Dolphins!!!

Spot my boat : )

I feel incredibly lucky most times I get on the water, but last Sunday, something extra special happened! We were going to do a training session from a nearby beach, and I decided to get on early and paddle there rather than drive. I was cruzing along, getting a bit of a warmup and enjoying paddling to a destination, when three dolphins popped up in front of me. They were swimming pretty fast in the opposite direction and very quickly ended up right next to me, so close I could see the markings on their fins! I was in awe.

These three were the first in a pod, and several more groups went past me after that, all almost as close. I had stopped and forgotten all about training until I couldn't see them anymore.

I didn't have a camera and regretted this about as much as I was glad to fully be there and not worry about how to 'capture' it. So many things can't be captured anyway.

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Scottish K1 Championships (Marathon)

It's a two-medal kind of weekend -- finisher medal at the emf 10k, and first place in the senior women's (3rd woman overall) at the Scottish marathon K1 championships.

Oh, and we also launched Hillfire Anthology, Volume 2 on Friday.

The launch was fabulous and meant I got very little sleep before the 10k, maybe that should be my new strategy because I'm happy with my time of 56:33, which is a new 10k pb for me. (Also 76th place out of 555 runners in my category, didn't expect that!) It was lovely to know Lesley Anne Winter and Gerry Taggart were on the course, too, and to see Lizelle Kemp and Alyssa Oh at the finish! Huge shout-out to Babs Pinheiro , who finished her first marathon today (which is the reason I signed up for the 10k in the first place)!



Taking part in the K1 race depended on me fixing my boat kind of last minute, to find it's still leaking in a different place during the race. I think the constant use of the pump probably improved my leg-drive. Great to see Vicky Johnson , Rob Pretorius , and the lovely Zula, and thanks to Debi Ives for organising the whole thing!

Meanwhile, Lizelle and Paul Hudson were out on the water saving lives. Might need some rest before the next adventure!

Eurochallenge Ocean Race, Villajoyosa, Spain

In January, I got a text that read 'Happy new year, fancy doing Eurochallenge?' which resulted in a lot of early morning interval sessions and me doing my first international surfski race.

The event was fantastic, things came together on race day (thanks to the race-bananas, of course!) and I had a great time paddling from Villajoyosa to Altea (about 22k).

Last push to the finish

There wasn't a lot of wind, but it was enough to make it a downwind race and let me use the skills I've gathered training here in Scotland. It was amazing to be on the water with so many other paddlers.

I was absolutely knackered at the finish, especially because it was so hot, but managed to power through because we'd laid the groundwork in training (I was actually thinking 'we've done it plenty of times, you know you can sprint 1000m even if you're tired'). I'm really happy with my time, 1:57:27,(6th place senior women, 12th place and fastest GB boat in the women's category overall), and how things went in general - and I also had an absolute lovely week in Spain.

Lesley came along to support, and of course, Alan (Carbonology Sport UK ) got my boat race-ready (with green stickers and a tiny saltire) and where it needed to be! Thank you!

Carbonology Alan

Couldn't have done it without Lizelle

Even more important than the race was the training, though. Lizelle and I were out on the water early most mornings, even earlier than usual if the wind was right for a pre-work downwind. I absolutely love the focus that came with training like this, and the tea and chats after sessions.

After the race. Knackered, but happy.

I did also need reminding that I'm supposed to get going at the start line on race day...

I'm very lucky to have a friend and training partner like this — Lizelle , thank you for helping me catch waves that were previously too big for me, literally and metaphorically.

Another really cool thing about Eurochallenge is the SLS competition on the Sunday after the long race. I loved getting to try a new kind of paddling! This was very chaotic fun. Made it through to the semifinal but not the final.

Hooley 5k 2022

Another awesome race last weekend: the Hooley 5k (British 5k championships) on Strathclyde Loch.

The 5k distance makes the Hooley sit comfortably between being a sprint event and a hasler race, and the day is topped off by a dinner and a ceilidh after prizegiving. I had an extremely chaotic K1 Race, a great K2 race and an absolutely hilarious but also terrifying K4 race.

