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| Stunning Wye valley scenery |
All but two of the
Irish Deliverance Adventures made the journey south-west towards Ross on Wye in Herefordshire for the latest "training" expedition for Ireland. Worries that the trip would be cancelled were unfounded as we were informed that the river after the recent rains was at the maximum level allowed for canoes. You might have thought that we had arrived early at the Wye as the M5 motorway probably had as much water flowing down it as the river itself. Undaunted we plodded on via a diversion as the M50 motorway was closed due to bridge repairs. After a full English Breakfast in a local greasy spoon and a couple of slugs of rough Scottish whiskey by
Lone Wolf, we headed riverside bellies full ready for the paddle down the swollen river to Symonds Yat and Ye
Old Ferrie Inn. After completing a safety briefing the bewildered boss of the canoe company threw more than a couple of glances at Jim's rather fetching seal skin "100%" waterproof Carlos Fandango socks as displayed in the photo. He managed to keep a straight face when he learned that the rest of Jims' attire was, from the middle shin up, about as waterproof as sponge. The instructor was left in no doubt by one of the other lads that Jims' chosen leggings were in fact a fashion statement and would surely impress any female canoeists en route. It was decided that we were to have two canoes strapped together due to the high level of the water which would minimise the chance of capsizing and an unwanted dip in the drink.
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Jim modelling latest "must be seen in"
lower shin canoeing fashion wear |
As soon as we got onto the river it was obvious that we would easily arrive before the five hours we had to get to Symons Yat. We could have probably drifted the thirteen mile or so in that time due to the fast current of the river. Our other training sessions had been on local rivers in the Leamington area and as enjoyable as they had been the Wye was stunning. The river was wide, fast, and meandering, the high wooded valley breathtaking. Even Lone Wolf commented on the beauty of the area in between the many swigs he had from the whiskey bottle and dipping constantly into his bag for food. The food he produced from that bag could have probably lasted a paddle the length of the Nile. Snickers bars, Mars bars, whiskey, chocolate muffins, cereal bars, whiskey, ham, cheese sandwiches, whiskey, and more appeared at regular intervals. Seagulls trailed the canoe like they do trawlers hoping for a crumb or two as Lone Wolf scoffed and imbibed continuously. The trip down to Symonds Yat passed relatively uneventfully as most just took in the marvellous setting.The solitude and peace was interrupted by Pete however as suddenly he let out a blood curdling scream arms thrashing and smacking the back of his neck. His perception of the incident was that he thought a "massive dragonfly" had attacked him whilst paddling. The actual cause of his terror was that Kev K had picked up a floating branch and skilfully managed to brush Petes' neck thus simulating an insect offensive on his nape.
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Lone Wolf takes a "little something to warm me up" sip
from the well thumbed whiskey bottle |
Arriving at Symonds Yat a long time before our arranged lift back to Ross saw us head inevitably to Ye Old Ferrie Inn. A sign outside advertised that today there was a cider festival and locally concocted ciders were available. Steve was the first to head for the cider room. I thought it a little alarming that when asking Steve for a sip of his cider to try he replied "don't try it just by a pint". So I did. I wish I hadn't . The first sip literately had my right eye squinting and taste buds on the tongue telling me NO !. What they made this swill with I'd rather not think about. I managed to get the pint down eventually and noticed an information leaflet for the different festival ciders on sale. Unfortunately, and after just one glass of this stuff I could not focus on the words. My face burning, my taste buds working overtime and my sight blurred I made the wise decision not to indulge in another glass of this vicious brew.
All in all a great day was had in the magnificent Wye valley and if the River Shannon proves as spectacular we are all in for treat. Just hope there are no cider festivals over there.
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Pure joy in Lone Wolfs face as he discovers that he still has three chocolate
muffins remaining |
