Hello from London – Sunrise Kayaking
on Regent’s Canal
Our last day in London had arrived, far too quickly I might add.
My travel partner Andrea and I had already spent two action-packed
days in this cosmopolitan metropolis which included explorations
of Portobello
Market and Notting Hill, a ride on the River
Thames and a guided tour through London’s fascinating
East End. This
morning would hold a very special treat for us: an early morning
sunrise kayak tour on Regent Canal!
A beautiful sunrise on Regent's Canal
Regardless of what city I travel to, I always try to build in some
sorts of a sports activity, whether it is bicycling, hiking, rollerblading,
or - in this case – kayaking! I had tried whitewater kayaking
once before in the Canadian wilderness, and the results were less
than stellar. As a matter of fact, I was quite scared to death by
the untamed power of the treacherous rapids on the Ottawa River.
Of course this would be a different proposition: there were no rapids
here, just the calm and serene waters of Regent's Canal.
A peaceful early morning
In order to make it to our sunrise adventure we got rattled out
of bed before 5 am and made our way to Regent’s Park, one
of the Royal Parks of London, to meet Danny Gillard from Thames
River Adventures. Together with his partner Niamh, Danny is
the co-owner of this unusual adventure travel company. We arrived
and Danny had already set up three recreational touring kayaks as
well as the spray skirts. The sun was slowly rising from the horizon,
and bright rays of sunshine were flooding the waters of the canal.
Danny Gillard explains something before we start
We carried our kayaks down to the canal, put on our spray skirts
and gingerly made our way into the vessels. Fortunately, touring
kayaks are quite forgiving, and I made it into my boat without exiting
right away into the water. Of course I was also going to document
the whole experience with my camera, so it was doubly important
not to take a dip into the water with my electronic equipment. With
Danny’s experienced instructions neither Andrea nor I had
any problems making it safely into our boats.
Getting the kayaks ready
As the rays of sunshine started to warm up this early morning idyll,
we started to gently paddle down the canal. Regent’s Canal
is part of the extensive canal system that was built in the late
1700s and early 1800s as part of England’s canal transportation
system. These canals were constructed as part of the Industrial
Revolution to transport a wide variety of materials, including coal,
lumber and manufactured goods. The existence of these canals had
a great impact on the lives of people: the cost of coal, for example,
fell by 75% when one of England’s major canals was opened.
Paddling slowly underneath London's bridges
The fortune of England’s inland waterways took a turn for
the worse during the mid 19th century once railways began to replace
the canals. With the development of Britain’s extensive rail
network and later on the road network, cargo transport on the canals
was no longer viable as these other transportation modes were much
cheaper. Some bulky, non-perishable goods were even carried as recently
as 1962 and 1963, but that year a long hard winter kept cargo icebound
which dealt a deadly blow to canal transportation in England.
The sun is coming up
Today England’s canals have lost their importance as transportation
routes and were abandoned, but they have taken on increasing importance
for leisure use. An organization called the British Waterways Board
was created in 1962 to encourage recreational usage of inland waterways.
Canals are so prevalent in England that half of the population of
the United Kingdom lives within five miles of one of these inland
waterways.
One of the narrowboats on Regent's Canal
Danny also explained that these canals offer great tourism opportunities
because they allow travelers to get close to special sights such
as ancient monuments, designated historical structures and sites
of specific scientific interest. Regent’s Canal starts at
the junction with the Grand Union Canal, passes through two tunnels,
bisects London Zoo, where we got our start this morning, continues
on to Camden Town, passes by St. Pancras and King’s Cross
railway stations and eventually ends at the River Thames.
More narrowboats
I was starting to understand Danny’s fascination with urban
kayaking: the atmosphere on this quiet waterway was downright serene
and peaceful. Only occasionally did we catch a glimpse of a jogger,
bicyclist or dog walker that made an appearance on the walkways
beside the canal. It was hard to imagine that we were right in the
heart of London, one of Europe’s biggest cities, that was
just starting to wake up on a busy Monday morning.
I am paddling quietly in order to avoid waking someone up
We paddled quietly under a few road or railway bridges, and Danny
and I had a chance to catch up on his background. Originally from
New Zealand, Danny Gillard has always enjoyed the outdoors. Originally
trained as a psychiatric nurse, Danny left his beautiful home country
and moved to England more than 20 years ago. Over the years he worked
in the insurance industry and for a major British retailer as a
specialist in occupational health.