I'll be back next year with a sprint-weight K1 (I just about missed my start, played catch-up all the way and then got disqualified because my boat was too light (it's very heavy, so this hadn't occurred to me, but I'm used to marathon boats and they need to be sprint-weight for the Hooley) - wouldn't have had time to weigh it anyway, so at least I got a warm-up for the crew races).

Got to race with Rob Pretorius again for K2. Made a few tweaks since the marathon and paddled better. The turns at the Hooley 5k are sprint-rudder- friendly. So much fun!

Did K4 with Rachel Schofield, Linda Szabo and Lizelle Kemp . Have a look at the photos for some very obvious relief after the finish and some hilarious out-of-time, wobbly and not happy at all snaps. We were the only all-female K4, we need competition next year (and maybe a bit of practice. Or a more stable boat. Or both.). So cool to race with you - type two fun, but great fun.

These still make me laugh whenever I look at them.

Absolutely loved this event, thanks to the organisers and especially Jon Schofield who had the idea. If you're reading this and you're a paddler or want to be one, you should definitely come along next year.

Back to Marathon after Injury (and Lockdown)

Just discovered the photos from Linlithgow Marathon a few weeks back. My first proper race since before the first lockdown and since getting injured, this was pretty special, and I was feeling stronger than I thought I would. It was so much fun to race again, to just see all the other folks with their boats, share a meal and a cup of tea afterwards...

I loved it so much I didn't really care my car almost broke down on the way.

I'd put myself in Div6 and got a really good start (this has been rare for me so far), then managed to stay ahead the whole time and win the division. Straight after the race, I was feeling a little weird about it because I was worried it was only because I'd picked too low a division, so I was really happy to not get promoted into 5 - confirmation I'd been placed fairly : )

Now I can chase that promotion at the next race.

Photo: Jackie SmugMug

Thanks Kenny Fraser for trying to make sure I got home ok in the rickety car - sorry I lost you, must have still been in race mode.

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James Harriot Country Trail Run

Tribute to why I had a Yorkshire accent for a while.

SO happy I was able to do this. I wasn't sure I'd be able to walk it, but I ran almost all the way. I was struggling with a flat 5k only a month ago. No pain at all (I mean, not more than can be expected on a trail run). Wohooooooooooo

It meant so much to do this. I had been told by multiple doctors that I would never be able to run again. I wasn’t sure I’d be ok to do it until I realised I was close to the finish. There might have been a few tears.

'MyDW' Virtual DW Challenge

No virtual challenge could ever replace DW (Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race), because the most amazing parts of this race are to do with community and mutual support, both on the water as well as by the crews. You will never get to a portage your own support crew hasn’t managed to reach and not be offered food by somebody else, for example. And what even is DW if you don’t get to climb up the steps at Westminster Bridge?

However, I’m super glad the DW team has organised this virtual race - it is lovely to feel connected to the DW-community and my favourite race in the world by taking part. The conditions are very achievable: instead of twenty hours, you have two months and as many sessions as you like to cover the distance (125 Miles). This is absolutely perfect for me this year. I’ve been struggling with an injury throughout 2020, but it only started causing significant issues in December. It took until the end of March for someone to find out what it is (called an upslip, apparently a fairly common sports injury. If you have recurring lower back, hip and leg issues you can’t quite pin down, this is worth checking out) and start fixing it. I’m feeling much better, but have been able to do super little during the last three months (even walking was too painful most of the time), so I’m a lot less fit than usual. The MyDW challenge will be perfect for getting into paddling and being more active again without putting too much strain on my body all at once.


