Which kit boat?
On the upper reaches of the Thames, a rower slides gracefully along in his skiff. Meanwhile in Dorset, a dory sets sail with a crew of three, keen to explore Poole Harbour. On the Norfolk Broads, an open boat with a lugsail glides past a refurbished windmill. Near Bath, along the broad Kennett and Avon Canal, a newly-built pram dinghy heads east for a family camping trip.
Nature is much easier to access from the water, and in the UK few of us live more than a few miles away from a river, canal, lake or sheltered stretch of coastline.
Rowing, to many of us, conjures images of muscular men and women racing along in a shell of a boat. But look back to the Edwardian era and you’ll find thousands of folk in rowing skiffs enjoying a day out on the river.
Today we can enjoy this same freedom on a cost-effective craft that can often be rowed, paddled or sailed – or even motored, if you get tired, with an almost silent electric outboard. Unlike most Edwardians, we almost all have cars to carry or tow our
