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Calshot to Buckler's Hard and back

Calshot to Buckler's Hard (click to enlarge).
It has been ages since I had a chance to get off the river and paddle at sea but at the weekend a group from our club made a trip to Calshot, near Southampton.

On Saturday we paddled from Calshot out into The Solent, past Lepe and on up the Beaulieu River, where we stopped for lunch at Buckler's Hard before heading back the way we had come.

Coffee break at Lepe (click to enlarge).
I normally think of sea kayaking as a way to get away from it all but this was certainly not the case in The Solent on a sunny Saturday in July! We kept clear of the shipping channel and most of the yachts but inevitably suffered from a bit of jet ski and power boat noise pollution.

The trip was mostly a very gentle paddle but we did enjoy catching some waves on the way back as the wind had increased to a Force 4.

Total distance was 28km.