RIVER
MEDWAY - ACCESS DETAILS
Updated
November 2003
Introduction
This
document is a report detailing the navigational sections of
the River Medway from a canoeing perspective. It is divided
into the following sections:
These
details are only intended as an access guide to canoeing on
the River Medway, and are based on personal experience and local
knowledge. They assume normal river conditions and water levels,
and that you are a competent paddler observing normal BCU guidelines
for safe paddling. Paddlers should use their own judgement and
common sense, take notice of any signs or restrictions in force
on the day of their paddle, particularly with regard to car
parking, and obey any instructions given by Environment Agency
staff or other officials.
Whilst
the information in this document is correct to the best of my
knowledge, I cannot accept any responsibility for any incidents
or inconvenience caused by any ommissions or errors. That said,
please let me know if you find anything that you don't agree
with, or something else you think should be added.
General
Overview
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Canoeing
is permitted on the River Medway along the navigable stretch
of the river, which runs from the footbridge immediately below
Leigh Sluice near Tonbridge, to the limit of non tidal waters
at Allington Lock near Maidstone. The
water is all placid and suitable for all types of boat. Water
quality is generally good and relatively clean. There
are nine locks along the river. Further details of these can
be seen in the detail section of this report. All locks can
be portaged in either direction using the landing stages provided.
There is no right of access to the Medway above the Leigh Sluice,
and canoeing is not permitted. Please do not be tempted to paddle
this section of the river, as it will jeopardise future agreements
if paddlers cause trouble with the landowners and fishing clubs
by carrying out 'bandit runs'. Below Allington Sluice the river
is tidal and canoeists therefore have full access. This part
of the river is not covered by this document. If you are intending
to paddle this section I would recommend that you consult your
tide tables carefully, as access to and from the river is extremely
muddy at anything other than high tide. Access
to the non tidal River Medway requires an Environment Agency
licence, unless you are a BCU member, in which case it is covered
by your BCU membership. It is technically possible (but very
unusual) that you may be asked to show your BCU yellow boat
sticker or EA river licence to an EA official.
If
you are not a BCU member, a river licence can be obtained by
contacting the Environment Agency at:
The
Environment Agency
Waterways Department
Orchard House
Endeavour Park
London Road
Addington
Kent
ME19 55SH
Tel: 01732 223222
There
is towpath access along the whole river. Some sections are overgrown
and really only passable on foot, particularly the section between
East and Sluice Weir locks.
There
are no access disputes on the river. We generally have a good
rapport with the local fishing clubs and other river users.
Please report any incidents that take place to the Access Officer
so that these can be followed up.
Distance
Guide
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The
full length of the non tidal navigable section is about 19 miles
long. This is broken down as follows:
- Leigh
Sluice to Tonbridge Town Lock 1.5 miles
- Town
Lock To Eldridges Lock 1.25 miles
- Eldridges
Lock to Porters Lock 1.0 miles
- Porters
Lock to East Lock 1.25 miles
- East
Lock to Oak Weir Lock 0.75 miles
- Oak
Weir Lock to Sluice Weir Lock 1.25 miles
- Sluice
Weir Lock to Hampstead Lock (Yalding) 2.25 miles
- Hampstead
Lock to Teston Lock 3.0 miles
- Teston
Lock to East Farleigh Lock 2.0 miles
- East
Farleigh Lock to Allington Lock 4.5 miles
There
is vehicle access to the river at the following points. Distances
shown are from the top of the navigation (see below for parking
details):
- Tonbridge
Town Centre 1.5 miles
- Cannon
Lane, Tonbridge 1.75 miles
- Hartlake
Bridge, Golden Green 3.75 miles
- Branbridges,
East Peckham 7 miles
- Yalding
Weir 9.25 miles
- Yalding
Lock 9.75 miles
- Wateringbury
Bridge 11.25 miles
- Teston
Picnic Site / Lock 12.5 miles
- East
Farleigh Bridge Lock 14.5 miles
- Maidstone
Town Centre 17 miles
- Allington
(Malta Inn) 19 miles
Details
of River, Locks, Portages and Weirs
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These
details assume you are paddling in a downstream direction. If
you are with a larger boat using the locks, they will all take
boats up to 80ft long and 18.5ft wide. You will need a standard
square shape lock key to operate the lock gate sluices.
