I have come across a YouTube series by somebody with the
unfortunate name of Ed Pratt. He is an introverted and rather geeky young chap,
but his adventure has gripped me. He came up with an amazing challenge; he
would travel the entire length of the River Thames. This has been done before
by many people, most famously by the comedian David Walliams; but Ed's quest
would be different. He would traverse the river all the way from its source to
the sea while staying in it. Not walking along the bank, actually being in the
river, all 210 miles of it. He began at the source of the Thames ,
at a place appropriately called Thameshead. It is not much to look at, just a
marker stone on the top of a small hill in the Gloucestershire Cotswolds. Most
of the time the ground around it is dry for the first couple of miles. As a
result, the initial stage of Ed's journey is mostly walking on land where the
river flows invisibly, just sifting slowly through the soil. When it emerges as
a visible surface watercourse he starts wading; and then occasionally swimming.
He has to battle waterweed, thick mud and fallen trees blocking his way, but he
tenaciously sticks to his plan to stay in the river. He camps by the side of
the river at night, but always re-enters the river at the point he left it. At Cricklade
the Thames is deep and wide enough to be navigable by
small boat. He has a red kayak which his Instagram followers predictably elect
to name "Thamesey McThamesface". His social media fans are very
helpful. One of them looks after his boat until he arrives in Cricklade and
many others give him beds for the night, including somebody in Oxford .
As he paddles along, people cheer him on from the riverbank and from other
boats. He actually was a minor celebrity at the time. It makes it clear to me
that there is an entire community of people who live on or around the Thames
whose lives are shaped uniquely by the famous river. He meets many interesting
people along the way. His mission is also scientific. He tests the water for
pollution each day and has a sponsorship campaign with the Rivers Trust, an
organization dedicated to cleaning up our precious waterways. He made notes of
all the locks he passed though with one strange exception, Iffley Lock. That is
a pity because it is the one closest to my own home and probably the most
picturesque on the whole river, with its Victorian stone footbridge. He might
have left this one out because he was forced to break his golden rule of doing
the whole journey in the river. The lock has rollers which all small craft are
expected to use. The keepers will not open the gates for a solo kayak. I don't
think that really matters though. His series is not just a travel vlog; it is a
properly produced documentary with a musical score, editing and special
effects. He uses multiple camera angles from the boat, his body and selfie
stick. He even deploys a drone to get aerial shots whenever he can. The
problems he faces change as the river does; from the pre-boat beginnings, to
the long middle stage and finally the tidal stretch through London
and the shipping lanes of the estuary. His task is not without risks and
dangers. Despite this he sticks with his little kayak all the way to the end
and does not transfer to a larger boat. I really enjoyed Ed's journey. He
planned and researched it meticulously as well as recording it very
professionally. There are other past missions on his channel. I hope he does
the Nile next! If so then I'll provide another
non-woo-woo commentary on it.
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyrjjsgDZc4.
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk2jagkYGD0.
Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiEox3ZMjQ0.
Part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVaaeiUZ-tQ.
Part 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWuY6Pk6V4g.
Part 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTnWP09K5WU.
Part 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sekf34nChDc.
Part 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-oCT-cSqq4.
Full Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyrjjsgDZc4&list=PLocRYksAqGOJPwOGsnaNJQJL4d1qcapIB.
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyrjjsgDZc4.
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk2jagkYGD0.
Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiEox3ZMjQ0.
Part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVaaeiUZ-tQ.
Part 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWuY6Pk6V4g.
Part 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTnWP09K5WU.
Part 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sekf34nChDc.
Part 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-oCT-cSqq4.
Full Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyrjjsgDZc4&list=PLocRYksAqGOJPwOGsnaNJQJL4d1qcapIB.






