Source to Sea (Non-Woo-Woo)

 

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.