Delta to Lyndhurst via Lower Beverley Lake

 Delta to Lyndhurst

Today's paddle will begin in the town of Delta at the boat ramp just behind  the historic mill which gives access to Delta creek.   This is not a long paddle, almost 7.5 km each way and as the temperature today is 31c with hardly a breath of air this is probably a good thing.   There is free parking by the boat ramp which is just outside the gates of the municipaly run trailer park/campground.

Delta boat ramp

We begin with a paddle of approx 800m down the rather pleasant Delta creek before being emptied into Lower Beverley Lake where we make a left turn to bring us to an almost due south heading which after about 2.5 km will bring us to the mouth of Lyndhurst creek.

Once in Lower Beverley about 25 - 30 mins paddling southward will bring you to the entrance of Lyndhurst creek which you wont be able to see until you are right at it partly because of an island that will be in your line of sight but also because the creek bears right at the start.   Lower Beverley is a fair sized lake and offers many options for day paddles one of which is Morton to Delta which is around 23 km round trip, I usually do that one starting at Morton where you have around 5 km on Morton creek before reaching the western extremity of Lower Beverley lake.  Today there is little traffic on Beverley but I do stop for a quick chat with a couple of pretty girls out for a paddle.   Before long I am turning into Lyndhurst creek for a bit over 4 km to reach the park just north of the one lane bridge in Lyndhurst.

As you can see Lyndhurst creek is much wider than Delta creek and for the most part sparsely populated with marshy shorelines.  Always on the look out for birds today I am pleased to spot a Black tern skimming the waters for bugs, a species I had hoped to see on a recent paddle in the Tay canal where I know they habitually breed but didn't find perhaps being too late in season the breeding over they may have moved on.  On my arrival at Lyndhurst I use the kayak dock to exit my yak before hauling it up on to the dock and securing.  I take out my Helinox chair and assemble before picking a shady spot under a tree to sit and eat my lunch.

A bit of shade is a welcome relief from the scorching sun and I while away a half hour relaxing and eating lunch.   Lunch over it's back in the yak and heading upstream for Beverley.   About the two kilometer mark there is an island, least I think it is an island and I once stopped here with some friends who wanted a rest.  Behind the slope is a spot where someone has had a campfire and there is room enough if a person had a mind to camp and it is probably the only spot on Lyndhurst creek where you could camp that is not private.  See below

Then I am back crossing Beverley and a paddle wouldn't be a paddle without spotting a loon and on this occasion I think I saw three different sightings, one I caught on camera.

Finally I am once again paddling up Delta creek to the boat ramp for take out, packing up and looking forward to an air conditioned drive back home, my GPS registering 14.8 km for today's paddle.

Happy paddling!

from

KayakJock