For our first outing we decided to take a trip down the river Derwent from Old Malten to Kirkham Abbey.
Canoeing is often a one way trip so you really need two cars, one to drop the boat off and then one at the far end to get back into and then take you back to the original car.
We arrived Kirkham Abbey at around 11am where there is a small carpark just at the entrance of the Abbey which is free to parking, from there we then drove to old Malton where there is another free carpark, by the side of the river just to one side of the little church, from here we unloaded the boats and essential accessories like buoyancy aids, paddles, throw line and Ortlieb dry bags and carried the boat to the side of the river. We found that just downstream from the carpark near the first set of tall waterside bushes there are some handy steps down to the river and we found this to be the easiest place to put the canoe in the water, once the canoe is in the water and loaded with all the gear off we set.
It was quite fascinating seeing Malten from the river as it just did not look like Malton we could see all the old timber wharfs and the rear of the buildings that were obviously once served by the river to unload their goods onto boats which are then sent down the river.
The river Derwent at this point is quite slow flowing and also relatively wide so is ideal for inexperienced canoeists. We carried on past Malton into the open countryside which I have to say was largely quite stunning, we saw a huge amount of wildlife including many Kingfishers darting downriver ahead of us, and to our great surprise and delight one Otter.
During the entire journey we only saw two other people and have to say it was one of the most peaceful and tranquil things I've ever done, I became instantly hooked to canoeing and now I'm desperate to do some more.
At the end of our journey at Kirkham Abbey the getting out point is literally just after the Stone Road Bridge on the right hand side of the river looking downstream, there is a very handy wall there which is perfect step out onto, you can then drag your canoe out onto the bank which is a grassy field and then carry over the style just above and to the right of the river.
The whole journey took us around three hours of very steady paddling we weren't in a rush which is the real point of being in the canoe, so if you fancy a great day out in a canoe then this journey is well worth considering.
