For one day a year Ringwood Canoe Club is given permission to paddle through the Longford Castle Estate. Traditionally the trip has run from Alderbury to Downton but, through negotiation with an additional eight tenant farmers and landowners, in 2007 the club was allowed to paddle an extra few kilometres and to extend the trip to South Charford. A total distance of some 10kms.
Sadly, for the remaining 364 days a year the club are only permitted to paddle approximately 400 metres of the river (within the confines of the recreation ground at Fordingbridge) - that is less than 1%
The following series of photographs provide a photo-record of the principal features along the way for the 'one day a year' paddle
Alderbury Access: SU175273
Longford Castle SU171267
The first small weir SU170259
Ducking under a bridge SU172246
The first 'portage' weir SU182236 
Just around the corner from the first portage, a bit of 'white water' SU181235
Wild Weirs Hatches, the second portage SU178219
Through the middle arch of Downton Bridge SU178216
The stopper below the big hatch by the old tannery proved a playful but shallow 'surfer' SU180214
At North Charford the river splits, by running the weir on the left branch SU173194
You can rejoin the river below the weir on the right branch SU171190
For the final 'take out' at SU177187
No comments:
Post a Comment