Congresbury to coast canoe trip on the river Yeo, North Somerset

My first canoe trip video offering post lockdown. As Wales is still off limits here in the UK (therefore putting any multi-day river Wye trips on hold for now) I’ve been paddling my local river here in North Somerset quite a bit lately. From my usual put in spot in the village of Congresbury it’s possible to follow this winding meandering river to where it meets the Bristol Channel, south of Clevedon. It’s doable there and back in a day. Distances given in the film.
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Music: Epidemicsound.com

[@DoubleUThings]

I love the rich symplicity of your videos, man. There is always some sort of peaceful atmosphere in it. Happy greetingz, Wim

[@MrAndyballard]

Cheers Wim, peaceful is where it's at hey? I'd take peace over frantic any day. Greetings to you too (from a v sunny UK) 😀

[@DoubleUThings]

@@MrAndyballard Totally agree, mate. You'll rarely see us in cities!

[@lauriebloggs8391]

Another lovely film......come on summer!

[@MrAndyballard]

cheers Laurie, yes roll on summer

[@napes1974]

Andy thank you for opening up a complete new world for myself and my family. After a mental breakdown I needed to find a hobby to bring some mindfulness into my life and stumbled upon your channel and this film. We live just down the road, drove over it, walked along it but never on it… This film inspired me to take my first steps into canoeing and with my family we bought a second hand 14ft canoe and can now be seen slowly paddling up and down the Yeo at Congresbury. Life like the Yeo is slower and happier. Thank you Andy

[@MrAndyballard]

That's quite a comment, thank you Darren. I'm sorry to hear of your breakdown - the state of the world as it is presently is enough to tip even the strongest person over the edge. I've struggled in the last year or so too. Getting out on the river is a good way to get back in touch with the natural world, which a lot of us have forgotten. Life is just too fast and competitive, the river is the perfect antidote to that I reckon. Once you feel confident, I'd highly recommend the Avon near Bradford on Avon. After the brown and slow Yeo it's (mostly) clear and flowing and mostly empty too once you get past the weir at Avoncliff. There's no real rapids to have to deal with either. You can paddle all the way to Bath and beyond. A couple of Avon paddles on my YT channel here.

[@lauriebloggs8391]

Exactly what "Sailing Exodus" says. Spot on and nice to see another film, thank you.

[@MrAndyballard]

Thanks to you also for watching. Been quite a while since I filmed and edited - just posted a ‘winter warmer’ first film project in eons.

[@lauriebloggs8391]

@@MrAndyballard I need to go find that: your canoeing films are a real lift at the moment!

[@billybud8178]

Very mellow man... liquid medicine 👌

[@MrAndyballard]

medicine indeed 👍

[@5417080154]

Great filming! Really enjoyed 👍💗🌷

[@MrAndyballard]

Excellent, thanks, great that you enjoyed it.

[@Alpacadave66]

fabulous film Andy. really chilled out. living life how it's meant to be. love it.

[@MrAndyballard]

Churs Dave, let's all of us get on the river soon 😀

[@steve2198]

A really lovely video.

[@MrAndyballard]

Thanks Steve, glad you enjoyed it.

[@georgebradford87]

Magnificent film! You've got a great eye and the pace you've edited it to is wonderfully relaxing.

[@MrAndyballard]

NIce one George, very good to get a comment like yours, makes it all worthwhile.

[@LatitudesWildernessFilms]

Another fantastic short film with a golden narration and excellent camera work. These day trip films are so beautiful to watch and your voice is easy to listen to. Really loving your canoeing videos Andy👍

[@MrAndyballard]

Thanks again. It's spring here in the UK officially. I'll be out on the river again soon hopefully. I've just bought a new 35mm prime lens for my mirrorless Canon. I'm looking forward to using it on a future trip and maybe capturing the whole trip on one lens.. that would be a project. Ha.. I'm sometimes a bit self conscious of my own voice (as I guess we all are?) my mate has a pro mic studio set up so I'm indebted to him for recording my voice-overs, he gets such a good result.

[@jawa134]

An excellent film!

[@MrAndyballard]

Thank you, much appreciated.

[@Martin-kq3qw]

Fantastic m8, thanks for the upload 👍

[@MrAndyballard]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for positive comment.

[@stevereed9391]

Brilliant, thanks Andy. Just bought a cheap blowup kayak for starters, maywell try the above, see how I get on 😏will let you know. Regards steve

[@MrAndyballard]

The Yeo does get a bit clogged up with algae and weed from mid July onwards (about now) before they dredge it. From the railway bridge onwards it is almost impassable. Early spring is the best time to paddle it as it's completely free of weed then 👍Got a river Avon trip vid coming up soon.