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1st Session: 3 April 2021. 6.6 Miles, 5.9 mph average. Strong North Easterly.
Because of pandemic-related travel restrictions, I’m still in Saarland, Germany with my family instead of in Scotland. Today, I headed to the river I lerned to paddle on, Saar, for the first time in ages. Even if I’m not injured, I struggle wiht motivation to paddle here because I’m usually by myself, and it’s just not that interesting. When I was seriously slalom-training, I did countless flat-water endurance sessions here. Often, I opt for a less time-consuming run in the local forest. However, I usually love it once I’m on the water, and I definitely feel more like myself afterwards. Plus I can’t run yet (just getting back into walking), and I need more exercise than that, and to be outdoors. Being injured has changed the way I exercise. I have an even stronger focus on how good it feels to move, and to be out in nature, because those are the things I could do much less of for quite a while. I hope I will retain that focus, it’s been something I’ve been trying to cultivate but that often took a backseat in comparison to … racking up miles on Strava, for example. It seems to have sunk in now.
I had planned to paddle upstream and then down, but with a strong tailwind, I decided to turn around after 1.5 Miles and go further down the river past where I got in, so I would have the tailwind on the last leg, paddling back to where I started. The wind was so strong I got to catch a few runners, it was sunny, and the willows are veiled in green now with some fruit trees blossoming white or pink. It was absolutely lovely to be out. Even after not paddling for so long, it felt natural and easy. Especially because I haven’t covered much distance walking or running, it felt amazing to be so mobile in my kayak. Going into the wind felt like flying (I do love a good headwind). Even so, the last mile felt rather stretchy - it will take a bit of time to get my distances and speed back up.

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2nd Session: 10 April 2021, 8.35 Miles, 5.8 mph average, calm

I’m so glad I went for a paddle on this lovely, rainy spring day! I should be working on my thesis, so I felt a little guilty, but it was fantastic to be out. I’ve had a couple of days off because I had to fix my boat - the steering block had come loose. I had some really old resin knocking about and wans’t really sure if it would still work, but it did, and I’m pleased to say it’s all solid. I learned how to fix boats from Thomas, slalom boats at the time. It’s been more than ten years since I worked with resin, though, because when I moved to Augsburg, the edges would get damaged all the time so it was easier to just keep taping them. Anyway - I wasn’t sure if it would work, but it did, and that makes me happy.
Nature hasn’t changed much since last week’s paddle, the only thing is that the blossoming trees are brownish-wite now because we’ve had a couple of days of frost. I ended up going up river, originally wanted to do six miles in total but ended up doing ‘just a little bit more’, then there was a ship coming the other way when I was about to turn, so I waited to let it pass and then kept going for a llittle longer still because I didn’t want to paddle in the exhaust fumes. I’d been told there might be wild garlic where I turned, so I stopped a couple of times, but didn’t actually find any.
What I remember most from this paddle is the smell of the poplars. It’s very distinctive and reminds me of propolis.




3rd Session: 15 April 2021, 6 Miles, 5.9 mph average, very changeable wind that turned into a strong headwind 3/4 in.


It’s slowly getting greener out there, with willow leaves properly visible now. I was feeling super tired and sluggish today, it only got better at the turn. The wind kept changing directions, and it was bright and sunny with whispy clouds. Most memorable moment of this session was when it started snowing just as I was reaching the finish. I had the sun at my back so it was nice and toasty, so I hardly believed my eyes at first. The snow looked particularly impressive because of the dark hill as a backdrop.




4th Session, 17 April 2021, 7.5 Miles, 6mph average. Strong NE

With that annoying NE still going, I decided to paddle downstream today. I love that section of the river, too, just generally prefer to go upstream first so I have the current on my side on the way back. Anyway, this was a super nice paddle, it was wormer and sunny. I turned into one of the side-channels of the river so I had less into the wind time in total, and that’s where I saw some storks on their nest, feeding their young!

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5th Session, 23 April 2021, 6.3 Miles, 6.2 mph average

Really lovely conditions, evening sunshine, light, changeable breeze. The nicest bit today was meeting some paddling people at the boathouse, which is why I got to the water even later than planned. All the way through lockdown winter and spring, these young people have been training every day, doing what they can, and don’t seem to have lost their focus and their fun.



