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Trip Reports / Laleham to Ham, 10 February 2008
« Last post by Chris on November 10, 2009, 04:41:32 PM »Chris, Julian, Dan Jones, Bridget, Claire and Caroline set off from Laleham under a clear blue sky and winter sunshine on an exceptionally fine day for early February. Chris and Julian shared the open canoe and everyone else paddled kayaks.
Our journey took us under the M3 and then past Chertsey Lock, Shepperton Lock, Pharaoh's Island, D'Oyly Carte Island, Desborough Island and Walton Bridge. While we were eating our lunch and enjoying some well-earned refreshment at the Weir Hotel at Sunbury Alex hove into view in his folding Feathercraft Kahuna which he had taken on the train to somewhere further upstream than Laleham. Possibly Windsor.
Alex accompanied us past Sunbury and Molesey locks as far as Hampton Court Bridge where he got out to disassemble his boat and catch the train home. The rest of us passed Hampton Court Palace following the large loop in the river round Hamton Court Park after which the bridges of Kingston came into view. At Teddington we found the high spring tide had over-topped the weir and we were able to paddle over it on perfectly flat water avoiding the portage round the lock. The sun went down as we paddled the last long mile and we arrived at Ham, on river right just past Eel Pie Island, just before dark. On the very last stretch we met Matt Savage who was out on his bike on the tow path. The unusually high tide had flooded the get-out.
To put it delicately, the carpark and riverside at Ham are no place for respectable citizens after dark so we lost no time in loading the cars and making a quick getaway.
Bridget's pictures
Chris's pictures
Julian's pictures
Our journey took us under the M3 and then past Chertsey Lock, Shepperton Lock, Pharaoh's Island, D'Oyly Carte Island, Desborough Island and Walton Bridge. While we were eating our lunch and enjoying some well-earned refreshment at the Weir Hotel at Sunbury Alex hove into view in his folding Feathercraft Kahuna which he had taken on the train to somewhere further upstream than Laleham. Possibly Windsor.
Alex accompanied us past Sunbury and Molesey locks as far as Hampton Court Bridge where he got out to disassemble his boat and catch the train home. The rest of us passed Hampton Court Palace following the large loop in the river round Hamton Court Park after which the bridges of Kingston came into view. At Teddington we found the high spring tide had over-topped the weir and we were able to paddle over it on perfectly flat water avoiding the portage round the lock. The sun went down as we paddled the last long mile and we arrived at Ham, on river right just past Eel Pie Island, just before dark. On the very last stretch we met Matt Savage who was out on his bike on the tow path. The unusually high tide had flooded the get-out.
To put it delicately, the carpark and riverside at Ham are no place for respectable citizens after dark so we lost no time in loading the cars and making a quick getaway.
Bridget's pictures
Chris's pictures
Julian's pictures
