North Kent Coast
It is early March and it’s time to repeat one of our paddling favourites along the North Kent coast – a trip passed Herne Bay to the Reculver Towers. It is the first proper sea trip for two of our group and the conditions are ideal as we prepare on the shingle beach, with sunshine and small, frequent waves. It is also the first sea trip for Phil’s new boat. So an auspicious paddle for everyone.
The first stop is the Herne Bay Pier Landing Stage. This is the last remaining part of the pier that was originally used by paddle steamers to bring people to Herne Bay. It’s a long way off shore and understandable why it was the second longest in the country.
From the Landing Stage we headed to the two towers at Reculver, which could be seen in the distance. With the tide pushing us Eastwards and the wind coming from the South-East, we got some fun waves as the wind against the tide created small waves. A perfect introduction to sea paddling and a good way to christen a new boat.
After lunch under the two towers the tide had changed direction, so we were now getting assistance from the wind behind us as well as the tidal stream. That gave us quite a few small surfable waves, so we zig zagged our way back to the launch point, surfing towards land then paddling back out. Even those with no prior surfing experience got the hang of it quickly.
Eventually we arrived back where we had started. After landing and a celebratory photo, it was to the beer garden of the local pub to get some later afternoon sun and re-hydrate. Another excellent day on the water!