[@stevereed9391]

@@MrAndyballard great look forward to that, going to Purton, Gloucester this afternoon, try that. Many thanks for replying, I'm in winscombe so it's all kind of local. Reards Steve

[@mandycampbell329]

Beautifully done Andy👏nice shout out under the bridge!😂 Bet you felt great getting back out on the river Freedom!!!

[@MrAndyballard]

Ah there you are! wondering where ya'd got to 😉 it's a v quiet spot once you get out under that motorway bridge. Hoping to do a stretch of the Avon soon with Wol at Bradford-on-Avon.

[@Jake-hn5gn]

what a nice video, giving me more perspective of the river and the place i grew up near (lived in wrington) thanks andy!

[@MrAndyballard]

Nice one Jake, I've lived round these parts for some considerable time, but I've only ever seen some parts of the Yeo before in the last few years since I've been canoeing

[@woodyfromthewest4193]

The slow pace of this video was so welcome. I am just about over the fast pace of the city and the busyness of school. Great film Andy

[@MrAndyballard]

Good on ya Chris, glad you got something from it. I would like to paddle the Blackwood in WA at some point.

[@woodyfromthewest4193]

@@MrAndyballard It is a wonderful part of the world down there that's for sure

[@davehitchins7591]

Just brilliant. I live 5 mins away on Yatton and have never paddled the Yeo. I will put that right in the spring!

[@MrAndyballard]

Good man! cheers. It's your backyard then, be rude not too. Pack a lunch and you can make a full day of it if you go all the way to Kingston Seymour/Wick St Lawrence.

[@WyeExplorer]

Really nice short paddle Andy. Just a warm up for longer paddles that await. It's a lovely little river apart from maybe the weir and highways. I'd swim it amid the ducks. Well, it was great to see you doing what you love. All the best for the week. Mark

[@MrAndyballard]

It was a short paddle Mark - Yes, I'm itching to get across your way to get stuck into the Wye, but sadly Wales is still off limits for an overnighter. I wouldn't fancy my chances strapping a canoe to my roof either and heading off over the Severn bridge... think I'd get nicked pretty swiftly sadly. You too, have a good ‘un.

[@joem2841]

Good stuff babs!

[@MrAndyballard]

Joe! you got as far as the weir I hear? Get yerself underneath the M5 tunnel... it's wild.

[@joem2841]

@@MrAndyballard we had a good go at it, I wasnt in the dinghy mind you 😂

[@Taromovies]

I discovered your channel by searching for information about the Hou 13 which I own now, like the quality of your videos and they’re very relaxing too, also the landscape and the kind of rivers which we don’t have here in the middle of switzerland, thanks for sharing, Taro

[@MrAndyballard]

Ah nice... you own a British made Hou 13, a good choice indeed. I manage to pack quite a lot into such a small boat, it's stable in white water too. I'm not familiar with what rivers you have in Switzerland, some good ones surely?

[@Taromovies]

Andy Ballard yes it’s a great alternative for solo paddle compared to my Wenonah spirit 2, size, weight, the very robust PE material and prize, I’m using it mostly on open water like our large lakes close to Lucerne, but we have not much rivers like you, Switzerland is very small and the shore is full of properties and buildings, looking forward to your next trip! Take care, Taro

[@lynkwhat]

Your channel is amazing! I have no doubt you will blow up very soon in the online world!

[@MrAndyballard]

Thanks Marcus, appreciate your confidence... but YT seems saturated with self obsessed vloggers. People expressing their opinions on everything, the racket is deafening at times. I prefer to document nature 👍

[@lynkwhat]

Andy Ballard while the world is sucked up into their own little vanity bubbles, please persist and believe that your documentaries do/will bring so much more joy and serenity than the videos of egotistical sociopaths🤣 your audience will find you and I have a nack of finding the biggest KZbin channels when they’re In the low thousands in subs. Like I said I have no doubt for yours buddy! Best of luck with everything, I’ll be staying tuned👍🏾

[@madhaggis1]

Very nice Andy

[@MrAndyballard]

Haven't seen you round these parts lately Madhaggis, nice one, cheers.

[@simontemplar6898]

I have just found your channel. It is ridiculously difficult to find English channels on yt. Lovely video. Thank you.

[@MrAndyballard]

Great stuff, glad you enjoyed it. I agree completely, YT is so vlog orientated. There's loads more nature & river/canoe films on my channel if you care to poke around 😉

[@martinoutdoors6941]

Lovely as always Andy, if you ever fancy an excursion I can recommend the Little Ouse. I’d love to see your video on that river.

[@MrAndyballard]

Cheers Martin, yes I could do with some jaunts further afield. The Wye in Wales is still off limits, so I'm looking around. I have the Avon nearby in Wiltshire/Somerset too which is a beautiful river. Little Ouse is in Norfolk/Suffolk yes?

