Meridian Canoe Club

I am organising the above paddle based on last year's successful trip.
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Meet at boathouse at 8.30
Leave at 9.00
Meet at Oare car park, Church Road, Oare ME13 0QA (free but NO toilets) at 10.15
Launch at 11.00.
We paddle across The Swale and the incoming tide to Harty Ferry Inn then into the tide hopefully to spot some basking seals, last year we only saw a few heads.
Depending on the wind (if any), weather and enthusiasm of group we will continue as far as we can.
We then cross back across the tide and with the tide now behind us enter Faversham Creek and paddle to the end at Bridge Road Lock where we will either eat our packed lunch or visit The Albion or The Swan pubs (not both....).
High Water is at 14.20 so we will leave soon after using the ebbing tide to take us back to The Swale.
For those who are interested, Oare Creek is to the west but is mainly a marina so many might not find this worth exploring.
I hope to return to Oare car park by 16.00 and return to the boathouse by 17.30.

A chart of The Swale is at:-
http://www.visitmyharbour.com/harbours/ ... chart-2012
and a chart of Faversham Creek is at:-
http://www.visitmyharbour.com/harbours/ ... chart-2012

This 10 mile trip involves paddling across the tide and for a short time against it and paddlers should be of a 2* standard.
This is an inter-club trip with our friends from Bewl Water and Maidstone Canoe Clubs.

If you would like more information please contact me here or at the boathouse on the next two Saturday mornings.

This trip turned into a bit of an adventure...
A day of sunny weather that turned cloudy and cold together with a rising wind and falling tide.

Met at Oare Car Park with two members from Bewl Water Canoe Club and set off across the tide and into the wind.

No, this is not Lawrence of Arabia but Garry of The Swale enjoying his first tidal trip.

Given the testing conditions and this being his first trip with us, Garry coped very well and adapted quickly to trying conditions.
Continued along the shore at Harty looking for seals but this year not even a head surfaced to see us.

We continued paddling against the incoming tide to the Sandend Buoy,


tried to hold a meeting but with both a strong tide and wind decided to cross The Swale which was now becoming quite choppy

to the south side and stop for a snack.


With the tide behind us we headed for Faversham Creek and shelter from the rising wind.
Stopped early than planned for lunch and continued our way to the end of the creek.

On the return, the tide was falling quite fast with the creek being half the width it had been an hour earlier.

Returning to The Swale was difficult with the creek becoming increasingly shallow (it dries out completely at low water).

Once we returned to The Swale we had what was probably the most difficult part of the trip with not only the tide against us but now the wind too.


So quite an adventurous day which turned out to be longer in distance, 13 miles, and time.
But a still great adventure!