6th Session, 25 April 2021, 7.3 Miles, 6mph average

Weird to think that being on the water before 9 feels like an early session now! I woke up to sunshine and felt drawn to the river, glad I went. This was a great reminder of how much I love starting the day with a paddle! Struggling to get into it a little at first, but it got better. My favourite moment was when two young swans landed right next to me - I’ve always admired how they land on water, even as a child I was a little jealous of how awesome it must feel to extend those cool paddle-feet and skid-float to a halt… Maybe that’s why I started paddling, I think you can get a similar feeling when you jump into a strong eddy. On the way back, I paddled towards the swans, and they took off right in front of me, which is almost equally cool. They just flap towards you faster and faster until you get genuinely worried about an impending collision, but then they make it ‘just in time’ and lift off over your head.

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7th Session, 27 April 2021, 8.4 Miles, 6mph average

Bit of a headwind on the way upstream, which is perfect because you know that the way back will be a lot easier than the way there. Couldn’t really get any speed or rhythm up today throughout the whole session, but it was still super enjoyable. My favourite thing was how the sun sparkled on the tiny waves! I would have loved to go for a swim after the session - it was sunny and I was actually getting quite hot, but the river is really murky at the moment, people have been breaking lots of glass bottles and throwing them around, so I didn’t want to be in the river bare-footed and ended up not going in. Also got stared at by a man in a creepy way. I’m super used to people looking- there aren’t many racing kayaks where I launch and most of them have never seen one, so they watch me. I always say hi to remind them I’m a person, and usually they’re super friendly, maybe ask a question etc which I’m super happy to answer… This stare was different. I said hi anyway, he didn’t reply and kept looking me up and down demonstratively for a really long time, even when I glared back.



8th Session, 29 April 2021, 6.1 Miles, 6.1 mph average

I had one hour, so I paddled for one hour. To be honest, I was more focussed on the time than on enjoying the session. There was a headwind on the way back, and the best bit about this session was that I still managed to meet my target time, even though I had to paddle harder into the wind.

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9th Session, 1 May 2021, 8.4 Miles, 5.8 mph average

Because I’d enjoyed it so much last weekend, I wanted to be on the water before family breakfast again. This time, I went a little earlier in order to have enough time for a slightly longer session. So worth it! If you’ve ever been out on the river after a cold night, you know how the early mornign fog dances in tufts on the water. The river was mirror-flat, too, enhancing the otherworldly effect. The air was much colder than I had anticipated, so much so that the water felt warm when I dipped my hands in. I wanted to see how I would go if I didn’t look at my watch at all - a little slower, it turns out. I massively enjoyed this paddle though, just knowing I would go all the way up to the green buoy - that’s where the Nied joins the Saar. Usually, there are lots of people fishing there, but none this morning, so I used the upportunity and paddled up the Nied (about 500m) to the first rapid. I got freezing cold on the way back - with a bit of a headwind picking up, this felt like a proper winter paddle again all of a sudden. I’m now more than half-way through the challenge.


10th Session, 2 May 2021, 6.6 Miles, 5.6 mph average

Went downstream into the wind, but gave up on trying to keep up my speed against it. Quite a warm morning, completely different from the day before. I went to check on the storks - the storkling has grown a lot, and there were two mandarin duck families with ducklings, too! Most excitingly, though, and definitely my favourite moment: I saw a beaver! Heard a big splash, looked around and there it was, swimming from the bank towards the middle of the river to avoid me, then disappearing underwater. I see a lot of nutria on my paddles, but this was the first time I ‘met’ a beaver. Awesome!

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I have to walk up a steep incline on my way back to the boathouse, and there was a man with a bag and sunglasses at the top, just watching me. Because of the experiences I’ve had with weird comments and inappropriate questions, I was mentally preparing myself. When I was at the top, he said ‘Here comes somebody who can give me tipps!’ I was expecting all sorts of things, but it turned out he was there to paddle, was actually taking part in the same challenge I’d completed in November (DKV 30 Jahre Deutsche Einheit Challenge) and just wanted to ask where to best launch his (rather heavy) boat. I was annoyed with all the inappropriate comments that were the reason I’d been so wary. If he’d just said hi instead of just staring at me walking up the slope with my boat, though, that would have made a big difference, though. It was so nice to meet somebody from a different area taking part in a challenge I’ve done, too. I was thinking about how the most miles I’ve paddled recently were for the 30 Jahre Challenge and MyDW, and that I have to e-mail the couple I met on the water in Berlin in November.



