Back on the Water…
Sometimes we feel devoid from nature, in our air conditioned offices, centrally heated houses, and climate controlled cars. It is all too easy to ignore the changing of the seasons and the steady beautiful cycle of nature all around us. We become numb to not just the outside world, busying ourselves with things that for one reason or another we think are urgently important, but deep down these are all just petty distractions from our relationship with the natural world. It is a message that is coming loud and clear from health research; exercise and time outside disconnected from the digital world is good for us. So why do we find it so hard to do what is good for us? A dilemma that affects us all. For instance, this weekend like so many before, we had a list of jobs to do as long as both of our arms, and had resigned ourselves to plod through them. However, the sudden burst of sunshine and good weather was enough to snap us out of this artificial world of temporary distractions and scream to us “GET OUTSIDE!” and we listened.
Digging out our canoe gear from its winter hibernation meant extracting our trusty Silver Birch Borderlands 15 foot canoe from a garage full of DIY equipment. Was it only a few months ago we were able to go from saying “hey do you want to go for a paddle?” to being on the water in under an hour? Today took significantly longer. Despite the effort, we could tell that in each of us that the excitement was there, the hunger to be out on the water with a paddle in our hands, the internal fire that has got us through so many miles before was rekindled. The stuff in the way of the canoe then began flying out of the garage, and before we knew it we were ready to go.
There were a few false starts with getting the boat outfitted with the few bits and pieces we were taking with us. However, it was not long until it all came back to us as to where we put things and how we attached them.
With the canoe on the car and the boot full of kit we were off! As we had not been out for a while due to one reason or another, we decided to keep it simple and keep it local. We headed to the River Soar. We have paddled this section of the river literally hundreds of times. We know every bridge, lock, bend, section of flow, and even many of the trees. Getting back on the river was like catching up with an old friend. We had both changed since we last saw each other. The winter of 2024 - 2025 was an incredibly wet one and there has been much flooding in the Soar Valley (with the river reaching a record high of 2.59 meters at Pillings’ Lock on January 7, 2025, which unsurprisingly caused severe flooding and made national news!). So, although in general the river still flows where it has for many years, there are subtle differences, some corners have eroded a bit more, some trees are missing, and unfortunately there are now more sunken river boats. Nature continued to prevail, the water fowl out in full force. Ducks, geese, swans, and moorhens around every bend, and even the occasional kingfisher for good measure. The daffodils and crocuses provided occasional bursts of colour, and it felt like all of us were enjoying the warm weather.
It did not take long with us being in the canoe again before we slipped into our steady rhythm. All the time we have spent in a canoe together came flooding back pretty quickly. Our paddle strokes synchronised with a brief serge after each little splash of them hitting the water, followed by the gentle sound of droplets dripping off the paddle as we raised them for the next stroke. All of life’s worries and thoughts were gone as we mindfully made our way along the river, picking our way around boats, birds, and other paddlers who'd also chosen to relay the fortune of good weather. Every bend another view, every stroke further on a journey whose only destination was the journey itself. The only place we had to be was back at our car, preferably before dark.
Those few hours that we were on the water were well and truly worth all the hassle to get the gear out. Also as we were canoeing we stayed well out of the water so we didn't even need to get changed in the car park! A great thing to remember whilst packing things away. All in all this was a fantastic reminder for us that we can indeed get out to our happy place on a river almost at the drop of a hat. Also those house tasks will always still be there but the good weather may not!
Robert enjoying being back on the water again.
This weekend has been a wakeup call for us, just because the weather may be grim, we are better people for getting outside at least for a few hours. Hopefully we can remind ourselves of that during April showers. We know the time outside will make us feel calmer and happier, and maybe like today, a little achy in a good way.