A chat with… Mike Hayward

Interview: Peter Tranter

Photos: Mike Hayward,
Chris Walker,
George Novak,
Angela Sture &
Sten Sture

Mike Hayward

https://mikehayward.ampbk.com

A chat with… Mike Hayward

Earlier this year, Mike’s book publishers contacted us to find out if we wanted to interview Mike in connection with his latest project titled, ‘Just Around the Next Corner: Adventures with Kayaks’. We also noticed that Mike had been awarded British Canoeing’s ‘Outstanding Contribution Award’, in recognition for his work with Lakeland Canoe Club. What more could we ask for? Take it away Mike…

What motivated you to start paddling?
I lived near the Forest of Dean when I grew up and spent much time outdoors. Paddling is a natural connection, so I jumped at the chance to have a go while on holiday in Snowdonia. I didn’t start paddling more regularly until I was at college. It was only on a lake in a forest, and I recall going in not very straight lines.

Where’s your local paddling spot?
No particular favourite spot; the Cumbrian and Pennine rivers are all local to me.

What kayak and equipment are you using?
Currently, paddle a medium Dagger Mamba or Medium Code, depending upon which river we are paddling or the water level. I use Mitchell Blades. My sea kayak is plastic Valley Etain, just reliable and conformable – no need to worry about crunching a composite boat on rocks. I still paddle ‘Sherman’, an old black Coleman canoe I won in a photography competition.  

Kayaking, sea kayaking or canoeing, which gives the most satisfaction?
A mix is excellent. River kayaking for excitement. Open boating for longer river trips, usually abroad, Canada but in recent years, Scandinavia and sea kayaking with wild camping for feeling free. I still want to seek out rivers not in the ‘guidebooks’ though these days they are not necessarily as hard as they once were.

What motivated you to write your book, ‘Just Around the Next Corner: Adventures with Kayaks’?
I have always taken many photos on trips and made notes about what happened. I wanted to share some of the incredible places I have paddled, which may inspire others to explore. Having all this sitting around seems a pity, so I started bringing it together in the 1990s. Work and other adventures didn’t allow me time to make progress, and it was tricky using the technology available at the time to put it together in a timely manner. So the book project was on pause. When Covid came along, time was available, and the technology was better, so completion became attainable.

And we understand this is not your first book.
When I moved to Cumbria in the 1980s, Barry Howell wrote a small purple guidebook; it included only 11 rivers. I thought there must be more, so I went looking. In 1988 I published ‘Rivers of Cumbria’ which contain info on 19 rivers and notes on another 10. Then in 1992, I added four more rivers in north Lancashire.

You take some cracking photos. Do you use any specialised kit?
I have always found that the guys I paddle with are keen to enjoy paddling the rivers. No one wants to stop to set up photo opportunities.

I used Fuji HDM as it has a large screen, so it was less likely to get drops on the front of the lens. In the early days, we were using film or 35mm slide film, so you could shoot a roll of 36, wait weeks for it to be developed, and still get little reward. I learnt what makes a balanced photo and got good at anticipating when a good shot might arise, and I became more able to predict when it might go wrong. Nowadays, it is so much easier with digital. I use an Olympus Tough and a Go pro.

Tell us about how you managed the risks in such remote locations.
A tough question! Risks! So many. Plan ahead. Take the right team and kit and practice using it before you need it. Recognise when a similar situation occurred before. Be prepared to deal with the unexpected. Don’t be overly risky; if you need to get out and look, do so, even if it becomes a pain. We learnt to recognise portages quickly and get on with it. You must be bold to paddle a hard rapid on the say-so and a few words from another. Here is where trust comes in; you know the info is reliable, and combined with self-confidence in your ability, we developed this over the years so that we’re able to complete a good section of harder river in good time.

If you could capture just one ‘feel good’ moment in your times of paddling – which would it be and why?
Paddling the falls of Lora in Norway, It is in my book, a long slide with a bend and then a fall.

I launch from the eddy and force a way into and across the swiftly moving water; large standing waves hide the route – but over them, as the gradient steepens, I aim left of middle, steeper again, over a slight bulge in the waves and its free fall for what seems like ages.

The water is so aerated it’s difficult to tell when the air stops and the water begins. On down and down until I feel the boat rotate. It seems to hold for a while, still, motionless, amongst all that energy, a delicate balance of gravity with falling versus buoyancy with lifting; a surreal experience if there ever was one.

My senses are so clear and acute; I open my eyes with clear, green water; all I can see is bubbles everywhere, no noise, deadly quiet, just the feel of bubbles trickling across my face. It must be like this inside an aero bar. Seeing bubbles, where is up?

When you prepared for an expedition in remote locations, what qualities did you look for in a fellow teammate kayaker?
On expeditions, I prioritised having a good team of friends I knew. We were not necessarily the best paddlers, but we got on well and worked safely as a team. We knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses and could rely on each other emotionally and technically and deal with any problems we encountered. Success on expeditions builds strong bonds.

It’s a tough call, I know, with all the expeditions throughout the world you have undertaken – but does one stand out?
The trip that gave me the most rewarding experience was to the Teesta in Sikkim.

