The Dart river valley is bursting with life and vitality,
its beauty unspoiled and waters teeming with wildlife. 3 days
meandering gently downstream and upstream gives you the opportunity
to sink into the exquisite scenery and the rhythm of the river,
at the most beautiful time of year.
The adventure starts at Totnes on Friday afternoon. Carrying
everything we need in the canoes, we will journey several miles
each day, reaching as far as Dartmouth before we turn with
the tide. The pace is relaxed, and there is plenty of time
to stop and rest, swim, explore, and eat delicious food (eg.
what we have fished out the river). We will set up camp each
evening by the water’s
edge and enjoy a communal meal and campfire.
In between the paddling, there will also be an opportunity
to learn some backcountry outdoor skills, to help make life
around camp even more comfortable. These may include fire-making,
natural cordage, campcraft, hobo fishing and some fieldcraft
awareness.
The evenings around the campfire will be spent in the company
of the riverbank storyteller, Spindle Wayfarer!
The second night includes a nightpaddle down river to sample
the local hospitality at a traditional riverside inn. The trip
will end back at Totnes at the end of the afternoon on Sunday.
NB. No previous experience of canoeing is necessary, although
participants must be able to swim.
We provide canoes, equipment and teach all the necessary skills.
Also included in the cost is dinner for the first day. Please
bring lunch and breakfast with you, and enough money to buy
an evening meal at the pub.
Event Leaders - WildWise's Chris
Salisbury and canoe instructors.
Chris Salisbury - Educator,
trainer and storyteller, Chris founded WildWise after many
years working as an education officer for Devon Wildlife Trust.
With a background in the theatre, a training in therapy and
a career in environmental education he uses every creative
means at his disposal to encourage people to enjoy and value
the natural world. He has worked with Ray Mears and John Rhyder,
amongst many others.
Experience of a previous participant -
Rob Hopkins, founder of the Transition
Town movement, came on our River Safari in 2006 with his family.
He writes "The
great thing about an event like the River Safari is that it
immerses people into the magic of Nature, as well as taking
people out of the cocoon of daily life. Mary-Jayne Rust, the
eco-psychologist I met with last year, talks about how immersion
in Nature is one of the most powerful tools for reconnecting
people with the world, and for giving them the space to rethink
their relationship with it.
It was great for the kids to experience
collecting cockles from the beach and cooking them, seeing
how to make fire with no newspaper, making soap from horse
chestnut leaves, which are the tastiest seaweeds, and how,
in a canoe, they can’t
sit back and expect everything to be done for them, they are
part of a team, and that they are an essential part
of making it to the other side! It was also amazing to spend
time on the river, connecting to this bioregion and what a
beautiful place it is."
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