Following on from a full-on bank holiday weekend, my paddling still hasn’t abated. With Hurley droppind down to one gate in the week following the bank holiday, it was looking like Boulters might be the only option for the coming weekend. That was until a call came from Martyn mentioning that Hambledon was still open and looking good to go. Now, I had only paddled at Hambledon once or twice before and it always offered some entertaining rides – if you can call them rides. I rather like this description, courtesy of Matty from TVFreestylers
“The best kind of picture I can paint of Hambleden is being stuck somewhere between a particle acceleratror and an avalanche! Or what I imagine it to be like driving a F1 car over a ploughed field. It is great fun and lesson in fine edge control mixed in with some very amusing head ruddering”
The eddy queue was bigger than I have ever seen at Hurley, but the ferociousnous of the water meant that rides were only a few seconds long – no-one hoggng it.
Martyn looking on from the bank
Martyn trying to show who is boss
Dave Hodgkinson is in there somewhere!
Finally sussed how to stay in control!
Not quite what you normally imagine the Thames to be like