The versatility of stand-up paddle boards is what has made the sport so popular. You might be a casual cruiser, using your board as a means of mindfulness and relaxation on a calm morning. You may be more inclined to challenge yourself in choppy conditions, set a goal and paddle at pace to keep fit. Maybe you’re using your board to explore a coastline from a different perspective. Or you might have mastered catching and riding waves—the list goes on and on…
But we’re here to ask, have you ever considered a SUP camping trip and long-distance paddle expedition? If your answer is yes, but you’re yet to take the leap, you’re in the right place. If you’re answer was no, we’d suggest you keep reading—you may be inspired to change that answer by the end…
What follows is an interview with two keen explorers, fairly new to paddle boarding who had an idea to seek solitude and delve into new surroundings by the way of stand-up paddling. Press play below before diving in with @mystery.explorer.uk (ME) and @this.guysphotography (TGP) for the dos, don’ts and the full story of 100 miles, four days and three nights on the River Wye.
Filmed & edited by @mystery.explorer.uk
What inspired you to plan a long-distance, camping paddle trip like this?
ME: For me it was inevitable. Even though I’m pretty new to paddle boarding, inexperience should never be a reason not to try. It can always be overcome with the right attitude and a willingness to learn. Luckily for me I had a very experienced paddle boarder living on my doorstep who was kind enough to sit down over a brew and talk me through the basics of expedition paddle boarding.
Part of the reason I got into paddle boarding was to go and just explore and use it as a mechanism to head to places I wouldn’t normally go. Another reason I found was that the waterways are almost one of the last frontiers in terms of being truly wild in the UK. Head out to the hills and it can be so hard to find quiet spots, especially on the weekend and with the increase in Instagram-ers collecting spots like they’re Pokemon. The fact it takes a little bit more planning and preparation is enough to ensure you can paddle rivers and see nothing more than the odd fisherman.
TGP: Despite paddle boarding on and off for five years, I have always found myself on short trips, a few hours here and there in a local area which was fun but in hindsight, they didn’t expose me to one of the most inspiring elements of paddle boarding. This was the ability to escape the crowds and feel like you have travelled to the end of the world, simply by paddling a few hours downstream. The river allows you to reach places that can’t be easily reached, so it gives that pure sense of exploration and travel.
Why did you choose the River Wye?
ME: The River Wye was always number one choice for a multitude of reasons. First and foremost, it was on my doorstep. Seeing it every day for years and having never fully explored it just wasn’t sitting right with me. I have an amazing ultra-panoramic photo I took of the Symonds Yat horseshoe bend, so inspiration wasn’t far away.
I also wanted to do a proper river, rather than a canal. The Wye also changes dramatically as you travel, from being over looked by Welsh mountains and farmland, to steep gorge walls lower down.
TGP: It was all in the eye of @mystery.explorer.uk. He has the experience around that area and once he showed me some of his photos, it seemed the perfect location with camping spots, variety in rivers and incredible scenery. He also pre-booked the finest weather that could have befallen us, and we spent four days worrying more about sunburn and dehydration than anything else —the perfect concerns.
© @this.guysphotography
Was it difficult preparing and packing all the gear you'd need for four days onto a SUP considering the limited space?
ME: This was honestly one of the areas I had a complete misconception about. Our MO was to pack as light as possible and embrace the rougher side of expeditions. When we lined up all of our kit, it barely filled a third of the 90 litre dry bags the boards come in, so in reality we could easily have taken a lot more stuff—we had everything we needed but not everything we wanted.
I did take a camera bag with three different types of camera and a drone which was the bulkiest part. Even with this on the shorter board, there was plenty of room and the handling remained solid. In fact, in choppier waters, the weight on the front reduced the slap factor. At no point were we left wanting for space, other than when I was trying to land the drone on the gap between me and the bags whilst floating down the river but that’s a separate issue!
TGP: As @mystery.explorer.uk mentioned, we both felt we had to go ultra-minimalist, even joking about snapping toothbrushes in half! This was our biggest lesson taken away from the trip, both the 10’10” Inviato and the 12’6” Sport Air were absolutely on rails with all of our kit strapped to them, and having since ridden them clean, the weight of the bags provided some beneficial stability whilst catching fins in the shallow water.
