“Why SUP? Honestly, I’m not sure. It just hit me hard and now I cannot stop grinning on the water”
What do you get when you combine lower back pain, Bill Bailey and a love for travel? For Tilda, that’s how she discovered paddleboarding.
An Unexpected Beginning
Tilda didn’t set out to fall for SUP. She was just trying to fix her bad back and avoid the gym. A TV clip of Bill Bailey paddleboarding somewhere exotic sealed the deal. In March 2019, on a trip to Spain, she gave it a go. Two hours of falling in on a lesson? She was pain free for weeks. Better than paracetamol.
The London Challenge
What does paddleboarding look like in London, though? It’s not exactly Torrevieja. It is quite accessible, there were more waterways and SUP schools in the capital than she had expected. But the real challenge? Cost. At £50 a session with commercial providers, regular paddling didn’t come cheap.
So, Tilda got clever. She volunteered with Planet Patrol and joined low-cost community sessions at Islington Boat Club and Laburnum Boat Club – two brilliant charities offering water-based activities. She also discovered spots like the West Reservoir and Herts Young Mariners. These places, with trained coaches and kit included, helped her find her feet.
Tilda’s mission to improve hasn’t stopped – swimming lessons for water confidence, SUP safety and technique, even a clinic with Michael Booth in London. She finally treated herself to an inflatable, a regular part of her adventures in London and beyond, shared with the paddling community she’s found along the way.
Tilda now combines her love of travel with SUP, just as she hoped. She’s paddled in Spain, Croatia, Sardinia and Scotland. Next up is the River Seine in Paris. As for inspiration, Ally Findlay of Glasgow Paddleboarders has been a big part of her journey, pushing her forward with skill and care.
Favourite London Route
Tilda’s top London route so far is Kew Bridge to Hammersmith and back on the Thames. Timed correctly, with the ebb tide downstream and the flood tide back upstream, the route meanders through leafy southwest London along the Boat Race course, under historic bridges and through the familiar neighbourhoods of her childhood in Chelsea. A new way to see an old place. One day, Tilda may even bump into Bill Bailey, a regular on this stretch of the Tideway.
Passing the Paddle
Tilda is tagging Carol and Sam to share their SUP stories next. Subscribe to get them straight to your inbox.
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