Day 1

We travelled in a convoy of cars to the first campsite, we set up our tents and admired the orange moon! We then had hot chocolate and cake (a scout camping tradition) before heading to bed ready for an early start.

Day 2

We woke up early, had a cooked breakfast to fuel us for the day ahead, then made our packed lunches which we stored in a dry bag in case we capsized (as no-one likes soggy sandwiches!).  We filled up the snack barrel to make sure we had plenty of snacks for the day.  Once we had all our kit on, we carried our kayaks to the edge of the river, then launched into the water.  Once all of our group was on the water, our journey began!  The views were spectacular, we travelled along the river and waved to the occasional fishermen and walkers we passed.  Once we had finished for the day, we had fish and chips for tea, then an early night ready to do it all again tomorrow!

Day 3

Another early start, and another cooked breakfast!  It was one of our explorers Birthdays today, so we decorated her canoe with balloons.  Once we set off there was some white water to navigate then it went calmer.  At the end of todays journey we headed into Symonds Yat, some white water rapids. SWAT (ScoutsCymru Water Activities Team) were on hand in case anyone capsized and needed rescuing, but thankfully all of our group stayed dry!  We all sang “Happy Birthday” to the birthday girl as she came through the rapids!

Day 4

We were the first group on the water today, and we got to launch into the water using a slide made for kayaks!  The scenery was stunning today, we were in the bottom of a valley with trees and cliffs all around us, and we even saw a kingfisher!  To celebrate the end of the trip we had a water fight in our boats, using our paddles to splash each other which was great fun.  I cant wait to do it all again next year!