Well, what can I say? Feedback below from an amazing trip with great people. by DH.
We had the most fantastic time on a two-day kayak trip led by Davepaddles.co.uk, starting from the George and Dragon pub in Wargrave. From the very beginning, Dave was welcoming, knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about the river and all the hidden gems along the Thames.
The route was brilliantly planned – we set off in a figure-of-eight paddle that took us down Hennerton Backwater, a peaceful and scenic stretch away from the main river traffic. Paddling through quiet waters surrounded by lush greenery was pure magic. We then rejoined the Thames and headed to a small island where we camped overnight.
The campsite was a real treat – simple but atmospheric, with a great group spirit and plenty of laughs around the campfire. It was a proper back-to-nature experience without feeling too rough around the edges.
The next morning brought a change of scenery as we paddled a new route down St. Patrick’s Stream, a beautiful and winding backwater that led us onto the River Loddon. This part of the trip felt really special – serene, slightly wild, and full of wildlife. Eventually, we looped back to the Thames to complete our journey.
Throughout the trip, Dave was a brilliant guide – encouraging, laid-back, and full of interesting info about the local area and waterways. Whether you’re a seasoned paddler or a beginner looking for a unique outdoor escape, I can’t recommend this trip highly enough.
Thanks again, Dave, for an unforgettable adventure on the water. We’ll definitely be back for another paddle!
By Antony R
Thank you again for an amazing wild camp trip, hopefully this will be the first of many for me to join in on! I really appreciate all of the behind the scenes planning and prep that must go into making the weekend so fantastic! Feedback below:
The trip was really well organised and led under the watchful eye of Dave. I felt really confident and safe the whole time both in and out of the water. Dave kept a close eye on us all as group and fed back one 2 one wherever we needed to make adjustments to our paddling / camping.
I really benefitted from being able to borrow a good number of items for the weekend from Dave to supplement what I already owned which was a great way to try it out over the weekend and decide what to buy for myself on future trips. I do wish that I had brought the larger 2-man tent so as to have more room inside! Perhaps to make sure no other first timers make that same mistake, (maybe I might be the only one to make that kind of mistake) stipulate that it needs to be 2-man size and to be able to fit in your kit?
I was a bit nervous about how much kit I could carry on my board and how it would impact on me being able to paddle/ maneuver and float so went minimal in my kit for the weekend. I shouldn’t have worried so much as I could have easily taken another 40ltrs and been fine! But would suggest that it could benefit new paddleboarders joining another trip to have a simple guidance of around 100ltres to bring to without impacting on their maneuverability.
I really enjoyed both days of paddling, both were a good distance to get to enjoy that stretch of water without being too tiring. The overall pace on both days was perfect for me and it was great to be able to paddle as a group and to not feel like I was holding everyone else back.
It was a nice sized group, would be cautious about growing to more than 6 people as might not allow for the same comradery on the water or in camp.
The second day was the more challenging for me with the free-flowing water and obstacles to avoid that at times was quite daunting and difficult to maneuver, but Dave was always there with guidance and advice for me to make it through totally fine. I’d really like to go and do that stretch of water, or one similar, as a day trip to try developing my new paddle strokes even more! But appreciate its coming into winter and that’s not necessarily the right time, perhaps it could be a davepaddles one for 2026?
By Sam L
What a beautiful weekend treat to have shared with a lovely group of people. Started with a peaceful paddle from St George and dragon public house Wargrave, Since I met Dave last March he has just continually filled me with little nuggets of advice and confidence. So glad I joined up for this campout, I had the usually excited nervous butterflies before launch.
But all disappeared as soon as we hit the water, weather was lovely all day then setup camp and the wind got a little lively, disappeared around 3am.
Sam was on fire duty, and we all gathered firewood and as the dark crept in, we talked laughed and had the best evening, the geese were a sight to see bedding down for their evening, and some night noises were unexplainable.
Just a shame there wasn’t any snores (next time hey).
Then up and packed with no trace and great little paddle St Patrick’s stream and the Lodden before home and, kit all washed down ready for the next one.
A million thanks to Dave for giving me these opportunities and confidence.
Ooh and Anthony for so many photos, top man.
Much love
By Brendan M
Our Photo Gallery is here https://www.davepaddles.online/galleries/wildcamp/200925/