The Arun Boat Rally began in 1983 and the annual event has been run by The Wey & Arun Canal Trust since 2011.  An event open to all small craft which aims to demonstrate the the Arun is still a navigable waterway, proving that navigation rights still exist on the river.  The aim is to ensure that when the restoration of the Wey & Arun Canal is complete, there will be no legal reason why boats cannot venture from the canal into the Arun.

It was a late afternoon event this year, timed to run with the tide up to Pallingham and then back down again as the tide turned.  The rally date was chosen to ensure the tide was high enough for small craft to navigate this picturesque section of the waterway.

Launching from Pulborough in West Sussex, we paddled past a handful of stunning riverside properties and a few very friendly fisherfolk before quickly finding ourselves surrounded by open fields.  Reaching the confluence of the Rother, our surroundings began to become more and more attractive.  We met with David, a local friend of Clare’s, who’d joined us for the jolly and gave us some top tips for next seasons Dittons Safari’s to Sussex.  More paddlers joined the rally near The White Hart next to the ancient Stopham Bridge.

Past the bridge, the river became increasingly peaceful and switched between wide open stretches and narrower sections.  Now far removed from the villages and roads of Sussex, the landscape changed to rolling green fields for miles in every direction, dotted with ancient-looking trees and occasional smallholdings upon distant hills; the views were truly breathtaking.

As we wound our way along, we chatted to passing kayakers, canoeists, and SUPpers who’d travelled from near and far for the event.  The river gradually became much smaller and wilder, lined with tall reeds and higher banks as we moved further upstream.

A couple of partially blocked areas required some ducking and careful maneuvering.  At some of these pinch points, queues of craft began to form, and many decided to turn back early, but we continued on, determined to make it upstream as far as Pallingham Quay, the furthest point navigable by boats on the Arun.

There were some shallow riffle sections we needed to wade through, and for the final part, we all waded, lifting our tail ends and dragging our boards behind us through the fast flowing current.

Finally abandoning our boards next to a fallen tree, we walked the last few meters through ankle deep water to the official endpoint where we were greeted by event volunteers marking the spot from the bank above us.  They informed us we were the first stand-up paddlers they’d seen so far, and we stopped for a selfie and a short break before whizzing back down the shallow, meandering stream.

We were all more than ready for a cold celebratory beer but were acutely aware that the nearest pub was some distance away!