Outdoor Adventures with Ancient Brit
Canoe articles - Tagus 2003 - Day 5: May 6th
Tuesday 6th May
I left at 7.40am to try and make the most of the stiller conditions in the morning, but
an hour later the breeze had become a strong wind for the stretch down to Constancia.
The waves seemed to tower above the canoe at times and the smoke from the factory
Chimney at Constancia was blowing out horizontally. There was a small flow of water
otherwise progress would have been very difficult into the wind.
At Constancia the Rio Zezere joins the Tagus.
Below Constancia the water deepens and the flow no longer helps progress of the
canoeist. I soon reached the impressive Almorel Castle, which is on an island in the
middle of the river and later stopped for lunch after 4 hours of hard paddling. By now the
conditions had improved a little. The wind may have dropped a little and the river had
veered almost to the south so that the banks gave some shelter.
I was entertained by a Hobby, a small falcon, which looks more like a giant swift,
swooping around in its hunt for insects.
The wind was now almost behind me and paddling was much easier. I didn’t need to
paddle much to power the canoe, but I had to concentrate on keeping the stern towards
the wind. Canoes tend to turn so they are side on to the wind, which can be dangerous
with the wind and waves. Approaching Chamusca dredgers were working from both sides
of the river (connected to the banks by their floating pipes) so I was forced into the
middle, where the waves were at their worst, especially over the shallows where the flow
was at right angles to the wind.
I camped on a brush-covered sandbank, which must have been covered in water in time
of flood, but not at normal high water (I hoped!)
I left at 7.40am to try and make the most of the stiller conditions in the morning, but
an hour later the breeze had become a strong wind for the stretch down to Constancia.
The waves seemed to tower above the canoe at times and the smoke from the factory
Chimney at Constancia was blowing out horizontally. There was a small flow of water
otherwise progress would have been very difficult into the wind.
At Constancia the Rio Zezere joins the Tagus.
Below Constancia the water deepens and the flow no longer helps progress of the
canoeist. I soon reached the impressive Almorel Castle, which is on an island in the
middle of the river and later stopped for lunch after 4 hours of hard paddling. By now the
conditions had improved a little. The wind may have dropped a little and the river had
veered almost to the south so that the banks gave some shelter.
I was entertained by a Hobby, a small falcon, which looks more like a giant swift,
swooping around in its hunt for insects.
The wind was now almost behind me and paddling was much easier. I didn’t need to
paddle much to power the canoe, but I had to concentrate on keeping the stern towards
the wind. Canoes tend to turn so they are side on to the wind, which can be dangerous
with the wind and waves. Approaching Chamusca dredgers were working from both sides
of the river (connected to the banks by their floating pipes) so I was forced into the
middle, where the waves were at their worst, especially over the shallows where the flow
was at right angles to the wind.
I camped on a brush-covered sandbank, which must have been covered in water in time
of flood, but not at normal high water (I hoped!)
Almorel Castle
Walking on sandy
riverbed!!
riverbed!!
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