© @this.guysphotography
My advice to others would be to take the right kit to make sure you’re comfy. Don’t pack the kitchen sink but don’t be the two paddle boarders moored up in Hereford buying bargain pillows for a better night’s sleep!
The second lesson was one we had dialled in from our previous experience, but could easily catch people out. Split up the camp tasks on arrival and departure, especially when you want to be on the water before sunrise. The last thing you need to see is a beautiful sunrise from the river bank as you realise you both packed all your own kit, and nobody took the tent down.
How did the paddleboards fare over the 100 miles? Were there any arguments over who got the touring board?
ME: The boards were awesome from start to finish and we didn’t have a single issue with them. The only consideration is to get a stubby fin for the parts of the river that were low and had rocks ready to send you over the handle bars. There were a couple of parts where we went up to the front of the board straddling the bags to unweight the rear and allow the fin to raise up out the water, a pretty useful technique to learn.
There were no arguments over boards. I did want to use the touring board myself but my intent was always to keep out of the video where possible and allow @this.guysphotography to be the focus on the 12’6 Sport Air Touring for the majority. Both boards cruised alongside each other well but you did notice a difference at the end of the day from in terms of effort required. Another key factor was the paddle: I would highly recommend upgrading from the aluminium paddle—the fibreglass paddles’ reduced weight and greater surface area made a difference on the body. We were paddling at least 10 hours a day so the little difference would cumulate into a large end result.
© @this.guysphotography
TGP: We were both excited to ride the touring board, with its stunning shape and clean lines it looked like it was made to eat up the miles. We shared but mystery.explorer was keen that I ride the touring board. Clearly, he anticipated my willingness to try headstands whilst floating down the river and wanted the subsequent failure on camera!
After a little testing, we found that both boards coped with the weight and distance fantastically. The differences were subtle and required 8 hours a day to notice. However, I have immediately committed to buying my own 12’6” touring board for our next adventure.
Paddling conditions look amazing from the video, as well as the weather in general. Tell us a bit about the overall experience of being on the water for 4 days.
ME: The biggest issue we had was our feet, you don’t realise how little you move them on the board until they start to ache. I very quickly added in little stance changes at regular intervals to reduce the pressure on key spots. Another tip I have is to set regular goals with breaks and rewards. @this.guysphotography was all over this as he was tracking our paddle stats the whole way but more importantly, he had a couple of hip flasks to whip out as a reward or when he spotted ‘the kraken’ in the water. (Kraken was also the name of the rum he had).
We scored for weather, clear blue skies and no clouds however, after a good few hours in the glare it can start to drain, glasses and hats were a must along with taking regular swims and lots of water to keep cool and hydrated. Never pass a chance to fill a bottle.
TGP: We have both been through long duration, physical exertion, so we knew we could comfortably cope with whatever this would throw at us but we couldn’t predict it. As @mystery.explorer.uk mentioned our feet took the toll. This was remedied by stance adjustment, and challenges to make the paddle more interesting—can you in fact longboard walk all the way to tail and the nose, without going swimming? The answer is no...
© @this.guysphotography
Whilst we escaped the crowds, we found that those we did meet were friendly and fascinated to ask more about travelling on paddle boards. We definitely undid some pre-conceptions about how difficult it was, and how accessible it is, simply by telling the story of how we wound up doing it.
The lasting memory of it all was the wildlife. Every corner of the river had a diverse healthy selection of fish, birds and larger friendly mammals. This prompted us to look at how healthy the river must be, and consequently we tried to do a little rubbish collection on the way down—just the odd can and bottle here and there. By way of a thank you, a jumping fish actually ended up hopping onto my board mid paddle. I am not sure who was more surprised, or who fell off the board first!
Has this trip inspired any ideas for other long-distance paddles?
ME: Absolutely, we have already talked about a few other ideas and have a good few options on winter and summer ideas. We intend to head further and much more remote, upping the stakes and adventure on all levels.
TGP: Already in the planning phases and we can’t wait, watch this space and we will take you through the trip with us…
© @this.guysphotography