11th session, 6 May, 8.4 Miles, 6.2 mph average

This was a spontaneous morning session because my sister woke me up. I hadn’t slept much, still get some pain and it had been keeping me awake, but I wanted to paddle that day anyway and decided to just get on the water rather than trying to go back to sleep. It was calm and flat, and I got to paddle up to the Nied again. After a couple of sluggish sessions, I felt a lot better on this one. It is getting very green out there now!

12th session, 8 May, 8.4 Miles, 6.1 mph average

Saturday morning as planned, a little later than usual because I slept badly again. I really, really hope these are just after-effects of the osteopathic treatment I had last week, because I can’t wait to (not be in pain all the time but also) go running again! I had a streak of running at least one 10k a month, kept it up for two years, and then this happened and I haven’t run since the very beginning of January. But anyway. at least it doesn’t hurt to paddle any more, and I’m super grateful for that! Saw a nutria.
When I was walking towards the water, a lovely black lab started barking at my boat, so I put it down to let her have a sniff. She was still young, very cute and a little clumsy, and I am very proud to have cured her fear of boats ; )

13th session, 9 May, 6.2 Miles, 6.1 mph average, tough southernly

A slight southernly is awesome, because it means I can go upstream into the wind and have both wind and current with me on the way back, but this one was a tad too strong. I was also still tired from the day before, definitely haven’t recovered my fitness yet. This is why I let it at 6 miles today, rather than doing 8 again. I paddled past a very grumpy angler. As soon as I saw him, I gave him a very wide berth and a friendly, quiet nod, which he didn’t return and chose to glare at me instead. This is why I then said ‘you’re welcome’ pointedly. I just wish people could share the river in a friendly way, and I haven’t met a single friendly angler while paddling in Germany. I feel like I’m always respectful whenever I pass them, giving them lots of space and keeping quiet. I remember when I was really young, one of them shouted at me when I paddled past. He asked why I was paddling at the bank instead of in the middle of the river. If he had asked in an actually interested and friendly way, I could have explained about the current and eddies etc. Instead, this guy probably still sits next to rivers with no clue of what’s going on. That’s not the only time some random angler felt the need to shout at a fifteen year old. It’s definitely happening less now, I guess I’ve perfected both my friendly nod as well as my death glare. I tense up whenever I see someone fishing though, and it’s so unnecessary, it doesn’t have to be that way - I’ll continue to nod and smile and hope for the best.

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14th Session, 13 May, 9.2 Miles, 6.2 mph average

Woke up at 6 and decided it wasn’t worth trying to get back to sleep, so I went for a paddle. After what I wrote last time, I really need to say I met some very friendly anglers today. I was still half asleep and didn’t spot them, and they had to call out to me because I would have paddled into their lines otherwise. I apologized, and they were super nice about it. Phew. Sorry guys!

It was brilliant on the water, the sun hadn’t risen over the horizon yet and mist was rising in soft columns from the mirror flat water.

I saw a kingfisher again for the first time in ages! I just love spotting them on my paddles. The male ones are brilliantly blue, and when they flit away next to the riverbank it always feels like a challenge. As if they’re trying to show me I would never keep up.

Aaaand: I saw two beavers! Both of them were swimming upstream parallel to the bank, so I was catching up with them. The first one didn’t notice me until I was right next to it, two feet away at the most! When I had almost overtaken, it startled and dove into the water with a flick of its tail. Somehow, seeing the tail made it all the more special. I think I’ve seen beavers there before, but because people see nutria all the time and think they’re beavers, I thought that was what had happened. Beavers are bigger, of course, but if you only see them for a short time, it can be hard to tell. The tails are completely different, though, so now I finally know without a doubt. The second one was swimming further out towards the middle of the river, so I wanted to ovvertake on the inside, by the bank. This one also didn’t notice me until I was almost next to it, and unfortunately decided to swim towards the bank just as I was passing and got really scared. I feel bad for interrupting its peaceful morning. Same awesome flick of the tail, it’s amazing how powerful it is and how fast they can propel themselves under water!

