Deben Canoe Club

Trips in 2026

Summer Medway Trip – August 2026

On the first weekend of August, Tim, Vivienne, Natasha, Ali, Caz, Dave C, Joff, Malcolm, Steve F and Debs travelled to River View Camping in Kent, on the River Medway. We had a mixture of tents, caravans and campervans occupying an area of the campsite right near the river.  There are portaloos but no showers here. It was a boiling hot day so several of the ladies all had a gorgeous dip in the river that afternoon.

On the Saturday, after an early breakfast, we took a few cars to Tonbridge to start the paddle. It was a beautiful day and very warm so everyone had lots of sun cream and water to last the day. We paddled through the beautiful countryside of the Medway Valley, chattering and enjoying the scenery.

Some of the canoe chutes at the locks were closed due to low water levels but some were open. It was great fun going down these, wearing helmets borrowed from the club. We stopped for lunch along the way, at Oak Weir Lock, where we ate sandwiches and other snacks to keep us going.

It was decided to have a few games along the way in the afternoon, so we rafted up and ran across some of our boats, to a lot of hilarity. This wasn’t mandatory, people only joined in if they wanted to! Several of our members got wet during this and over the course of some of the seal launches. But it was such a hot day a lot of us welcomed the cool relief of the water! 

After paddling about 15km (9 miles) we got to the campsite. Just before getting there, we passed The Boathouse, where we would be going for dinner later that night. After getting all the boats out, there was a car shuttle to pick up the vehicles from Tonbridge. We then headed off to the pub to have a lovely pub dinner all together before retiring for the night. Luckily the pub is walking distance from the campsite so we were able to have a few drinks.

On the Sunday, after breakfast and some car shuttles to the end, we set off kayaking from the campsite. We had a tea break stop at Wateringbury, near Maidstone, where River Medway Canoes offers craft hire and there is a café also. Mooring our kayaks at Medway Wharf Marina, we just hopped off to enjoy some coffees and soft drinks.

We journeyed along until stopping for lunch at East Farleigh Lock. Heading towards Allington Lock the stately Allington Castle, now a private residence, was visible on the left through the trees.

We eventually reached Allington Lock, getting out at the slipway on the left by the boater’s facility. Driving back to the campsite, we all said a sad goodbye before half the people drove home. The rest followed on Monday morning.

It was my first trip with the club and I knew it would be good. But the weather and the people attending all combined to make it a truly wonderful weekend. We were lucky enough to view kingfishers, snakes, fish, birds and herons. We also had lots of laughter, sunshine, good company and swimming. I enjoyed seal launching, going down canoe chutes and being pushed out of my comfort zone as ever by the coaches.

I’m normally a paddleboarder but enjoyed kayaking. For any new members wondering about the club trips, my advice is to come along!

Natasha Sones, Assistant Coach

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