River Medway

River Medway

LaunchesPublic RoutesKnown HazardsParking
19
18
3
28
X

WATERWAYS LICENCES

Many waterways in England and Wales require a licence to paddle. Check the licence section below to see if this is one. Save money on your licence and secure paddling insurance by joining British Canoeing. Use our easy step RapidJoin process. Open the slider to join.

Welcome to PaddlePoints Waterways. These pages focus on individual bodies of water across the UK. On this page you'll find a map, launches, routes, licensing information, paddle trail downloads, services, and more about one particular river or canal. For the full PaddlePoints with search bar follow this link.

PaddlePoints can be accessed without creating a free account, but registering will allow you to map your own public and private routes on this waterway. You will also be able to comment on others' points, upload images, and create Personal Information Markers to receive updates about new routes and points.

You can use the buttons above to access map information on other waterways. Simply toggle the waterway to display it. If you do, note that the content surrounding the map area will remain the same. Use the green file icon next to the toggle if you want to open another dedicated river or canal page with relevant licensing information.

Use the icon above to access the legend. All map points, rivers, and canals information will appear in this section here. Click or tap a point on the map to display the information. Actual routes will appear on the map.

River Licensing Information

License Authority

Environment Agency

Further Information

British Canoeing membership covers paddlers from the Leigh Barrier Tonbridge to Allington.

The River Medway is a major river in the South East of England in the county of Kent. Stretching from High Weald in Sussex, through Tonbridge and Maidstone, the river ends where it meets the Thames estuary near Sheerness.

It is an ideal touring adventure. Great for recreational users and those looking for multi day-trips. It has some gentle grade 1 rapids but otherwise the river is a lovely flat, green wilderness paddle.

Facts about the River Medway

The river has several tributaries and tidal reaches along its 70 mile stretch. These include the River Len and the River Eden. The Medway wasn’t actually navigable above Maidstone until 1746. Luckily, it is now, and paddle craft can actually get as far upstream as Penshurt if they wish!

Along a similar note, a quirky claim to fame for the river. Chatham Dockyard along the Medway was actually used as an imitation of the ‘Port of Cairo’ in the popular 1999 film The Mummy. As you paddle past, can you imagine how it would have looked as part of the film set.

At Yalding Weir, Paddle UK leases a small piece of land from the Environment Agency. Managed by White Water Action Medway, this site is available as a basic canoeing spot for overnight journeys. You can find out more about it here.

The river has recently received funding from the Environment Agency to create a Medway Canoe Trail.