I found morel mushrooms for the first time in my life two days ago. I had been looking for them for ages! With all the kingfishers and beavers, this really feels like such a special time. It makes up for this injury just not healing, which is getting increasingly frustrating. I was put on different antiinflammatories and am really hoping that those will do the trick. Super grateful I can paddle, though!

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15th Session, 16 May, 6.6 Miles, 6.2 mph average

These six miles were so much harder than Thursday’s nine miles. There was a bit of a headwind, but I think it was mostly to do with my form, I was super tired. The coolest thing today was a Cormorant showing off on top of a buoy. Met some lovely folks at the boathouse, they were preparing to leave for a whitewater trip to Diekirch (a nearby artificial course).



16th Session, 23 May, 7 Miles, 6.1 mph average, strong southerly

I’ve had some time off, because YAY!!! I got the first shot of my Covid vaccine! I didn’t have any side-effects, hardly felt anything in my arm, even, but wanted to give my body some time off for my immune system to do its work. Plus, it’s been super windy, so instead of getting back out on the water right away, I went for my first run in ages, and I’m still pain-free! Fingers crossed, please! It was still rather windy and gusty today, but lovely out on the water. I need to take back what I said about anglers, there was another super friendly one today who even said hello!
The beaver got me back for scaring it last time: I didn’t spot it and it jumped into the water with a super loud splash just as I’d passed. I also saw a wood-pecker and some ducklings. Paddling is such an awesome way to start the day.

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17th (and last) session, 28 May, 6.2 mph average, 4kt northerly

DONE. After almost two weeks of super windy weather, the wind has turned and slowed down. A north wind is not ideal, so I got on the water at half past five in the morning because that was when the wind was weakest. I normally paddle in almost any weather, I just wanted good conditions for the last leg of the challenge. It was awesome! The full moon was still up in the slowly brightening sky when I started, huge and close to the horizon. It was cold, with soft mist rising from the water’s surface. I felt strong, and the time passed super quickly. Saw one of the beavers again, which was my favourite moment, along with arriving at the river with that huge moon hanging right over it. I paddled up to the Nied, where someone was fishing. Gave him a wide berth and nodded hello, to which he did not react at all. Water level was lower than it has been. The sun came up when I was a mile into the paddle back downstream, followed closely by really thick fog and the wind picking up. It was eerie and chilly, a very different and special athmosphere. I could see ten yards ahead of me at most for a lot of the paddle back. Couldn’t have hoped for a better last session, and I’m glad I waited and planned with the conditiions.

I had only slept for four hours and it got super chilly in the end. Also: note the headband!

I had only slept for four hours and it got super chilly in the end. Also: note the headband!



I’m so grateful to the DW team for organising this challenge. It was a huge help getting back into paddling. I wish they had been more adaptive when it turned out that Ludum didn’t work for so many people. It works fine with Garmin Connect, so I didn’t have any issues myself, but it was a shame seeing others get demotivated and drop out of the challenge. I appreciate how hard it is to organise an event like this and the most important thing is that it happened, I just feel like this was bad for the reputation of the event. And discuraging people is the opposite of what this challenge was meant to do. Hope it gets sorted. Huge Thanks to the Organisers and the other paddlers.

Podcast with UK Coaching

Got to make a podcast for UK Coaching with Marianne Davies . I took care to approach the topic from various angles, do listen in and see if some of it resonates! Share away, too. In any case, keep showing up for each other.

This is what Marianne says about the conversation, I'm quite chuffed:

'This topic is really important to me. It’s not an easy one to unpack, but Lena is brilliant; honest, authentic, principled & passionate.

How can we ensure that our sporting environments are great for everyone? Can we explore how we can all ‘show up (for each other) in sport?’'