It was my trip from conception to completion. My 1993 trip was made possible by Ajeet Baja from Snow Leopard, based in Delhi. He did most of the hard work with the Sikkim Government. There was no information about the river, so it was a punt. The journey was as much fun as the paddling. We paddled at 3500m on the Lachung Chu and followed the river paddling what we thought was possible in the time we had. At one point, we lost a kayak; the paddling was exceptional day after day. Some of our team decided to miss sections, but decisions were continuously supported and were fine for us. Bold paddling, and exciting rapids, set in the incredible scenery and, at times, remote, all enhance that feeling of success that was the reward for all the effort.

Any body of water you haven’t been to would be on your bucket list, and why does it flick your switch?
I recall reading about the 29-month ‘Canoandes’ (canoe plus Andes) expedition, credited with birthing the global whitewater expedition. Its highlight was the group’s 1981 descent of the lower section of Colca Canyon.

I wanted to do it. The nearby river Río Cotahuasi was first descended by Kurt Casey and crew in the mid-1990s and has since held the aura of one of the best multi-day river expeditions in the world. The two seemed to make e fabulous challenge, but I could not bring a team together to go and try. Both are three or four-day paddles in deep canyons with bedrock and hard bouldery challenges. It is all a bit much to contemplate these days!

Do you have any favourite conditions for paddling, or are you happy with whatever Mother Nature bowls your way on the day?
Whatever comes along is just part of the experience. Clear water and warm weather are nice, but some of the best experiences come with more adverse conditions.

You’ve received an Outstanding Contribution Award by British Canoeing- how did that make you feel?
I have had two of these awards, one in 2002, Where I was awarded a BCU Millennium Paddler award, and the Outstanding Contribution Award by British Canoeing in 2021. In both cases, I was proud that my peers had sought to recognise my efforts by recommending me for these awards. I am not someone that generally seeks to be recognised. The first award was bittersweet, to be honest. This was mainly due to my river access work in Cumbria. I even offered to pull together an English Guidebook for the Millennium. However, various individuals at the BCU made things impossible, so I stepped down. I was awarded this first award after I resigned from my work with the BCU and access. The more recent Outstanding Contribution Award by British Canoeing was recognition for my work with Lakeland Canoe Club, which is so much fun and very rewarding, but also with Cumbria Canoeists.

What’s the longest expedition you’ve completed?
We took a float plane for an hour across the Manitoba boreal forts NE from Winnipeg and landed on Knox lake. It was too windy for the pilot to approach the shore, so we had to unload into our open boat with all our kit. As the plane took off, it just left two of left with our canoe. I recall saying to my girlfriend Andrea, ‘scary isn’t it’. It was her first multi-day trip. 300km, 58 rapid, 24 portages, nine linings; 20 days later, we reached Lake Winnipeg. We were so lucky to get warm sunny days until the last, but one day when the heavens opened, almost freezing rain fell for hours.

I’m a paddler looking for the perfect UK river; where would you recommend it and why?
That would be the Upper Dart; I only got to paddle it a few years ago and descended it once. But I was so impressed by the rapids’ length, variety and quality. There are even a few more challenging sections to test you.

What’s the most enjoyable encounter with wildlife you’ve had whilst paddling?
When I first went to France, we spotted a hoopoe bird. Then we saw a flock of hoopoe birds at the end of my Sikkim trip. The two sightings bracket my initial era of paddle exploring, and I have never seen one since. It still makes me laugh to think about the coincidence of this.

One evening on the upper Stickine River, BC, we were playing boule on a pebble beach of an island when a grizzly bear decided to join us. Unfortunately, he could not pick up a pebble to join in. By standing as a group, we presented a large mass at which he sniffed and swam off across the river.

Any fellow paddler you would like to interview and why?
Jerzy ‘Yurek’ Majcherczyk was the leader of the Polish ‘Canoandes’ team. It would be fascinating to discuss his motivations, sense of adventure and how they motivated each other to tackle the rivers.

Also, Walt Blackadar, an American white water pioneer, best known for his solo first descent of Turnback Canyon.

Any other sports interest you apart from paddling?
I like being in the hills and wild places on foot or MTB.

Tell us something people might be surprised to learn about you.
I was the British Mountain Bike Orienteering champion in 1994.

Quickies

An ideal night out for you is?
Sitting around a campfire on a cool, clear night, sharing wine and good food with friends.

What would you prepare for us if we came to your house for dinner?
A tasty BBQ including lots of tasty morsels. 

Who are your paddling mates?
Apart from a few, those I used to paddle with a lot aren’t that active anymore. I still get out 2-3 times a week with various paddlers from Lakeland Canoe Club. 

Use three words to describe yourself?
Adventurous, Explorative, Enthusiastic

I still enjoy the challenge of finding new trips I have yet to do previously and, in some cases, rivers that very few do.

If you could be a wild animal – what would it be?
A water ouzel, of course. They call them American Dippers, but I prefer water ouzel, and I’d love to be one.

Any final shout-outs to friends, supporters and sponsors?
I have never had a sponsor! But thanks to all those who continue to paddle with me on rivers and sea. I aim to give others the opportunity I had and hope that my adventures inspire them to do their own thing and not just paddle the ‘usual’.

Many thanks, Mike, for all your help and for taking time out of what I know is a busy schedule – we appreciate it.