Looking to make the most of the milder conditions, Chris Hughes and I teamed up for a day’s paddling. We had hoped to paddle from Lanerfyl to Meifod on the Afon (River) Banwy, but inspection of the water levels at Llanfair Caereinion suggested that it would have been a bit of a scrape along the bottom. This wouldn’t have been much fun and, given the distance involved (26km), it probably wasn’t realistic with the current lack of daylight.

With ‘Plan B’ already prepared, we headed for Newtown to jump on the River Severn for a shorter paddle down to Abermule. I’d never paddled this stretch before, and Chris hadn’t been on it for a few years, so it was a great opportunity for both of us to explore the river and have a bit of a play in the more interesting water.

It actually turned out to be a very pleasant paddle, with stretches of gently flowing river regularly broken up by sections of grade 2 water – a nice mix of touring with short sections to spice up the day. I’m sure I’ll be back again, but the Banwy remains on my hit list for the near future – maybe next time.