Intrepid Couple Canoe 200 Miles for Macmillan

Sue Catlow and her partner Pete Knowles recently completed an epic 200 mile voyage in an open Canadian canoe on the British Waterways rowing from Blackburn to Gloucester, an experience that Sue said "we will never forget and one that we would repeat all over again – mind you, having 2 weeks of glorious weather after all that summer rain was such a bonus!"

The journey took 10 days and involved canoeing through nine counties and across five canal systems finishing with 40 miles on the River Severn.

"Probably the hardest part of the trip was negotiating the locks as canoes are not actually allowed through so the equipment and the canoe had to be carried around them.  When we reached the River Severn however, the huge locks were open to us and the sight of such a tiny craft paddling into such an enormous lock provided many onlookers with a source of either amazement or amusement!

Sue told us that "The inspiration to raise money for Charity on the trip came from the memories of two very dear friends that we lost to Cancer.  Although the trip may not rank alongside climbing Everest or walking to the North Pole, it was a challenge we relished and will remember for a long time"

Sue and Pete raised a total of £2500, with £1100 being donated to Macmillan Cancer Support and the rest being split between their local hospice and Galloway's Society for the Blind.