UPDATE: Please note that during 2006/2007 the EA carried out a significant amount of work on the landing stages at many of the locks and access for canoeists is now much better than the following descriptions suggest.
Leigh
Sluice to Tonbridge Town Lock
This section is generally sheltered, and starts with a long
1,700m straight and then divides in to two around Tonbridge
sportsground just after a railway bridge. Either the left or
right fork will bring you back to where the two sections join
again in Tonbridge Town Centre. Town Lock is 300m below the
main bridge at Tonbridge. It consists of a lock, automatic radial
sluice and long step weir. Normal portage is over the wooden landing stages on river right. It is then necessary to carry your boat across the lock gates to gain access to the newly constructed (2004) landing stage on the downstream side which is on the opposite side of the lock. This new landing stage is very high out of the water at normal water levels. The ‘high’ side is virtually unusable by canoeists except the very tall and agile! The ‘low’ section on the reverse side was designed with canoeists in mind and is better. Care is required at this landing stage, as the only place to exit the river in the event of a capsize is to swim across the river in front of the sluice channel to reach the mudbank opposite, which will be almost impossible if the sluice is running. There is no white water at Town Lock. The majority of the flow bypasses this lock completely via Bewley's Weir in the town centre and joins the river again downstream via the 'Muck stream'.
Tonbridge
Town Lock to Eldridges Lock
This
section moves in to open farmland and there is little shelter
from wind and/or weather. Once you have passed Cannon Bridge
about 300m below the lock at Tonbridge, there is little other
civilisation along the river for quite a few miles. This
section has varying water levels in the winter season. Please
see section below. Eldridges
Lock consists of a lock and a set of manaully operated paddle
sluices and a small bypass weir. Portage is on river left. Ignore
the landing stage on the upstream side, it is ridiculously high.
Instead, get out on the concrete lock approach and get in on
the downstream side on the wooden landing stage. There
can be quite a strong current under the downstream landing stage
if the river is flowing. This will push your boat away from
you if you put it in the water from the high side of the landing stage. Caution is required.
Eldridges
Lock to Porters Lock
This
is a short, fairly unremarkable section, but is more sheltered
than the previous one. There are no bridges, road access or
habitation. Porters
Lock is reached via a 200m lock cut on the left hand side of
the automatic radial sluice. As
with the previous lock, best advice is to ignore the upstream
landing stage and get out on the concrete lock approach on river
left, then get in on the wooden landing stage below the lock.
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Porters
Lock to East Lock
This
section starts off very sheltered, but then opens out after
the road access point at Hartlake Bridge. Above the bridge the
river silts up badly, and you are best advised keeping to the
middle of the channel. In
approaching East Lock you will see an automatic sluice and by
pass weir on river left, and the lock straight ahead. The upstream
landing stage here is usable, but the shorter portage is to
again get out on the concrete lock approach and get back in
on the downtream wooden landing stage, which is long and easy
at this lock.
East
Lock to Oak Weir Lock
This
is the shortest section on the river at only 0.75 miles. There
is one bridge on this section at about the halfway point which
is quite narrow and can generate some interesting boils and
eddies in high flow. The river continues around some tight bends
until it reaches Oak Weir Lock, which consists of an automatic
radial sluice on the left, lock on the right, and bypass weir
in the middle. There
is no real landing stage to use at the upstream point at Oak
Weir Lock. The best place to get out is on the concrete lock
approach on the left hand side of the lock, or on the metal
gabion baskets on the right (watch the sharp edges on the metal
baskets). The downstream landing stage is good, with a double
sided section at the end for canoeists. However, the steps down
to the landing stage are very steep (almost vertical) so be
careful here.
Oak
Weir Lock to Sluice Weir Lock
This
is a longer section, and is fairly sheltered, although still
remote. There is little sign of civilisation except for a couple
of small bridges. This part of the river tends to silt up, so
you are best advised to avoid the inside corners of the tight
bends. As
you approack Sluice Weir lock you will see the lock on the left,
radial sluice in the middle, and a bypass weir with a canoe
pass* and a fish pass on the right. This lock has the largest
drop in water level on the river. The
canoe pass was built by the EA in the mid 1990's and is usable
for plastic and general purpose boats. It is more of a 45 degree
concrete slide than a shoot, but it saves portaging if you are
going downstream. Best
portage route is to get out on the left hand concrete lock approach
and get in from the wooden landing stage below the lock which
is on the same side.
