Category: Adventures

(see also my latest trip along the River in this post)

Plan A was to return to Scotland with our sea kayaks for a week of wild camping.

A forecast of gales and storms put an end to that, and we had to find a Plan B quickly.

Nick had recently moved to Willington — a short walk from the River Great Ouse.

I took a fairly unenthusiastic look at the maps and paddlesports forums to see if it was viable. Gradually, it began to look more interesting.

The river starts somewhere in Northamptonshire, runs past Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, and eventually reaches the sea. At around 160 miles long, only a portion is officially navigable — from Kempston to The Wash.

That navigable stretch is managed by a series of locks. It passes through attractive towns and villages, under the A1(M) and the main railway line, and through large areas of quiet countryside.

We both needed British Waterways licences for this section, which came with free watercraft insurance — unexpectedly useful.  See here for more info about that.  

Planning was deliberately loose. My usual speed and distance calculations are based on sea and lake kayaking; a river with locks and portages makes precision difficult. I estimated we were good for roughly twenty miles, which should get us to Godmanchester with some margin.

We left Nick’s house at about 08:45 on 1 September and carried the boats the half-mile to the put-in.

We were travelling light — no spare paddles, no camping kit, and, unusually, no beer. Even so, our forearms were burning by the halfway point and we paused twice.

We launched at around 09:15. The river was barely moving: flat, green, and enclosed by mature trees. The bends in the channel meant it felt more like paddling a narrow lake.

Willington Lock appeared quickly. The Environment Agency had installed a canoe portage step, which made getting out straightforward despite the low water levels. After a short carry past the lock, we reached the downstream platform — about a foot and a half above the water — while a floating excavator dredged gravel from the channel.

We re-entered by sitting in the kayaks on the platform and sliding in. Not elegant, but it worked.

By chance rather than design, we reached The River Mill at Eaton Socon at 12:35, just as the rain arrived. It looked slightly upmarket for two damp paddlers, but the staff were welcoming and the fish and chips were excellent. We ate, dried off a little, and carried on.

The lock at St Neots was the most awkward. Getting out was fine, but the portage crosses a main road and runs down a narrow footpath with no obvious re-entry point. The nearest platform sat about three feet above the water — too high for a controlled slide — so we climbed over a fence and lowered the kayaks down an overgrown bank instead.

After that, progress was steady. We stopped for a photograph beside a cabin cruiser which looked suspiciously as though it had been designed for Nick.

By the time we reached Godmanchester, we were both knackered.

Twenty-one miles (33 km) is a solid paddle in any conditions, but the repeated climbs in and out of the water had been a real workout. This was my first proper trip in the Dagger Katana, and I came away impressed.

I’ll be back to see more of the river. Next time, I’d like to continue downstream and see how far we can get towards the sea — a quiet, steady journey to add to the growing list of trips we never originally intended.

Footnote – we did indeed return in 2026 for a 3 day journey – see separate post Kayaking the River Great Ouse: 85km from Willington to Ely

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this review or spot anything that needs correcting, I’d love to hear from you — just drop me a comment below.

This piece first appeared on the Dull Men’s Club Facebook page, you can read it here I will re-write it into more of a blog post about the trip in due course…

In my humble opinion, you cannot beat sea kayaking for simple, honest, slow, decent enjoyment.

My last trip was a classic. Our boats were packed with 12 cans of beer, food and water for 3 days, camping gear, and a change of clothes.

We found a perfect uninhabited island off the coast of another island (which was itself off the coast of the British Isles). Is that a level 3 recursive island? 

We camped on a strip of grass, lit a fire, drank beers, and watched satellites, stars, and meteorites.

On day two, we moved on and found ourselves ahead of schedule. As the sea was still, we decided to cross the mile and a half to yet another island. As we got closer, we were very excited to see that the lighthouse had been abandoned. A huge, rusting winch had started to fall down the cliff, and the outbuildings were collapsing in places. Many of the windows in the keeper’s house were missing their glass. The trees and vegetation looked rather too big for their setting.

We made our boats safe from the rising tide and climbed the 50 or so steps up the cliff face. The lighthouse must have been very important in its day, as there were several large stone buildings and two large, comfortable houses attached to it. One of the buildings still housed a substantial generator (see photo).

The house doors were all open, so we took a careful look around. I was fascinated to see a Wilkins-Servis Homepride washing machine complete with mangle. Next to it was a Hotpoint spin dryer. Almost everything else had been removed, aside from the odd bit of brown furniture and a dirty mattress.

We took a look at the lighthouse itself, and I noticed a rack of batteries the size of a van. It said “Don’t use acid” in bold letters—probably good advice.

There was no litter or graffiti; I guess the location must act as a big filter. I could have spent all week exploring it, but we had to move on with our plans. We did no damage and loved seeing the place. I have the utmost respect for the men and women who lived and worked there when it was a functioning lighthouse. It was an exceptional privilege to go back in time and see a little of their world.

The rest of our trip was pleasant and uneventful. Another night camping out, we paddled amongst some porpoises. A perfect antidote to daily stresses and petty concerns—I highly recommend giving it a try.

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this report, I’d love to hear from you — just drop me a comment below.