Part 1 of the journey from the Black Forest to the Black Sea on the mighty Danube River
In normal circumstances, kayaking into Donji Milanovac in Serbia would probably be quite pleasant. However, swimming to shore, dragging a kayak that is full of water, in the dark and rain are not ‘normal’ conditions. This is how I arrived, but before we get there, let me take you back to a much happier time, to the source of the Danube River.
The mighty Danube River, 2,800km of water flowing through 10 countries, directly into the heart of Europe can be an intimidating prospect for a novice kayaker. I recently got a new kayak after reading this Detailed review of kayaks available on amazon. This was the proposition I faced as I stood, kayaked packed, paddle in hand, ready to take on the final stage of my JOG to the Black Sea, completely unprepared for the challenges ahead.
I’m not sure how many people have kayaked the entire length of the Danube, starting at its source in Donaueschingenin, Germany and emptying into the Black Sea in Romania, but I struggle to believe that anyone has attempted it with as little kayaking experience as I. Three practise runs in Scotland the week before starting this journey, one of which was incredibly unsuccessful, were the total of my lifetime kayaking experience. Mostly for my own peace of mind, I concluded, perhaps incorrectly, that all the swimming training that I’d done for my channel attempt would be beneficial for the kayak section as well.
Still, despite my lack of previous experience, I was comforted by the fact that the Danube is by most accounts, a pretty tame river, allowing plenty of time to acclimatize to the rigours of kayaking. It was with this thought in my mind that I set off from Donaueschingen, excited for the adventures ahead. Two falls, one capsize (destroying my passport and lunch in the process), a period of tricky rapids and a 12km stretch of dry riverbed all within the first morning quickly dampened (literally) my excitement.
After 20 minutes of kayaking, I had already surpassed my previous lifetime’s best. At this stage the Danube is little more than a meandering stream, no more than 10 metres across and knee deep in depth. It’s incredible to think that this stream could make it all the way to the Black Sea. My slow progress was abruptly halted when the river began to shallow and eventually disappeared completely, venturing underground for the subsequent 12km. Was this the Black Sea already? Maybe I was going faster than I thought? Initially, I laughed at the thought that a river that was meant to power through Europe for 2,800km could peter out for 30km. When I realised how long the dry spell went on for, I was no longer laughing.
The next few days proved to be equally eventful. The Danube began to swell and with it, came the first glimpses of the current that would be pushing me all the way to the Black Sea. The main obstacles on the upper section of the river are the numerous locks and dams. I had to navigate passed 29 of them in the first two weeks on the river. I had naively assumed that the locks would be manned and that there would be someone waiting for me at each one with a warm smile and maybe some chocolate. I was wrong. Everyone was unmanned and despite most of them being identical, my experience at each differed greatly. This included; having to jump into the water to save the kayak after it got lodged on a concrete block, concocting a fool proof plan that ultimately resulted in a bleeding finger and slipping and falling into the river in front of a group of curious onlookers. Eventually, I began to navigate the locks more successfully and continued to make good progress across Germany.
About a week into the trip, I pulled into the German town of Neustadt on a particularly fast flowing section of the river. I planned a night of luxury in a hotel in the centre of town about 2km from the river. I pulled the kayak onto the bank, removed any valuables and headed off into town for the night, blissfully unaware of the chaos that was ensuing back at the river. I returned in the morning to find my kayak significantly further up the bank than I had left it. A couple, who were kayaking and camping by the river were also now far higher up than where they’d started, their tent now located on a road. It transpired that the river had risen more than 3m overnight, flooding the tent of Andreas and Nici, who had selflessly saved my kayak before quickly packing up their now sodden tent and moving to higher ground. Had they not been there, my kayak would’ve certainly continued onto the Black Sea without me. As it was, the presence of my angels with paddles meant that I was able to continue unimpeded, the current of the now bursting river powering me across the rest of Germany and into Austria.
Meandering down the river, through the beautiful Austrian valleys, I came across three Austrian guys who were on a weekend trip down their favourite part of the river. I continued with them for three days, through the famous Wachau region, the river piercing through mountains covered in vineyards, learning about the area and valuable kayaking tips from three seasoned paddlers.
With ever increasing comfort, I continued down the river, winding through Vienna, Bratislava and the spectacular Hungarian capital of Budapest. Shortly after Budapest, I met two English guys, Hugo and Toby, on an identical trip to mine, they had started in Germany on the same day I had and somehow we hadn’t yet met. It was great having company on the river. We exchanged stories as we continued to make good progress through Hungary, passed the half way point and into Croatia/Serbia. At this stage, the river acts as the border between the countries and our experiences of each couldn’t have been different. In Croatia, we were approached by the police and told to leave the country or face a heavy penalty. In Serbia, we were treated to fabulous local hospitality in a country poor of wealth but rich in beauty and human kindness.
We quickly settled into a routine, wake early, quick breakfast and on the river shortly after sunrise to take advantage of the cooler morning temperatures. Paddle for 30km, find a shady spot for lunch, paddle for a further 30km, before finding a picturesque landing place to set up camp for the night. It was a winning formula and despite the multiple capsizes, being rendered passportless, a river without water, almost losing the kayak in a flood and multiple police issues, I had passed through several gorgeous countries and met some amazing people. The section of the trip that I was most apprehensive about was progressing well, two thirds of the river down and I was well on my way to the Black Sea.
Which brings us to Day 30, destination Donji Milanovac and in true Hollywood style, you must wait until next time to find how a day that started with the Serbian police on my tail, ended with me swimming to shore, dragging my waterlogged kayak behind me. The adventure continues in… read the next issue of OutdoorUAE. ■
Words + Photos by: Sam Brenkel