Listen here.

One of my highlights of 2020: DKV 30 Jahre Deutsche Einheit Challenge

Germany has been unified for 30 years now, and to celebrate, the German canoe association created a paddling challenge. To complete it, you had to either have taken part in an official competition or paddled at least 30k in each of the 16 Bundesländer (counties). There were seven counties I'd never competed or paddled in, all in the north of Germany, so I did a couple of 30ks in November (complying with all covid rules and taking extra precautions). I enjoyed this so much and am super grateful for the opportunity, especially as there were no competitions at all in 2020. I also liked the idea of paddling to celebrate the reunification, particularly with Brexit looming -- that was a very sad thought that accompanied me on these paddles.

I started out with Hamburg - I'd planned a route through the many canals that start right in front of my friends' house to the Alster in the inner city, called the authorities to make sure I had permission to paddle there, but forgot to really check on the locks. I assumed I'd just be able to portage them, but ended up being trapped on the grounds of the wholesale market and walking for more than a mile to find a gate in the fence, which was basically next to the next lock. This one couldn't be portaged either, and I hadn't brought any money to pay for actually using the lock. So I changed my plan and just stayed on the other side of those locks where I paddled up a canal until the very end, then paddled the River Bille until it got too narrow, and back again. There are a lot of spice and coffee merchants in Hamburg still, so the smells while paddling on the canal were amazing.

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 The next county on my list was Bremen, which I decided to paddle on a Saturday. This meant my friends were able to come with me, so that I could just paddle between two points, rather than doing an out and back course. I ended up just doing a 20 Mile stretch on the Weser, which was super cool, but I should have probably been in my surfski as the flatwater kayak isn't really suitable for waves as big as there were on some of the stretches. I was wearing my buoyancy aid of course and would have been ok had I fallen in, but it would have been a huge hassle to swim along with the boat to find a suitable place to get out etc, so I was very relieved I managed to use all my surf-ski skills and stay upright.

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I had paddled in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as a child and had a map where I'd drawn in the route, I checked how far that paddle had been and was surprised that it had amounted to 26k. This meant that I was only missing 4k in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, which I thought I could tack onto my 30k for Schleswig-Holstein, paddling on Schaalsee, a lake that's right on the border. It was phantastic to paddle there, super beautiful, but the only access point was at the southernmost point of the lake, meaning I'd paddle with the wind first and against it on the way back. This paddle was really chilly, and the wind kept on getting stronger, almost too strong to get any useful speed paddling against it. It was really tough, but I managed to get back to the car in time, passing one really eerie place where the water was very dark but clear at the same time and I could see the tree roots at the bottom like skeletal hands.

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I was quite tired after that, but it felt good to tick off two counties at once. I was now missing Brandenburg, Berlin and Thuringia.

I'd learned my lesson about being very mindful of the wind and made sure the direction was right for Brandenburg, choosing two connected lakes, Kyritzer Seen. I basically just paddled around the top lake, portaged into the short, connecting canal and then paddled around the bottom lake. There is a little restaurant on an island where you have to ring a bell to be fetched from the bank with a little cable-ferry (closed, of course). It was very cold but sunny that day, everything went well and the whole thing felt super easy compared to the last one.

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Berlin was the furthest trip yet, three hours away from Hamburg, but I planned it for a Saturday again, so my friends could come with me. I'd planned a circular route through the city, but this time, for some reason, forgot to check paddling permissions because that bit had been so easy everywhere else. But I got on the water to paddle towards one 'no sport boat access' sign after the other and pulled in to phone my friends and ask them to wait for me to come back and regroup. In the rush, I didn't attach my phone properly and dropped it into the canal as I was getting out. It wasn't even that deep, but I never managed to find it again. I ended up paddling a really nice out and back route starting on the canal and crossing the Havel, and I met two other paddlers who were doing the same challenge. I paddled along with them for a bit. It was dry and sunny again, with only two stretches with a significant headwind. No phone, no photos, but a really lovely picknick by the side of the canal at the end!

