Paddle Boarding with Lisa and Rudy

These girls did amazing today, it takes real character to don a wet suit and come paddling on a freezing cold canal at this time of year. What can I say? Two very awesome ladies showing real spirit, progressing in skills, Rudi even insisted on rescue skills... these girls have more balls than a lot of seasoned paddlers I know...

BBC Look North - Paddle to Work

I've been posting on a Beverley Facebook page recently to show the great work local paddlers from KKC and EYCC have been doing to clean up the River Hull near the town. I also mentioned that I am privileged to be able to commute on the waterway if conditions and tides are suitable. This was picked up by Jo Makel, a video-journalist and news presenter for BBC Look North. She approached me to consider making a little film of our exploits, of course I was delighted.

Last Tuesday afternoon on a beautiful sunny winters day we worked hard to produce a short film. The greatest of thanks have to go to my dear friend Roger Goodchild and Fiona for paddling Jo and Crispin around, these guys are the unsung heroes. Jo edited the dubious material and it has to be said she did an amazing job...

A truly memorable experience and great fun, I've heard TV cameras add at least 10lbs but I think the diet seriously needs to start next week... :-)

Paddling Home from Ken Oliver on Vimeo.

Another Wonderful Evening to Journey Home

With a high pressure system settled over the country it was an opportunity not to be missed. So glad I did as I saw the biggest otter I've seen in a long while on the river, then a barn owl as I got off, feeling blessed.

River Tees with our Northern Friends

Leaving our holiday cottage we headed north to meet friends for a fun paddle on the Tees. Levels where good and the sun was shining, the makings of a great day with lovely company.

Oughtershaw Beck, Upper Wharfedale

We where fortunate enough to be staying in a beautiful cottage in Upper Wharfedale for a week this January. Running right beside the cottage is the Oughtershaw Beck, one of two tributaries that make up the beginning of the River Wharfe.

Mostly it was just a trickle but on the Tuesday and after a full day of heavy rain up at the head of the valley it became quite a torrent. I had to jump on for the last half hour of daylight.

River Hull - The Ultimate River Clean Up

Totally humbled to be a small part of this amazing effort today. It wasn't fun, it wasn't pleasant but every single member of this amazing team mucked in giving their everything. It was damn hard work.

We've undertaken water based clean ups before, in fact this was our fifth. But this one was far the hardest, the most back breaking and the grimiest we've done. The biggest of thanks have to go to all the volunteers.

A combination of paddlers coming from East Yorkshire Canoe Club, Hull University Canoe Club and Kingston Kayak club all with one aim, to remove all this plastic, polystyrene and a combination of all sorts of disgusting rubbish from the river.

 As you can see these amazing paddlers have literally prevented a wagon load of rubbish from going further down the waterway, into the Humber and then ultimately into the North Sea - adding to the global problem.