Maidstone Canoe Club

Blackberry Picking

One of Seamus Heaney’s most famous poems - “Blackberry Picking” - is set in August.

By an astonishing coincidence, one of Maidstone Canoe Club's most famous events - “Pool Session” - is also set in August, on the 20th. Book here!

Only one of them has a Nobel Prize for Literature though:

https://maidstonecanoeclub.net/events/1ef39f86-5148-4d6a-bdda-9cdd9dcf3ccb/pool-session?instance=1

Late August, given heavy rain and sun

For a full week, the blackberries would ripen.

At first, just one, a glossy purple clot

Among others, red, green, hard as a knot.

You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet

Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it

Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for

Picking. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50981/blackberry-picking

We are one again extremely privileged to be able to offer this course to our members - please see all the details on the link here

https://www.maidstonecanoeclub.net/events/2db9c8b8-5a93-48c3-ba3b-6b9db94dce57/intensive-rolling-clinic

On July 16th 1439, kissing was banned in England due to the plague. I’ve always thought that the plague was carried by rats so I’m not sure how a ban on kissing was supposed to help, but maybe they were more liberal in those days.

On July 16th 2026, we’ll be holding our regular monthly pool session. There will be no rats, and even if there were, kissing them would still be frowned upon.

Book here