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Great Big PaddleIntroduction15.06.09 - Dave Cornthwaite's Big Paddle Adventure 
Dave Cornthwaite Kayaking ©DaveCornthwaite Travel writer Dave Cornthwaite's Great Big Paddle project has gained momentum since he left London and arrived in Wiltshire in January. Big city life now far behind, Dave now trains daily on the Kennet & Avon canal, commuting to work by paddle in preparation for a series of journeys which he hopes will change more lives than just his own. Later this year Cornthwaite will head Down Under to paddle a kayak along Australia's longest river, The Murray. This 1,476 mile trip will be followed in 2010 when Dave tries his hand at a new discipline, Stand Up Paddling. Balancing on a large surfboard designed with extra stability, Dave will use an extra long paddle to propel himself from Bradford-on-Avon, along the Kennet & Avon and the Thames, before crossing the Channel and making his way through Europe towards Africa. If he reaches his destination the journey will establish a new World Record in the emerging sport. The final expedition in this paddle odyssey will be along the Amazon River in a Canoe, concluding a project that will see one man's poor arms paddling over 8000 miles in little more than two years. Living off a taste for adventure, which saw Cornthwaite enter the Guinness Book of Records for the longest distance ever skated when he pushed his board across Australia, he sees his new challenge as more than just a personal venture. "My love for keeping fit and travelling has always gone hand in hand," he says, "I'm not the kind of guy who can just go to the gym and run on the spot for half an hour, so I've always engineered pastimes that are enjoyable and open my eyes, as well as keeping me healthy. My hope is that The Great Big Paddle will encourage people of all ages, shapes and sizes to experience and embrace the outdoors and get fit while doing so. "You wouldn't double-take if you passed me on the street, so I'd hope that these big adventures highlight that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things. And if extraordinary isn't your thing, then perhaps if one person can paddle the Amazon, another can take a canoe out for a couple of hours every weekend and go to work on Monday with a smile on your face. We just have to do what we enjoy" Jenny Sinclair, from The Family Adventure Store in Hilperton, with whom The Great Big Paddle has teamed up to improve local access to paddle sports, added, "We're fully supportive of Dave's positive attitude and have no doubt that he'll reach his three destinations, whatever the weather. We'll also do our utmost to make kayaking and canoeing as affordable and easy as possible to the local community." A free-to-all Open Day on Saturday 4th July at Hilperton Marsh Farm will give adults and children the chance to try out kayaking and canoeing on the Kennet & Avon, as part of an ongoing partnership between The Family Adventure Store and The Great Big Paddle. "It's going to be a great day," Cornthwaite said, "We want to match miles to people, so if I can paddle 8000 miles in the next two years, that's how many people we want to experience a canoe, kayak or StandUp board in the same period of time. Come along!" Follow Dave's paddling exploits online at www.thegreatbigpaddle.com Please click on the link below to read about Dave's daily commute to work with a difference: |
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