Some might be sceptical about a kayak trip between Christmas and New Year, but with a surprisingly mild day and new waterproof boots to try out, who could say no?

The 30th of December had been reserved in our diaries for a kayak trip for quite some time, but we hadn't quite planned for the fact that when one of our group members went to inspect the entrances to the river, he found the car park under a foot of water and stated that the river was "running like Usain Bolt". However, with some quick thinking, we transferred our trip to the Great Stour, a tidal river near Canterbury.

We unloaded our boats at Grove Ferry on the banks of the Great Stour and collected our various dry bags slightly later than planned due to sheep on the M20, but after a short briefing on our planned route our group of ten keen paddlers climbed into our chosen craft and the six kayaks and two open canoes set off.

Grove Ferry acquired its name in the 19th century from the hand-drawn ferry in the area. Hand-drawn chain ferries such as the one at Grove Ferry are quite rare, but they work by a chain which is raised from the riverbed towards the floating platform and can then be used to pull the ferry across the river. Although the ferry was replaced in 1963 by a road bridge, the edge of the slipway which allowed access to the original floating platform can still be seen from the river.

Enjoying the tranquil paddle, we had time to chat and admire the natural landscape. Due to the large amount of rain that had occurred over the few days before the trip, the river was much wider and had, in some places, spilled out into the neighbouring fields, causing some confusion as to whether we had reached the tidal lake that marked our half way point and the end of our tidal assistance.

However, after passing the actual lake (which had a sign and was much more impressive than the marshy-looking field) we turned the corner to be faced by the wind which was being funnelled down the river. With the strong prevailing wind (which was gusting up to 25mph)  blowing in our faces and the flow against us, paddling suddenly became much harder. When we reached a grassy bank, there was a short discussion, while we decided whether to go on to our planned destination of Fordwich or to turn around early. Although we all wanted to see the town of Fordwich, we agreed that the flow would probably be far stronger as we moved to the narrower part of the river and that it was a better plan to have a break before continuing towards the town. 

Lunch was a very enjoyable affair, as some of the group members had brought cakes, mince pies and Christmas chocolates to share. Relieved to be out of the wind, the group finally had a chance to have a chat again without having to compete with the wind to make our voices heard.

After lunch, we continued upstream until two o'clock, where we turned around in sight of the church spire, aware that we needed to be back by 3.30 to give us time to load the boats in the daylight before the car park closed at sunset. 

The return paddle was far quicker, with the wind now on our backs and the flow helping us. This allowed our party more time to enjoy the views and watch the trains thunder along the track on the bank beside us. We arrived back happy in the knowledge that as we were within a minute of our schedule, we could load our boats back onto the cars before the twilight disappeared, and still have time for a quick coffee from a Thermos flask once we were packed away and ready to go.

Despite the aching shoulders and arms the next day, it was a very enjoyable paddle and I would definitely recommend it, as long as you have an experienced guide and hopefully on a day with less wind!