Twickenham resident 'Captain Quack' canoed on riverside road and gardens in high tide
By Heather Nicholls
31st Oct 2023 | Local News
A Twickenham resident, who runs the Twitter account @KaptainKwack, paddled his kayak through Randor Gardens and Riverside Road yesterday, as tides flooded the riverbanks.
Tides in Twickenham and Richmond were extremely high yesterday, causing The Thames Flood Barrier to be closed today for the first time this flood season.
Many local residents shared snapshots of the flooding on social media, with Captain Quack sharing a video of his journey from Church Lane, past The White Swan to Orleans House, all in his canoe!
He also included a clip of what the river bank normally looks like.
He told Nub News the story of him and his kayak and his experience yesterday.
He said: "When I ordered my first solid Kayak around 10 years ago, the only colour they had left was rubber-duck yellow... the Kyak and its successor have been adorned with a rubber duck on the front hull. He's the captain."
He goes out kayaking or paddle boarding most weeks and likes to take his camera around to take nature photographs.
He said: "The high spring tides are always interesting. Some of the towpaths and local Twickenham roads get flooded and you can paddle on them."
He explained that the first areas in Twickenham to flood are the corner of Church Lane and Riverside and in front of the Barmy Arms, the White Swan with its famous flooding beer garden and the bottom of Water Lane where the Bridge to Eel Pie Island is.
Those areas flood on almost every spring tide.
He said: "You can paddle on the walking path in front of the Barmy Arms and around the Beer garden at the White Swan. Very rarely is the tide high enough to paddle into Radnor Gardens, the local park in front of the Alexander Pope which I have been able to do only 2-3 times before.
"Yesterday was the first time the tide was so high, that it was possible to paddle along the entire stretch of "Riverside" road.
"I have never seen it flood deep enough to go across before. Normally, the middle part where York House Gardens are (and the footbridge) always stay dry."
Visit his Youtube channel to see more of his adventures.
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