– to access more content and expert support, check out 
.
Adventurer Dave Cornthwaite has travelled all over the world and SUP’d in many different locations. But on his latest adventure over the solstice weekend, he decided to stay close to home, paddling and camping with a group of newbie SUPboarders on the River Thames.
Dave tells us about how he got into SUP, his latest adventure on his door step and how you don’t have to be an expert to enjoy some adventure SUP paddling…
Ever since I stood on my first SUP in deepest Wiltshire and couldn’t work out why it would go in a straight line – until the lack of a fin became apparent – I knew there was something special going on.
Within two years I’d crossed England and Lake Geneva and then completed the world’s longest distance by SUP by paddling from source to sea along the Mississippi River, an 82 day, 2404 mile venture.
In late 2014 I led a team of five around the island of Martinique for the first leg of a twenty-five journey project by Origin inflatable SUP, showing both how portable inflatables are and that there are great adventures to be had in a relatively short space of time.
As part of my mission as a professional adventurer, author, filmmaker and speaker, I devise adventures and spaces which allow people to discover more about themselves and their potential, and a strong part of this is forming a tribe of doers who are ready and willing to take opportunities and be part of something bigger.
This summer, rather than my usual galavanting around the world, I decided to stay in Europe and use each weekend to take groups of people – formerly just social media friends – on short adventures, thus forming a bigger community as the summer went on. From one-night wild camping trips a quick train ride out of London, to informal film-making courses for amateurs, the popularity of these weekends has been growing.
Eventually, it was always going to be time to introduce a new army to Stand Up Paddleboarding, so Origin kindly made a fleet of boards available and 19 new friends descended upon a campsite in Oxford, chewed on Chinese takeaway and quickly got to know each other, all the while surrounded by a sea of white boards. The other holidaymakers couldn’t quite work out was was going on.
Of the 19, only 7 had tried SUP before. But such is the accessibility and ease of the sport everyone was up on their feet and travelling well within half an hour. The sight of this armada drew admiring (and confused) glances and constant questions from passing boaters, towpath joggers and audiences of red-cheeked weekend drinkers in numerous riverside bars.
But nothing phased our team. Even a Saturday afternoon thunderstorm with rain thundering down at a rate that I’ve never before seen in the UK couldn’t wipe the smiles off our faces. This is the power of adventure, and of paddle boarding. It’s a beautiful, social way to travel, good for body and mind, low impact, high gain. Totally smile-inducing.
We made camp after 12 miles, built a weather-defying castle from our boards (how often do you have 19 inflatable SUPs to use as building blocks?!) and retreated to the pub. Bystanders would have been forgiven for thinking this group had known each other for years rather than just a day.
14 miles on the second day was bisected with an hour-long brunch, then with a tailwind we flew south to our destination in Goring, deflated and cleaned the boards then walked to the train station and made our way home, beaming.
This trip will be repeated several times this Summer, amongst other land-based weekend adventures, so tune into www.davecorn.com/joindave to find out this Summer’s schedule.
Website: www.davecornthwaite.com
Twitter/ Instagram: @DaveCorn