Paddle to the sea

This paper explores human and other-than-human agency through the rhythms experienced during a source to sea canoe journey from Kirkstone Pass in the centre of the Lake District to the Solway Firth.  Musing on the narrative of Holling’s (1941) children’s classic ‘Paddle to the Sea’ this study reflects on the dance of agency experienced by Hollins' character 'Paddle' alongside those which emerge during our own paddle to the sea. Acknowledging privileges in terms of agency, finances and time; what experiences would the researchers have in terms of their sense of space, time and nature connection? Findings included observations around the role of task focus on the sense of time, space and nature connection, some attractive aspects of arrhythmia and the examination of some assumed hierarchical dualities.