* please note that the canoe pass is currently out of action awaiting repair work. It is unlikely to reopen until Sping 2008 at the earliest.
Sluice
Weir Lock to Yalding (Hampstead) Lock
After
Sluice Weir Lock the river continues around some tight bends
before reaching civilisation at East Peckham, where it passes
through a small industrial area and under a new dual carriageway
bridge. About 0.5 miles past this you will pass through the
old Stoneham Lock which is no longer used. About
0.5 miles further on you will start to see buildings and a boatyard
as you approach Yalding. When you reach Yalding Weir you will
see two radial sluices and a bypass weir directly in front of
you. If you want to go down in to the weirpool, you can either
portage on the right in to the side stream, or slide down the
bypass weir if water levels (and headroom) are sufficient. If
you want to portage the lock, turn left past the front of the
Anchor pub along the lock cut, pass under the very low lifting
bridge, and carry on about another 400m to the lock. Portage
the lock on the left and get in again below on the T-shaped
landing stage or the slipway below.
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Yalding
Lock to Teston Lock
If
you have portaged the lock, continue down the lock cut past
the moored boats until you rejoin the main river. Go to *.
If
you have portaged the weir, you will find yourself in the weirpool
which is a popular canoeist's playspot when the river is flowing.
The sluices here are automatic and irritatingly unpredictable.
You may sit for hours waiting for them to open, with no joy,
and then find that just as you are getting changed into your
dry clothes they open up really nicely! Normally the left hand
sluice is the one which will open (looking at them from the
weirpool). Both sluices have anti-scour sills in them and can
produce some reasonable stoppers. The
stream that joins the river in the weirpool is the River Teise.
It is paddleable for a mile or so, but there is technically
no right of navigation, so please obey signs and don't upset
the locals. As
you paddle from the weirpool under Twyford Bridge you pass Marlin
Canoe Club (site for Yalding slaloms) on your left and carry
on downstream. A little further down is a sidestream on the
left which is the River Beult, which again is paddleable for
a mile or so but we have no right of navigation. Otherwise carry
on downstream to another boatyard at the junction of the river
and the lock cut.
*
From the end of the lock cut the river now widens out and proceeds
along an unremarkable stretch of river on to Wateringbury, where
there is a bridge and railway station and a couple more boatyards
with a lot of moored boats, particularly on the downstream side.
Once you are past the moored boats, it is about another 0.75
miles to Teston Lock, which is visible from a distance due to
the overhead gantry on the curtain sluice which sits in between
the lock and a long sloping weir. The
best portage is on the left, out on the concrete lock approach
(watch out, it can be shallow) and in again on the very large
wooden landing stage. If
you are in a plastic type boat, you may prefer to shoot the
sloping weir (check it out first). Teston
picnic site is on the left of Teston Lock, the car park (with
height barrier) and toilets being about 300m away across a field.
This is a popular tourist spot in summer.
Teston
Lock to East Farleigh Lock
This
is a fairly long straight section through a relatively deep
river valley. Immediately after Teston Lock is Teston Bridge,
then after that about a mile to a new footbridge at Barming
Bridge (this may be marked as a road bridge on your map, but
it isn't any more). The
river continues on towards East Farleigh, passing some houses
and more boatyards as you approach East Farleigh Bridge, which
is just before the Lock on the left and the weirs on the right.
The sluices at Farleigh are old automatic curtain sluices and
are not shootable. The best portage is to get out on river left
and walk past the lock and about 75m down the towpath to get
in on the T-shaped wooden landing stage. Be careful of Giant
Hogweed here (see later hazard notes). It is possible to get
in off the rocks immediately below the lock, but it can be choppy
here if the weirs are open.
East
Farleigh Lock to Allington Lock
At
4.5 miles, this is the longest stretch on the river. After a
mile or so in countryside you will approach the outskirts of
Maidstone and a boatyard at Tovil Bridge. After that you are
really paddling through the town all the way to Allington. At
Maidstone Town Centre there is a new high level footbridge and
then two road bridges close together. Between these two bridges
there are some public toilets right next to the river. Moving
on downstream, pass under the high level railway bridge and
Maidstone Canoe Club on your left, and you then have about 1.5
miles, mainly past moored boats, down to Allington Lock. Just
before Allington Lock you pass a couple of boatyards and Allington
Castle on the left. There is also the Malta Inn on the right,
which overlooks the river and is friendly to canoeists parking
there provided you actually spend some money in the pub and
don't expose yourself whilst getting changed in the car park!
