A new trip for the club, although the beautiful River Stour is no stranger to canoes or to lovers of Constable paintings.  This trip will be 25 miles with an overnight camp on Saturday at Willowmere Caravan Park, Little Cornard (pg 229 in the Big Sites Book). Possible camp on Friday night.  This time of year the flow should be peaceful, so suitable for all craft, and with a number of purpose built portages along the way.  A great way to see parts of the countryside inaccessible by the roads.

Book (ASAP to avoid disappointment) directly with campsite.

The River The Suffolk Stour is a delightful small river, with a right of navigation but owing to disrepair, only passable by small craft such as canoes and kayaks. The Environment Agency has recently renewed portage platforms and signage to encourage leisure use, and the River Stour Trust has gradually been renovating locks – we expect to be able to view their efforts. Scenery is very rural, and made famous through the paintings of John Constable. Non-paddlers may enjoy the walking and sightseeing e.g. at Flatford Mill.

Canoeing The aim is to canoe the length of the navigation from Sudbury to the Cattawade tidal barrage (25 miles) over Saturday and Sunday, the same stretch as is covered by the S2C tour (Sudbury to the Sea http://www.riverstourtrust.org/S2C/S2C-webpage.html ) doing car shuttles each day. There are a number of weirs and other obstacles to portage. Flows are likely to be gentle, making this suitable for less experienced paddlers. Expect shallow water and wading at some points, so wear suitable footwear.

If you have not paddled with the club before - this is an ideal starter trip - even if you can only manage 1 day or are worried about keeping with up with the Group. There will be members of the club to help and support you if required. Please let Pete Bradshaw know if this applies to you.

Licence: covered by BCU licence.