What a great way to explore London
Despite his passion for healthcare, Danny has always retained a
love for outdoor pursuits, and over the last couple of years he
has gotten more involved in kayaking. Together with his fiancée
Niamh, he started to explore all sorts of waterways, including many
canals and the famous River Thames. As both Danny and Niamh’s
full time jobs were looking to get downsized, Danny decided to turn
his passion for kayaking into a business. And that’s when
he came up with the concept for Thames
River Adventures.
Passing under one of the many bridges
Danny and Niamh applied for a licence with British Waterways in
order to be able to do guided kayak tours on the canals. Today Thames
River Adventures offers exclusive sunrise and sunset tours which
are ideal as a birthday or anniversary gift. Danny added that his
sunrise kayaking tours are particularly popular with couples as
a start to a romantic weekend together. His company also offers
lunch-time kayak tours that offer an upstream paddle section, a
tasty lunch in a water-side pub and a relaxing return trip downstream.
Another couple of bridges
Thames River Adventures’ special offerings also include corporate
teambuilding days which are very popular among companies in London’s
financial district. A day in a kayak offers the perfect escape from
the pressures of the office and helps people gain new skills that
boost their confidence and collaborative spirit. Multi-day tours
on the Thames are also possible.
Pirate Club?
Danny and Niamh’s most recent offerings include a “kayaxi”
service - a kayak taxi service that will involve a special type
of gondola that tourists and locals alike will be able to use for
transportation on the waterways. The gondola will be manufactured
next year, and the gondolier will even serenade couples and recite
poetry during their trips around the Little Venice and Paddington
areas. Obviously a business venture like this allows for some great
creativity, and Danny is also working on some plans for promoting
canal travel for the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Danny explains Camden Town
The sun was starting to get stronger and we were paddling towards
an area of Victorian-era warehouses that have been converted into
hip urban lofts. Danny explained that we were now in Camden Town,
an inner city district that is anchored by several popular market
areas. On the weekends this area is buzzing with people who enjoy
strolling through the market to have a look at its eclectic merchandise
on offer. Locals and tourists alike flock to Camden Town for inexpensive
fashion, books, food, antiques and all sorts of bizarre goods. Funky
cafes, restaurants and music venues round out the entertainment
offerings in Camden Town. One of the real landmarks of Camden Town
is “The World’s End”, which has been a pub since
1778.
Victorian-era buildings in Camden Town
The turning point for our paddling tour came when we reached Camden
Lock, a historic lock that was completed in 1820 and helps to bridge
a fall of 8 feet (2.4 metres). We turned around and slowly started
to paddle back. The city had already woken up, road traffic on the
bridges above us was increasing, and office workers were trying
to get to work on foot as well. We, on the other hand, could enjoy
our slow journey in the kayak and admire the narrow boats that were
moored on the edge of the canal.
More narrow boats
Narrow boats are, as the word says, boats with a long and narrow
design that were formerly used for transporting goods on Britain’s
canal system. From the 1700s onwards and all the way into the mid
20th century, these working boats were originally drawn by horses
on towpaths that flanked the canals; in the early 1900s the horses
were replaced by diesel and steam-powered machines. Many of the
narrow boats are carefully preserved and decoratively painted by
their current owners, most of whom use them as house boats.
Paddling back
As we started approaching the end of our kayak tour, Danny explained
the last landmark: London Zoo. Actually, Regent's Canal bisects
London Zoo, and we had a great view of the aviary that was right
adjacent to the canal. As the world’s oldest scientific zoo,
London Zoo is a major attraction. Opened in 1828, it became accessible
to the public in 1847, and today houses more than 750 different
species of animals.
Approaching the zoo
Special features include the African Bird Safari, the Aquarium,
the Blackburn Pavilion which recreates a rainforest and cloud forest
environment, the Butterfly Paradise, the Children’s Zoo as
well as the recently opened Gorilla Kingdom which is currently home
to four gorillas.
One of the residents of London Zoo
We had safely reached the end of our tour, and I had managed to
operate my camera without falling into the water. Now we just had
to get out of the kayak, but with Danny’s expert help, there
was no problem, and we were back on terra firma thanks to the stability
of these comfortable touring kayaks.
Danny provides me with information
Andrea and I both agreed that this early morning kayak tour on
Regent’s Canal has been a real highlight of our trip. Who
would ever have expected such a serene and peaceful outing in the
often frenetic hustle and bustle of London….
Safely back from a great experience!
Still elated we thanked Danny
for his expert guiding and for sharing his local knowledge, and
we started to make our way back for a quick bite to eat before our
next adventure: a guided
tour of Southall, one of London’s exciting multicultural
neighbourhoods.