See later comments on parking. Allington
Lock itself consists of a lock on the left and two large curtain
sluices on the right. Below this lock the river is tidal. There
is a lock keeper at this lock and an EA office, so make sure
you have a licence if you are paddling down on to the tideway.
Parking
and Access Points
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There
is vehicle access to the river at the following points:
Tonbridge
Town Centre
The best place to park is in the pay and display car park
(free on Sundays) next to Tonbridge Swimming Pool, which is
signposted from the High Street. There is a 6ft 3inch height
barrier on this car park, although there is a section outside
the barrier which tends to fill up first. A key to the height
barrier can be obtained by organised parties with prior arrangement
from Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council on 01732 876272.
There is a slipway at the river end of the car park. There
are numerous other town centre car parks in Tonbridge which
are all a short walk away from the river. Most of them have
height barriers.
Cannon
Lane, Tonbridge
Cannon
Lane is in an industrial area. There are no designated car parks,
although at the weekend the place is fairly quiet and you can
park pretty much where you like only a couple of hundred yards
from the river. B&Q have a car park about 100yds from the
river too. Get on and off the river under Cannon Lane Bridge
itself.
Hartlake
Bridge, Golden Green
Hartlake
Bridge is in the middle of nowhere and you will need a map to
find it. There are three or four car spaces in a lay by next
to the bridge, but they tend to get filled up by angler's vehicles
during the fishing season (mid June to mid March). The lanes
are narrow and difficult to park in otherwise. Please do not
park in the field gateway entrances. Access
to the river is off the towpath under the bridge, accessed by
a footpath from the Northern side.
Branbridges,
East Peckham
At
Branbridges there is a small industrial area, and it is normally
possible to find somewhere to park at the weekends, although
there is no official public car park.. Access to the river is
via the towpath.
Yalding
Weir & Yalding Lock
There
is plenty of parking at Yalding where the road runs alongside
the lock cut between the lock and the weir (a distance of about
600m). You can either get in next to the road (quite a high
concrete bank) or walk down to the lock or weirpool and get
in there. There
is a slipway adjacent to the downstream end of the lock, which
is accessed via a gate which is kept locked by the EA. Please
do not park in front of the gates as the slipway is used by
boat owners to get their cruisers in and out of the river.
Wateringbury
Bridge
There
is no official parking at Wateringbury bridge, but at weekends
you can normally park in the railway station car park without
any problem. During the week you will need to find a suitable
place on the roads to park.
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Teston
Picnic Site / Lock
There
is a car park and public toilets at the picnic site (a small
voluntary charge is requested to cover maintenance). It is a
300m walk across the mown field to the lock, where you can use
the landing stages as mentioned above. Please do not make inconsiderate
use of the toilets. We have had complaints before about canoeists
using them as changing facilities..... There
is a height barrier on the entrance to the car park, which as
I recall is set at about 6ft 6inches.
East
Farleigh Bridge & Lock
East
Farleigh is another place where there is no official parking
but you can use the railway station car park with no hassle
(normally) at the weekends. Although this car park is next to
the river, you can't get access directly. You need to walk out
of the car park, straight across the road along a track, then
turn left just before you get to the static caravan site. A
public footpath gate then leads to the river at the upstream
side of the lock.
Maidstone
Town Centre
Maidstone
Town Centre is full of car parks, many without height barriers.
You can find you own parking space here at the weekends. During
the week it might not be so easy. Parking
at Maidstone Canoe Club is now restricted to those knowing the
code to the car park barrier which has been installed by the
adjacent fitness club. Be warned...you can get in the car park,
but you won't be able to get back out unless you know the code!
Allington
(Malta Inn)
Again,
there is no official parking at the Malta Inn. They have a large
car park but that has to serve the large Berni Inn restaurant
plus the Travelodge, and it gets very full, particularly on
summer weekends. The
Malta Inn allows us to start one of our annual races from its
premises on a goodwill basis. Please do not offend them by abusing
their car parking facilities. A phone call to ask permission
is courteous if you want to take / collect a group of paddlers
there, and you will be expected to spend some money in the pub
/ restaurant, which shouldn't be too difficult! Access
to the river is via a low concrete landing stage on the left
of the pub building as you face towards the river. This is also
shared by a river trip boat which pays for the privilege, so
you might have to give him priority.
