Canoes on the River Wye

I came across these canoes tied to the stonework of an old wharf by the Hope & Anchor pub in Ross on Wye. The recent rains had left water and leaf debris in them and I initially wondered why they hadn't been cleaned out. Then it occurred to me that they were fastened there to advertise the services of one of the companies that rents canoes for trips along the river. The wharf enabled me to get above them and I took this photograph of them looking like the petals of a flower head. The colour version of the shot wasn't very colourful so I settled on black and white that made them much more striking.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Canoes at Symonds Yat

I'm no canoeist but by my reckoning here must be more canoeing on the River Wye than any other English (and possibly British) river. Several companies exist to facilitate it at various places along the river's length, and many canoe owners transport their own vessels to the provided launching points. Large sections of the river are placid in the summer months and none of the rapids are particularly difficult, even to novices. Add to that the changing character of the landscape through which the Wye passes - from serpentine flatlands to gorges with cliffs and woods, and the attraction to canoeists is readily understood. These canoes were tied up on the River Wye at Symonds Yat, a favoured haunt for a number of watery activities.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

River Wye from Wilton Bridge

Last week, as we walked along the River Wye with two of our young grandchildren, we climbed up on to the medieval bridge at Wilton. As we gazed downstream we all started counting and came up with the total of thirteen canoes. What we didn't spot was the two paddle boarders. What we didn't count was the Canada Geese and from the photograph I make it to be ninety three. Then there were four people enjoying the sand and shingle at the river's edge and two mute swans standing in the shallows. These two were soon joind by a third that flew from behind us, climbed to go over the bridge and narrowly missed me and my grandson. We both ducked as we felt the wind from its wings, and wondered why it didn't just fly through one of the bridge arches.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Queue to canoe

Here's something I've never seen before - a queue of would-be canoeists waiting to use the canoe launch point in the centre of Ross on Wye. The queue is there for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it's a warm, sunny holiday Sunday and the river is at a benign level. Secondly, a commercial canoe company must have more customers than usual (Covid19 being responsible for fewer having jetted off elsewhere). These canoeists will have parked downstream and the company will have brought them and a supply of canoes to this point. From here the canoes will be paddled back to where the cars are. Gentle exercise on a hot day.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2