I spent the day on the River Derwent. This lovely river flows right through the middle of the Derbyshire Dales from Ladybower, through Matlock, down to Belper and onwards to join the Trent. I am proud to say that it is my local river.
Despite the river access issues that plague so many UK rivers I hope that my kids will also be able to find pleasure on it, just as I did floating around on the Cam when I got into canoeing.
One organisation trying to ensure this happens is Paddle Peak. They promote responsible river use in the Derwent Valley through education, participation, and environmental stewardship, and today I joined the Paddle Peak team on one of their river clean ups.
Getting in at Artists Corner in Matlock Bath (also used an an access point for our Big Shakeout canoeing courses) we were a crew of 8 in kayaks, SUPs and open canoes.
Litter picking along the river has its difficulties, steep slippery banks, fast moving currents and carrying the rubbish you collect along the way.
The floods in 2019 deposited much of the agricultural plastic wrap still evident high up, out of reach in the tree branches. The black drapes of plastic create an eerie vibe, a persistent reminder of those once in a decade occurrences that are happening with increasing regularity.
Within our reach there was still lots of rubbish to occupy us; the more you look the more you see.
Some notable gems were a shopping trolley, a spade, a pan, a plastic Kingfisher, wellies, a road cone, lorry tyres, all manner of clothing, lots of plastic and Snappy the born again litter picker. Apparently there is a bed and mattress still waiting further downstream.
Meeting up with a litter picking group from Matlock Bath Primary School the shopping trolley will sure have made an impression on some young minds.
All along we were treated to glimpses of Wagtails and Dippers, but sadly the only Kingfisher we saw was ornamental.
We only covered a short section of the river, but it was rewarding to think we contributed just a little to making their habitat a better place for them to live.