8 Nomads and a friend enjoyed a mainly sunny circular paddle up the Thames from Laleham, down the Abbey Stream to Chertsey weir and returning under the M3 to the start.
The Thames was flowing well, so it was a bit of a slog upstream dodging the rowing fours to Penton hook lock, where we paused on the inside of the ‘hook’ for a breather and to look at Steve’s old house on the opposite bank.
Anthony led us off down the Abbey Stream through dense vegetation like Humphrey Bogart (without the leeches) and across country to stop at the site of the old Abbey for lunch and a mutual admiration of new kayaking gear.
Suitably refreshed, we continued down the Abbey Stream to the punting rollers onto the Thames, which we all ran with a bit of help from Steve. Chertsey weir was running well and, though none of us were brave enough to try the pop-out, we enjoyed nosing into the easier half of the weir to practice moving water balance with Simon looking stylish!