I was delighted to join Dittons Paddle Boarding Club for a trip in January 2026 to explore the River Brent and Grand Union Canal.  We arrived at Brentford Basin, with some people driving and others coming by public transport. There were 12 of us paddling altogether.

For me it was my first time leaving Suffolk with paddleboard in hand and journeying across London, wheeling it along.  I was excited to try out one of the fantastic paddling routes featured in Anu’s (mysupstories) upcoming new book “Paddle London”.

We met at Brentford Basin, at Grand Union Canal Walk, at 11am to pump our boards and get on the water, aiming for about 11:30am.  Setting off on the 7KM round-trip from Brentford Basin to Hanwell and back. We paddled under bridges with colourful graffitti’ed underneaths, along the Grand Union Canal.

Barges passing by meant we hugged the canal side to give them room, and everyone was very cheery and chatted to us.  It was lovely to see lots of wildlife too and planes overhead.  The sun came out and we all helped each other out on the portages – there were two locks each way.

As we reached Hanwell, we got to the River Brent. We got out here and walked the short way to The Fox pub in Hanwell for a well-deserved break. In our own little area out the back, with fairy lights and cosy blankets, members of the group enjoyed chips, hot drinks, soup and other refreshments. On the recommendation of Anu, I had hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows.

After this we paddled back to the start.  Luckily conditions allowed so that we could detour into the Brentford Project on return.  This is a cool riverside regeneration project, complete with housing and local businesses near the meeting point of the Thames and Brent rivers.  At Brentford End we portaged and paddled along to explore the buildings and cranes in this area.

It was lovely to paddle with a great group of people, explore a new area and I look forward to joining the next paddle!

Blog by Natasha Sones

Natasha Sones’ book “Swimming Wild In South East England” will be released on March 26th 2026 and is available for pre-order now here! Pre-ordering via this link gives you a chance of winning a Red Paddle Co Waterproof Tote Bag, worth £99.95

Anu Aladin’s book “Paddle London” will be released on April 9th 2026 and is available for pre-order now here!