The beginning

The date was set for our first taste of this mysterious new sport called Stand Up Paddle-boarding. Rosie had heard about the sport from one of her close friends, Spike, and put together a training trip down the Lee Valley River in London.

We set of early in the morning from central London, each of us carrying all the necessary gear on the crowded London train network.

We used Origin inflatable touring paddle boards which packed down small, kindly lent to us from Spike. This was a massive help and meant we didn't have to carry 12'6 boards through central London!

After a hasty debrief on how not to fall in from Spike, the rest of the team took their first tentative steps onto the SUP's finding them surprisingly stable. 

The team quickly got used to the rhythm of paddling through gentle scenic canals with the occasional portage over locks.  Whilst on this journey, we were struck by how many people were curious about our transport; few people knew what SUPs were and even fewer believed we would be using them for long distance travel (and without falling in!)

We arrived at our camping spot three hours after the sun had set, tired and pleased to pitch up our tents on dry land. After a good nights sleep and some SUPer porridge, we set of for ten more hours of SUPing to finally arrive at the confluence of the Lee Valley River and the Thames.