Paddle the beautiful meandering River Medway from the heart of historic Tonbridge, through the Kentish countryside, to the village of Yalding. (Waterways licence required. Find out more).
Distance: 13.1km (8.1 miles)
Time: 3 – 4hrs
Sat Nav: TN9 1HF
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Find out more about the River Medway on PaddlePoints >>
As this route is not a loop, we had to shuttle between two points.
We left a vehicle on the side of the road in Hampstead Lane, Maidstone, (ME18 6HG – ///swear.honey.hires).
In the other vehicle we headed to the start point at Lower Castle Field Car Park, in Tonbridge, (TN9 1HF – ///noises.grab.draw).
It costs £6.20 to leave your vehicle for 6 hours, giving you plenty of time to complete the route.
There are public toilets, the other side of the river, just off New Wharf road (TN9 1HR – ///indoor.handed.rail).
For getting on the water, there’s an accessible slipway just outside the car park (///lies.throw.drank).
If you’re thinking of making a few days of it, Paddle UK lease a site for camping at Yalding (ME18 6HG – ///entry.forgiving.sobbed).
The Marlin site is available for wild camping throughout the year as part of the Medway Paddle Trail.
The cost is £5 per person, per night, with a maximum of 20 people on site. Find out how to book >>
Alternatively, you can use the Sport Hotels website to find a bargain stay.
Paddle UK members get a special rate. Join today and find out what other discounts you can get.
We were joined on our trail by Sam Wilson, who was recently crowned World Champion in the Kayak Squirt event, at the Freestyle World Championships, in Germany.
The Medway is Sam’s local patch, and coaches his home club along the river, taking them on trips and starting their own freestyle journey.
Shortly after setting off we passed the grand-looking Tonbridge Castle.
The castle dates back to the 13th century, and there are daily tours for visitors.
After passing the castle paddle for about 400m before getting out at Tonbridge Town Lock (TN9 1GH – ///rift.riots.push).
All the locks have fish passes, which are built to help fish migrate past barriers in rivers, such as weirs or dams.
The Medway has more than 21 species of freshwater fish which shows the importance of the fish passes.
After getting back in, it’s not long until you leave the town for the Kent countryside.
Paddle for about 2km until you reach Eldridges Lock (///coast.stands.shower).
This lock has another fish pass, and you can use this in your craft.
All fish passes are graded for paddlers, if you don’t feel comfortable using them you can portage to get back on the water.
Portage at Porter’s Lock (///shut.drove.grin), and paddle under Hartlake Bridge.
From there it was less than a mile to East Lock (///cassettes.perfumed.images).
Otters are known to use the Medway. You’d be very lucky to spot, but you never know!
As you continue meandering along the Medway, there’s two more locks before reaching Yalding – Oak Weir Lock (///playing.curiosity.tint) and Sluice Weir Lock.
After passing Sluice Weir Lock, it is about 3km until you reach the get out point near Elvey’s Canoe hire (ME18 6HG – ///exclusive.peach.actual).
The Boathouse (ME18 6HG – ///snowballs.schematic.fires), in Yalding, is an excellent place to grab some lunch and a drink.
Find out more about the River Medway on PaddlePoints >>
Don’t get sick doing what you love
At spots along the way we spotted blue-green algae in the water.
Be careful, as it can cause eye irritation, dermatitis and joint, and muscle, pain. More seriously, gastroenteritis, and pneumonia.