2 star trip: Thames Backwaters, 6 June 2009

A paddle on the backwaters of the thames and St patrick Stream

We parked in Wargrave, at a public carpark on School Lane B477 - the put in to the Thames is across the traffic lights and then down Ferry Lane to the right - its a small road though, i wouldn't drive anything smaller than a car down it - we carried our boats from the carpark (the's a public loo there too).

We paddled up the river to shiplake lock, where there is a friendly portage peir on the left hand channel that puts you in right across in front of the lock. we then paddled futher up stream til we met the inlet to st patricks stream on our left hand side. St Patricks stream was fast flowing and bendy - a lot of fun. It widens out as it is joined by the River Loddon past which there were lots of opertunities for practising gentle breaking ins and out, as well as ferry gliding. The stream rejoins the Thames just between the put in and shiplake lock, and its an easy paddle down to The St George & Dragon pub - which we eat or lunch outside om a grass bank, buying tea and coffee and using their facilities (their lunch service being rather slow when we tried).

After lunch we paddled down the thames for a while, turning back on the right up a backwater that returned us again to just south of our lunch spot.

the put in: [1]

the turn to st patricks stream: [2]

The turn into the backwaters: [3]