Kayaking on the River Severn with Keen Sandals

Once a year my wife and a bunch of Friends head down to Bridgenorth in Shropshire to go canoeing on the River Severn. I would recommend this to anyone as a wonderful way to spend the day. Last year it was the last bank holiday in May. There were eight of us and the canoes took two people in each one.

The river flows south towards Bristol and empties out in the Bristol channel but this section is a stunning sanctuary of gently flowing water, mayflies hovering overhead, ducks and swans skitting past and, if the weather is right (which it has been for two years!) a sun drenched haven of healthy fun!

We start at Bridgenorth hiring the canoes from Sun Valley based in Bridgnorth, booking ahead so that the canoes are ready and waiting for us to turn up. They provide the canoes, paddles and life jackets, we make sure we've got loads of water, sun cream and a hat! Onboard. Its then simply a case of getting in and setting off, remembering to hide mobile phones and cameras in a water tight plastic bag just in case anything nasty happens!.
At this point the river is pretty slow moving and its a gentle paddle down towards Arley which takes about two hours.

Bewdley

So we set off at about 10am and float down the river stopping at a sandbank along the way, hoisting our canoes up and trekking along the bank to a local pub for lunch.

After a curry, (yes I know!) and a pint we head back to the canoes and continue our journey down on towards Bewdley. You can get off at Arley or float on for another hour or so to Bewdley and at either place there is a steam train that takes you back up the river to Bridgenorth. The train stops in town but its a five minute walk back to the start where the small car park is next to the river.

The whole adventure takes around five hours but it really is the most relaxing day you can have with a few friends. Last year a couple of friends, Matt and Nick managed to tip their canoe over. It was hilarious watching them try and control it as they collided with the bank! Nick got his mobile wet and Matt lost his camera, hence the warning about a water tight bag!

Keen Sandals

I turn up wearing my trusty Keen Sandals which are perfect for this mini adventure because they have a rubber toe guard that protects your feet from all the bumps and hazards along the way.

We both have a pair and the combination of water proof leather! - Yeh that's right a waterproof sandal! - and rugged non marking rubber soles make them the perfect companion to this type of water sport. Because they are non marking, they can be worn on all types of boats and they won't leave black rubber marks on the surface of any boat.
The waterproof boast seems a bit daft and the sandals are full of cut outs on the uppers, but it just means that the leather has been treated with oil, so no matter how many times you get the sandals wet they don't rot or smell, and they dry without leaving tide marks on the uppers if you know what I mean!

Stomping about in water, hiking along the bank, rough pebbles activity like this is what Keen Sandals are made for. If you just want to hike then they also make a range of walking boots called Targhee.

The best Men Keen Sandals are the Keen Newport Sandals for men which are made from leather or the Keen Newport H2 which are made of tough nylon. Both have the reinforced toe box, so in answer to the question, Can a sandal truly protect the toes, well yes they can and they are called Keen!

They also have ranges for Keen Sandals for Women, so the Keen Whisper and Keen Venice also do the same job and are available in a number of more feminine colours.

So two things I would recommend today! Go book yourself a day on the River Severn, take a few mates and pray that the weather is good. But first get yourselves a pair of Keen Sandals each, they are perfect for this type of activity and they don't cost the earth either!