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Thuringia is in the middle of Germany and a four hour drive from Hamburg, so at first I thought I would have to plan a different trip for it, then decided to do it on my drive back. This was a little tricky, because Thuringia doesn't have big bodies of water. I found several potential paddles on the Werra, but they were always downstream, which wasn't possible for me to do, as I needed to start and finished at my car. As expected, it was quite tough paddling upstream on a smallish river, and the coldest day yet, but it worked, with only a couple of portages. Fittingly, my starting point was Brücke der Einheit, Bridge of Unity. There even was one proper rapid I had to portage on the way up and decided to shoot on the way back downstream, even though, again, this would have technically required a different boat. I then drew the usual stares when I made some pasta on my camp stove before I tackled the rest of my drive back.

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Diekirch Slalom Course (Luxembourg) WW Coaching and Slalom

Days on the water with friends are the best. I finally did a bit of slalom again, and remembered how much I love coaching. Niamh was learning some edge control and how to eddy in and out, and she really rocked it! Some lovely progress for Esther, too, navigating that tricky right-hand pull. And how awesome is it that my mum comes paddling with me when she has the time? I'm the only one in my family who really paddles and I used to wonder where I got it from, but my mum is such a natural I think I know now : D This was maybe her third time in a boat, if that. Thanks for the idea, Damien, lovely to paddle with you and see everybody! Hopefully Elsie gets her spraydeck sorted soon .
Always happy to get people into parkrun, always happy to turn parkrun friends into paddling friends.

No photos of the slaloming, but it was awesome, there was only one other person on the whole course in the end, so I could get some proper runs in : )

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My mum shredding it on her second go at white water paddling

My mum shredding it on her second go at white water paddling

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Surfski Paddling in Devon - Epic V8

Here's something I wanted to post about and kept missing the opportunity: Last month I was in Devon to finish off my dissertation and got a message from Amy. We'd never met, but she'd seen where I was on Strava and invited me along for a paddle.

Jim from Epic sorted me out with a boat (thanks again!) and I ended up having a super fun out and back session at Exmouth Beach. Paddlers are awesome, thanks for inviting me, Amy!

Photos: Amy Daysh

Photos: Amy Daysh

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Bikes instead of Boats

The people I paddle with are just all round awesome, sporty people and invited me along for a bike ride in the hills. I currently only own a half-broken bike, so Lizelle kindly let me use hers. Some tough hills and smiles all around!

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Time for lunch (and dog cuddles. This one is called Dapper.

Time for lunch (and dog cuddles. This one is called Dapper.

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What better end to a day like this than a campfire at the beach, grilling fish and bananas.

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Just put the bananas on to roast, when the peel is almost fully black, take them out, slice them open with a sharp knife and put some chocolate in to melt. Fantastically delicious! Bring a spoon or prepare for a mess.

Just put the bananas on to roast, when the peel is almost fully black, take them out, slice them open with a sharp knife and put some chocolate in to melt. Fantastically delicious! Bring a spoon or prepare for a mess.

Surfski Time Trial

Last night's paddle : ) I *do like time trials. I like them more with lovely people, stunning sunsets and sleepy seals.

Really sad to be leaving soon, but also happy that I'm sad because I will be back!!! : )

Photos: Alan Hunter

Photos: Alan Hunter

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Trying a wobbly Ski (Carbonolgy Pulse)

Just got back from a paddle here at sunset! It was fabulous. I tried a new boat, fell in once, paddled around the Bass Rock for the first time (all those Ganets!!!), paddled around the Craig because I didn't want to stop yet and saw loads of very cute and cuddly-looking sleepy seals.
Thanks to Alan and Lizelle for always sorting me out with a boat, it's much appreciated!

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Also: This! We paddled past this! (I was in a wobbly boat and too busy staying upright to really look, so I appreciate the photos even more : D ) What a backdrop for an interval session.

All my paddling friends, have I convinced you to move to Scotland yet?

Photo: Alan Hunter

Photo: Alan Hunter

Photo: Alan Hunter

Photo: Alan Hunter