Gold DofE Canoeing

The first Churcher’s Gold DofE Canoeing teams successfully canoed between Tamworth and Nottingham (National Watersports Centre) over four days, using the River Tame, River Trent and the Cranfleet Canal.

The teams started on the Friday afternoon with training in paddle skills, learning to capsize and understand rescue techniques before setting off on their journey of over 90km.

Heavy rain, cold, wind and sun all featured during their time on the water. The pouring rain made the River Trent swollen and moving extremely fast (twice as fast as normal) which meant the teams arrived at their campsites each day ahead of time. However, it also meant that they had to learn to manoeuvre the boats quickly and to sharply avoid overhanging trees and bridges. Adding to the challenge was a weir with a canoe shoot at the start of day one and several portages.

For their next challenge, the teams are training to take part in another four day expedition, this time on the River Wye in the Summer Term. 

Flickr album: Gold DofE Canoeing Between Tamworth and Nottingham (National Watersports Centre) | Height: auto | Theme: Default | Skin: Default Skin