that.

My refreshing swim was just what I needed before negotiating Warden Gorge, I hadn't been looking forward to it all day as it was. I gingerly paddled up to it but as soon as I saw it I couldn't think for the life of me what all the fuss had been about. I could do that. And do it I did, even making the break out at the top. I felt relaxed and almost confident as I paddled down, taking exactly the line I wanted to take.

The rest, as they say, is history. We all got down the Gorge, enjoyed the rest of the paddle back to Hexham and the teashop. Thanks for a really enjoyable trip, Richard, a lovely river and wonderful weather.

Others there but not mentioned include Pete, Wendy, Johnny, Sam, and Andy.

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	Swaledale Outdoor Club

Easyish

Anna Broadley