COME ALONG AND ENJOY THE RIVER !
Sunday 8th September 2024 Running from 10am to 5pm Thames Tidefest is a celebration of the River
Thames. Based at Strand on the Green, Chiswick it’s a day packed
with great activities for all the family with paddleboarding, kayaking,
river dipping, angling competition, seine netting, foreshore artefacts
display, book signing by Lara Maiklem (London Mudlark), and live
fish tanks. Come along and learn more about London’s River.
The London Mudlark, Lara Maiklem, will be at Tidefest this year on Sunday, September 8th signing copies of her new book – A Mudlarking Year: Finding Treasure in Every Season (Bloomsbury, 2024)
“Lara wanders the shores of the River Thames at low tide, searching for lost and forgotten objects that tell tales of the past and bring forgotten Londoners to life.”
Come along to the marquee at Strand on the Green between 12 and 3pm to learn more about the fascinating history of London’s river.
If you’ve never been in a canoe or kayak before this is your chance! If you’ve had a go before and want to try it again, then this is for you too!
We will be running family canoe sessions and adult (age 16+) kayak sessions on the Thames. We provide boats, paddles, buoyancy aids and qualified coaches to guide you as you explore the Thames all for just £5 per boat.
Your session will last around 1 hour and 15 minutes in total: first we will ask you to complete a short form, fit you in a buoyancy aid and boat and brief you on safety and paddling technique. Then you will be out on the water for about 45 minutes. Please do make sure you arrive on time or you will likely lose your slot. Arrive early if you need to change.
• Kayaks are for one person aged 16 or over. Meet times 10:45 or 14:30.
• A family canoe is typically for 2 adults and 1 or 2 children. At least one person must be over 18. The second person should be over 16. Children will be under 16 and old enough to follow instructions. If you are not sure if a canoe is suitable for your group or have any other questions, feel free to contact us on kitofficer@edgepaddling.com. Meet times 12:00 and 13:15
For further deatils and to book CLICK HERE
Whether you’ve paddleboarded before, or are an absolute begginner, Thames Tidefest is a great pleace to get on the water and SUP !
We are offerring two Stand Up Paddleboard experiences this year.
Paddle & Pick Litter Clean Up: The River Thames is on the mend after decades of toxic overflow, neglect and mismanagement. Birdlife and marine life are returning to the river, with regular sightings of seals and even dolphins. However, the sustainability of the Thames is under threat from growing plastic pollution entering the river and threatening birdlife and contaminating marine life.
Join us for a river clean up as part of our first Kew Bridge open day of 2024!
We will start with a lesson for anyone who needs one before heading out around the local islands where we will be stopping along the way to pick litter from the foreshore, trees and the water. For more details and to book CLICK HERE
PADDLE TO THE PUB: We will be paddling out with the last of the Ebb (Low) tide up towards Barnes stopping at the Ship Pub in Mortlake next to the Old Stag Brewery. We will stop for a refreshment break whilst waiting for the tide to turn. We will then glide back with the start of the Flood (High) tide.
This stand up paddleboard session is suitable for beginners and adults of all abilities and ages. The River Thames is a tidal river and so the conditions may not be suitable for participants under the age of 16. Please contact us directly if you would like to book a child onto your session. You will need to be able to swim and be confident in the water. Certain level of flexibility and ability to get up to standing from kneeling is required for learning to paddleboard.
This session will start and finish at our base inside Kew Bridge. For further information and to book CLICK HERE
We are delighted to announce that Tidefest 2024 will take place on Sunday September 8th at Strand on the Green, Chiswick. We are hoping all the usual activities will be on offer but will confirm the programme over the next couple of months.
We look forward to seeing you in September !
For the second year running quality roach rather than bream provided the winning catches in the annual 40 peg contest fished on the tidal Thames at Kew, Chiswick and Barnes.
The winner was Tony Rice with a float caught mixed bag of 14lbs from Barnes netting him a cool £400. The Chiswick zone was won by last years champion Mark Brush with 12lbs of roach including a magnificent specimen of 2.04. The big bream shoals failed to show at Kew resulting in much lower than usual weights although a couple of surprise sea trout were landed.
Zones
Kew A – Martin Smith 6.08
Kew B – Tom Bolton 5.00
Chiswick – C – Mark Brush 12.00
Barnes – D – Tony Rice 14.00
Other activities included kayaking, paddle boarding, river dipping and Seine netting which turned up big numbers of small bass as well flounders and coarse fish.
The match was organised by the Angling Trust and Tidefest is sponsored by Thames Water
For the second year running quality roach rather than bream provided the winning catches in the annual 40 peg contest fished on the tidal Thames at Kew, Chiswick and Barnes.
The winner was Tony Rice with a float caught mixed bag of 14lbs from Barnes netting him a cool £400. The Chiswick zone was won by last years champion Mark Brush with 12lbs of roach including a magnificent specimen of 2.04. The big bream shoals failed to show at Kew resulting in much lower than usual weights although a couple of surprise sea trout were landed.
