CSCC Reports 2011: Suffolk Stour 30 April - 2 May 2011
Chris organised another splendid canoeing/camping expedition over the early May Bank Holiday weekend. During the first two days the two Chris’s, Stewart, Karen, Bridget, Eleanor and I paddled in our Canadian canoes down the River Stour in Suffolk from Sudbury (by the theatre) to Cattawade. The countryside was lovely with the wind blowing through the many willows planted along its banks and on adjoining land. The more mature trees looked destined for cricket bats perhaps and the saplings for wicker baskets and fences.
The Stour itself was thankfully clear of tree blockages and the weirs and canoe portages were well signed. I agreed to shoot two of the weirs. The first required precise positioning to slide down a narrow channel that looked like it might have been intended to allow fish to swim upstream. Some children of primary school age had made it to the bottom without incident and were watching us, so I was rather relieved to avoid a swim of my own. The second shot weir reminded us of a log flume at Alton Towers – harmless fun with a bit of splashing at the bottom (and no audience).
 |
 |
The beautiful April weather had carried over into May, but we had had to paddle into a strong head wind for much of the time and this turned out to be an unexpectedly tiring couple of days paddling. That had its advantages, as it gave us a sporting chance of sleeping at the crowded Rushbanks Farm campsite on our first night in spite of mad nocturnal cackling by a thoroughly selfish woman on the site who was determined to stay up all night. When we encountered her boating on the river the following day she was extremely lucky to avoid a dunking.
We had dinner at the Anchor Inn in Nayland (a short drive from the campsite). It was a pretty country pub serving reasonable food and drink.
 |
 |
The second day involved about 15 miles of paddling. Again the scenery was idyllic with a few fleeting glimpses of a kingfisher and sightings of swallows (or were they swifts?) However, the wind sapped our morale and when we stopped at Dedham in late afternoon there was talk of skipping the final stretch to Cattawade and taking a taxi back to our cars. After a few reviving soft drinks in a local pub we decided to press on in our boats. That turned out to be a good decision, because the wind began to drop and paddling became easier. Nevertheless, we did not linger long at the famous beauty spot of Flatford Mill – the diminishing prospects of an evening meal in sleepy early closing Suffolk drove us on towards Cattawade. With speed almost unknown in the club’s history we completed our paddle, secured our boats on the cars, drove to our nice new campsite (Willowmere on Bures Road), pitched our tents and headed off in search of a Sudbury curry.
 |
 |
On the third day we paddled on the River Chelmer in Essex after buying our day licences from a woman in a dressing gown on a narrow boat. Pete and Hils subbed in for Karen and Stewart. Our paddle started at Heybridge Marina in brilliant sunshine. From here we could see white caps on the Blackwater estuary. The Chelmer was a much more sedate affair. The river seemed more obviously canalised than the Stour and it suffered a bit in comparison, but it was also a pleasant place for paddling. We passed some very pretty churches and had a lovely cuppa and slice of cake by the river at the Paper Mill Centre tea shop near Hatfield Percival where we ended our journey.
 |
 |
Our thanks go to Chris for organising the trip so expertly and to Peter Knowles for the help provided in his excellent "Pub Paddles" book (although Peter's directions for the get-out could do with revision).
Chris's pictures here: https://picasaweb.google.com/mmsi253902412/StourAndChelmerAprMay2011#
Hils and Pete's photo from the Monday can be found here...
http://www.civilservicecanoeclub.org.uk/csccgallery/thumbnails.php?album=28
