Hampton & Molesey on the Surrey / Middlesex boarder near Hampton Court Palace. It is an interesting AquaPaddle as the route takes the AquaPaddlers round an number of islands in the Thames, Platts Eyot and Tagg’s Island.
There is a great community of AquaPaddlers, with the start line just by Hampton Canoe Clubs clubhouse. There is a regular mix of both Paddleboards and Kayaks, with enough space for up to 40 AquaPaddlers.
Parking
There is plenty of free parking on site close by the meeting point. If launching on the Hampton side of the River Thames, then there are a few spaces on Bell Quay. If these are full, then the Bell Pub sometimes allows people to park, but please buy a coffee by way of saying thank you.
Refreshments
Most AquaPaddles there is a Coffee and Tea Van parked in the Hurst Park car park. But it is not always there. There is a public toilet at the entrance to the car park. On the Hampton side of the river there is to Bell Pub and Hampton High Street near by. There are also toilets in pub, please ask beforehand.
The Hampton – Molesey crew come from a diverse set of backgrounds and if you are interested in volunteering to join the crew please contact us through the Discord Comms System or email AquaPaddle. A local AquaPaddle Captain will get in touch to learn more about your experience and what you would like to do.
All paddlers are welcome. The AquaPaddle App always paddlers to choose the Watercraft that are going to paddle when registering for the AquaPaddle. AquaPaddlers, if they have multiple craft types can try out their different types at different AquaPaddlers. It makes it fun and interesting to see which is fastest.
The Route passes a number of historic locations. There is Hampton Church and Garrick’s Temple to Shakespeare. Platts Eyot where Torpedo and Gun boats were built in the two World Wars of last century. There is still an active boatyard there today. Molesey Boat Club where many successful Olympic Rowers have trained.