The Whitsun Bank holiday weekend saw the Waveney Valley Canoe Club’s first ever touring weekend out of Norfolk. We chose the River Wye because of its easy access, beautiful scenery and as, apart from one or two of us having paddled small stretches, it was a river that was largely unknown to us. Nineteen club members went, 17 paddlers with two as support team. We base camped at Mordiford, some 7 miles below Hereford as a campsite with excellent facilities, easy river access and about halfway along the touring stretch of the river. The plan was to run the river from Hereford to Monmouth over 4 days with trips of varying lengths each day.

Day 1
With a good flow on the river it was decided to run the first day from Hereford down to Hoarwithy, a distance of just over 17 miles. The campsite was in fact halfway so that there was an opt out, which nobody actually took, for anyone who felt the total distance was too far. The initial fast flow soon subsided, as did the rain, and as we left Hereford we soon enjoyed paddling through some rolling green countryside and were quickly in the pretty valley at Mordiford passing the countryside. At 9 miles we stopped near Fownhope for lunch at a secluded spot with a wooded bank. Near Brockhampton we passed one of several places we were later to see where one bank rose in thickly wooded forest to considerable height and was with us for several miles. These places also seemed to be the haunt of buzzards which soared majestically on high to the annoyance of nesting crows which tried to mob them. We eventually arrived at our day’s end at Hoarwithy to find that the guide’s designated stop on the left bank was very difficult but that a rather easier stop on the left bank, gate key from local landowner, was very helpful, particularly as the river was flowing very quickly at this point.

Day 2
Having borrowed a key to the gate from the Canoe Camping Club we had a somewhat easier launch at Hoarwithy. We were soon in a very large loop on the river where we paddled nearly 5 miles to travel a land distance of half a mile. Two large disused railway viaducts pointedly marking the shortest distance by land. With a warm day with intermittent showers there was much taking off and putting on of cags and with people experimenting with each others paddles progress was initially slow. We soon passed through Ross on Wye sussing out the canoe launch facility for possible future use. Finding few places to stop we eventually found a long concrete ledge used for fishing where we stopped to have lunch. As the afternoon brightened up and we moved on our bodies were starting to feel the combined effects of two days paddling. We were cheered by some spectacular views of Goodrich Castle which also indicated that we were not far off our final destination. The busy launch site at Kern Bridge was soon reached and once it was our turn we quickly got off the water.

Anonymous Author 2003