Seasonal
Water Level Information
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In
summer the Medway generally has very little flow, and the weirs
are all safe. In autumn / winter / spring, flow levels vary
dramatically depending on recent rainfall in the last 72 hours,
phone the Access Officer to check if you are unsure. I can normally
tell you what the flow is currently like, but please remember
I am not a weather forecaster, so I can't tell you what it will
be like next week / month etc.
The
section between Tonbridge Town Lock and Eldridges Lock is drained
by the EA in winter to assist with flood prevention as Eldridges
Lock is the only one on the river without an automatic sluice.
This section is usually still paddleable in plastic boats when
lowered, but you will need to take care, as it can be very shallow.
When the level is low they pin open the lock gates at Eldridges
Lock, which if the level below the lock is also low, creates
an inverted V-shaped stopper which is quite grippy. Take care
here. There is nowhere to get out without scaling the steep
muddy banks when the level is low, so it is a very unpleasant
portage.
I
wish I could give dates when the level will be lowered, but
it is dependent on flow levels. Once we have had a decent bit
of rain it will normally stay down all winter until about March.
However, if you are running a major trip or event, the EA are
quite cooperative about filling the river up again for a week
or two provided the flood risk is low.
All
of the upper sections of the river between Leigh Sluice and
Yalding are subject to level lowering in spring (normally February
& March) for routine maintenance / inspection. The EA do
let us know the dates for each section. Phone the access officer
for details.
When
the levels are low in each of these sections the automatic radial
sluices are pinned open and are extremely dangerous. They
have anti-scour teeth in the sluice channel which makes a very
large and violent recirculating stopper, which it is virtually
impossible to swim out of. Canoeists have died on the Medway
attempting to shoot these weirs in these conditions. Do
not attempt it under any circumstances.
Other
Hazards
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Leigh
Flood Barrier - Do not attempt to shoot the central sluice
at the Leigh Flood Barrier, it also has anti scour teeth creating
a powerful stopper.
Giant
Hogweed - The banks of the Medway are quite badly infected
with Giant Hogweed, an invasive plant species which causes a
light sensitive blistering of the skin if you touch the spiny
stems or sap. This is particularly noticeable in the sections
below Yalding, and is very bad downstream of Teston, to the
point where you will have to be careful where you get out of
the river after a capsize. Giant Hogweed is a very large plant
with broad leaves and large white flower heads. It is easily
identifiable. I would suggest you familiarise youself with this
plant if you are paddling this section.
Weil's
disease - there have been occasional cases in the past.
Normal BCU warnings and guidelines apply.
Pinned
Open Radial Sluices - see warning message above in previous
section.
Anglers
- The river is still subject to a close season, and the fishing
season therefore runs from 15th June to the 15th March. Fishing
is not permitted from boats, locks, lock landing stages or bridges,
although that is often not very well enforced. Please give anglers
a wide berth wherever possible and avoid getting into confrontational
situations which do neither sport any credit.
Contacts
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Access
Officer
Clive Neale
9
Handel Walk
Tonbridge
Kent
TN10
4DG
Tel:
01732 361759
Tonbridge
Canoe Club:
Clive Neale as above.
Mainly a racing and touring club with clubhouse facilities at Tonbridge opposite the swimming pool.
Marlin
Canoe Club:
Vince Lamph
Flat
4
36
Manor Road
Beckenham
Kent
BR3
5LE
Tel:
020 8650 0197 or 01622 817579
A
slalom club, based in Beckenham but with a small clubhouse at
Yalding Weir from which they run several slaloms each year.
Yalding
Paddlers:
Mr Keith Barker
Tel:
0774 030 9956 (mobile)
A
group of playboat paddlers who meet to paddle at Yalding Weir.
Maidstone
Canoe Club:
Mr Paul Newman
20
The Rise
Hempstead
Gillingham
ME7
3SS
Tel:
01634 232874
A
mixed club with some racers, sea tourers and plastic boat paddlers,
with clubhouse facilties near Maidstone Town Centre.
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