I'm quite excited about this: I'm off to canoe down the Wye tomorrow.
That is, I'm off tomorrow. I think it'll take more than just the one day to actually get from Hay to Chepstow-ish.
Although, in 2007, we planned on two weeks to canoe the Thames from Cricklade to Teddington. There'd been so much rain, and the river was flowing so fast, it only took 8 days. The river authorities put up red boards on the locks in those conditions, and won't open them for motor boats - they have to tie up and wait it out. There are no such restrictions on canoes, though, so we had the whole river to ourselves.
The only slightly worrying bit was Oxford. It's full of weirs, and the river is in a narrow channel between warehouses, and it was going at a hell of a rate. It was a bit like canoeing down one of those theme-park log-flume thingies, only with weirs. Stopping before we bumped into the lock gates in the centre of Oxford was quite interesting...
Apparently, though, the Wye is peaceful and low just now. Weed is more of a problem than ferocious rapids, so we hope to enjoy a peaceful few days of "Wind in the Willows"-style calm and quiet.