Zones
Kew A – Martin Smith 6.08
Kew B – Tom Bolton 5.00
Chiswick – C – Mark Brush 12.00
Barnes – D – Tony Rice 14.00
Other activities included kayaking, paddle boarding, river dipping and Seine netting which turned up big numbers of small bass as well flounders and coarse fish.
The match was organised by the Angling Trust and Tidefest is sponsored by Thames Water
As part of Thames Tidefest 2023 on September 17th 2023 we have teamed up with Edge Paddling who are based at Kew Bridge to offer you the chance to try a taster session at an incredibly low price of £5.
If you’ve never been in a canoe or Kayak before this is your chance! If you’ve had a go before and want to try it again, then this is for you too!
Sessions will go on throughout the day from 10.00am till 4.00pm. We will ask you to arrive half an hour early to fit you in a buoyancy aid and brief you. Then you will be out on the water for about 45 minutes.
There will be four kayaks and two family canoes per session. The cost is just £5 per boat. You will be lead by our team of qualified coaches.
· Kayaks are for one person aged 16 or over.
· A family canoe can hold a maximum of two adults together with two small children or one larger child. The canoe MUST contain at least one adult and one other active paddler, that is a second adult or an older child. If you are not sure if a canoe is suitable for your group or have any other questions, feel free to contact us on trips@edgepaddling.com.
Please be aware that coaches have responsibility assess the conditions on the day and make sure the paddlers are able to manage the boat. They have the final say on whether it is safe to take you out. If you fancy a go just book tickets below. If it seems fully booked, do still come by on the day as spaces may become available.
There is something both exhilarating and incredibly peaceful about paddling quietly in a solo kayak or with family and friends in an open canoe on the beautiful River Thames.
As part of Thames Tidefest 2023 on September 17th 2023 we have teamed up with Edge Paddling who are based at Kew Bridge to offer you the chance to try a taster session at an incredibly low price of £5.
If you’ve never been in a canoe or Kayak before this is your chance! If you’ve had a go before and want to try it again, then this is for you too!
Sessions will go on throughout the day from 10.00am till 4.00pm. We will ask you to arrive half an hour early to fit you in a buoyancy aid and brief you. Then you will be out on the water for about 45 minutes.
There will be four kayaks and two family canoes per session. The cost is just £5 per boat. You will be lead by our team of qualified coaches.
· Kayaks are for one person aged 16 or over.
· A family canoe can hold a maximum of two adults together with two small children or one larger child. The canoe MUST contain at least one adult and one other active paddler, that is a second adult or an older child. If you are not sure if a canoe is suitable for your group or have any other questions, feel free to contact us on trips@edgepaddling.com.
Please be aware that coaches have responsibility assess the conditions on the day and make sure the paddlers are able to manage the boat. They have the final say on whether it is safe to take you out. If you fancy a go just book tickets below. If it seems fully booked, do still come by on the day as spaces may become available.
One of the brilliant things about Thames Tidefest is the atmosphere that is generated around Kew Bridge and Strand On The Green during the event. It’s absolutely joyful ! Plus you don’t have to spend a penny to enjoy the event as there are loads of free attractions and stalls.
Find out for yourself some of the amazing creatures that live in the river with our fantastic river dipping sessions run by Thames 21This is always a hugely popular activity is suitable for both adults and families with children. These will be walk up sessions from 11am till 4.00pm. No need to book and boots are supplied. Just come on down and get dipping !
If you don’t fancy grabbing a net yourself then…..The Institute of Fisheries Management (IFM) will be giving demonstrations of seine netting and displays of their catches from the slipway adjacent to Kew Bridge and Strand on the Green from around 11.30am onwards. A small stand with fish tanks and educational material will be in the Thames 21 marquee from 11am to 5pm Come along and find out what is living in the Thames Tideway.
There’s always something happening on the water and Tidefest is a great time to head to the shore and see some of the amazing craft that use the Thames as a highway
Angling Competition Weigh-in from 3.30pmCome and see the amazing range of fish that live in the tidal Thames. 40 top anglers will be competing in this year’s Thames Tidefest Angling Championship. You can watch them catch all sorts of amazing fish. Fishing takes place : Four hours from 9am – 1pm (depending on tide height)
The weigh in is from 1pm and the prize giving at Strand on the Green at 2.30pm
The River Thames contains a living history of human life in the area over the many previous thousand years including the last Ice Age. It acts as self- excavating trench exposing where our ancesters have lived, what they ate and wore, as well as tracing the changes through the prehistoric periods to modern day. Evidence of this can often be seen on the modern foreshore, which is twice a day exposed to view. Come and see some of the range of the finds uncovered with Thames archaeologist, Dr Fiona Haughey. Artefacts dating from the last ice age, through prehistory, the brief Roman period as well as times up to the present period (artefacts of the future!) will be on display. Come and hold a piece of history in your hand!!!