[@martinoutdoors6941]

Andy Ballard yes it’s a beautiful little river

[@8Dbaybled8D]

Andy, this year I will make several trips towards the Bristol Channel thanks to your videos. They are an oasis of peace in an accelerating world. Would you happen to have twitter to follow as I'd love to keep up with your works

[@MrAndyballard]

That's great to hear, the Yeo's not a ‘show-off’ piece of water but it's tranquil and free from crowds. Don't leave it too late, as it does tend to get very weeded up from mid July onwards. I do YT & IG, that's about it for social media I'm afraid.

[@bengriffiths442]

Thanks for a wonderful video. I came back from running out here today and decided to google and see if anyone canoed along here. Great to see that it's done although it did seem very weedy today. Not sure if that makes it impassable or just less fun! I've also been scouting out the river Kenn which flows very close to my house. It also seems passable with the exception of the occasional weir. I think I could make it from my house to Clevedon. Now just the small matter of not owning a canoe! Out of interest where did you enter the river at Congresbury? It looked like there was something setup?

[@MrAndyballard]

Cheers Ben, weedy is the word... I cross the A370 bridge at Congresbury a lot and have looked on in dismay at how weedy the river has become. It's the same every summer, it starts in July usually. They dredge it about now I think. It does make it very difficult to paddle (both kayak & canoe) it's like paddling through thick soup - I wouldn't recommend it. Wait until it's dredged.

[@benscoins4353]

Hello Andy I also live round the corner I was wondering if once at the sluice gate is it possible to launch back in from the other side and continue into the river Severn water level depending of course

[@MrAndyballard]

Hi Ben, you mean the sluice at the end of the Yeo? blimey you're game! yes it would be possible. You could get your boat out on river left at the sluice then up and over the gravel track and launch immediately into the tidal creek which would take ya into the Severn/Bristol Channel. You'd have to be sure of the tide times though (and you'd want a really high one too maybe a spring tide). Have you got a sea kayak then? cuz you wouldn't want to end up in the Bristol Channel in a Canadian canoe, I'd tell you that!!

[@benscoins4353]

@@MrAndyballard thanks very much for your advice Andy yes definitely wouldn’t want to be to far out in case I get it some trouble Maybe abit of coast hugging paddle on a calm day My kayak would be ok as long as the conditions arnt to crazy it can be a dangerous stretch of water

[@handmadepottery2135]

How fabulous!! Probably a daft questions but can you paddle on most rivers, canals and Lakes without permission in the UK?

[@MrAndyballard]

I've never been asked, but then again... as 97% of rivers, lakes, streams, canals in the UK are off limits to paddlers, swimmers, skinny dippers etc etc then anything is possible. It wouldn't surprise me if every living being needs to complete a risk assessment every time they want to leave their own house shortly. Rant aside, on some canals you're meant to have one i believe. But on rivers, no, no need.

[@handmadepottery2135]

@@MrAndyballard Red tapes taking over, I will just do it with respect Thanks for your reply. Rant most understood.

[@hollylaw7926]

Thank you so much for this. Just followed the river on a map and wasn't sure about bloackages. This will now be our maiden voyage in our pre loved inflatable kayak! (We live in Weston). Have you paddled in the opposite direction?

[@MrAndyballard]

For some weird reason I'm not getting YT notifications anymore.. oh well. Opposite from Congresbury I guess you mean? It only goes up to the weir which is less than half a mile I'd say. You could get over the weir but the river is very narrow and shallow with many overhanging trees and obstacles. Heading west is def the way to go. Although now in Aug it does tend to get a bit clogged with weed before they dredge it again. Hope this helps. The R Avon from Bradford on Avon is lovely - I've just posted a trip vid - def give that one a go.

[@a.h7761]

Hi there, do you need any permission to go kayaking in Congresbury river yeo?

[@MrAndyballard]

Permission? like from who?

[@robertgordon5150]

Lovely stuff. Is this a waterway that is free to be paddled or is it an assumed right of navigation?

[@MrAndyballard]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Good question... it's def not a canal, but a river. There's a SUP hire co. that operate where I put in, I've always paddled it without any issues.

[@robertgordon5150]

Andy Ballard. Thanks for the response Andy. I’m always seeking new places to paddle within around 2 hours 30 from my place. Might check this out. Watched this via your link on SoTP by the way. Cheers again.

[@MrAndyballard]

@@robertgordon5150 No worries, if you're thinking of paddling the Yeo, don't do it after about mid July... as it gets really clogged up with duck weed & algae (in places impassable)

[@robertgordon5150]

Andy Ballard. Ah, ok. Good to know. Could have saved me a wasted journey.