When Dave rang early and it was still dark, cold, wet and windy my enthusiasm for a kayak trip was wavering for the first time ever. Weeks of sitting around nursing my new hip plus post-festive slovenliiness had clogged my motivation centre with sludge.
Luckily it was rinsed clean by Dave’s enthusiastic and positive attitude…’It’s got to be done’. Any residual gloop was eliminated by the sillyness (Dave’s word) of the plan to spend a day paddling around the fields of Somerset.
Last time we ventured forth to this location was during the major floods of 2014. It was so windy we even managed a bit of surfing…in the parish of Huish Episcopi!
So we were off and full of expectation for a day exploring unchartered territory. Laden with coffee, sandwiches, pastries and some chocolatey snacks. Chocolate is an essential nutritional requirement on a winter kayaking trip, it really hits the spot.
It was also the maiden voyage of my Off-road four-wheel drive Crocs…look at the tread on those soles!!
As we drove across the line of hills towards Langport we could hardly believe our eyeballs as we took in the enormity of the expanse of water to our left. More sizeable lakes to the right but we opted for the big ‘un and were soon heading out across the pastures.
Within minutes of setting off the sun went in, the headwind cranked up a couple of Beaufort scales and it started to rain. This happens every time Dave and I go paddling so we were well prepared, but it was a bit of a heartless slog in an environment devoid of colour.
However it was great fun because it was so quirky and not a minute passed without another flock of waterbirds passing overhead. So I was happy as Larry.
Thousands of Lapwings, hundreds of Golden Plovers with their querulous calls entirely suited to the wind and rain and cold, a flock of Dunlin dashing about and large flights of duck in the distance. Some that came close enough to identify were Pintail.
Best of all was hat-trick of Egret species. Little, Cattle and a single Great White. Symptoms of climate change, these birds were completely absent from the UK a few decades ago. They have moved up from the near continent and are no doubt made to feel more welcome by the restoration of permanent wetlands nearby.
Despite the exposure and headwind we couldn’t resist paddling out in the middle of the lake, because that’s what we came for.
We shunned the option of having lunch on a grassy knoll in order to maximise our time on the flood, so we ate while drifting back downwind. Needless to say, the wind then dropped out completely and the sun came out.
The vista was transformed to one of colour.
The water was not as deep as the major floods eight years ago, so we had to pick our way carefully through the fences and gateways.
I was pretty excited to see a freightliner goods train clattering along the main line to Taunton, headed up by a Class 66 Locomotive. Locomotives are a bit of a rarity in the age of motorised carriages.
I was even more surprised to see another engine pushing the line of trucks from behind. In my experience this is a risky business. When I used to try this with my trainset when I was a little lad the trucks usually derailed on the first corner.
I hope the people at Freightliner have thought about this.
TOP day out.
It’s what foul days in January are for.
The Lone Kayaker 