My day navigating a river on a paddleboard

BBC South reporter Sarah Farmer explored the River Hamble on a paddleboard

As a reporter for BBC South I enjoy taking on a challenge, so being tasked with exploring a river from source to sea was one I embraced.

I'm not going to lie, I was looking for a short one, so we settled on the River Hamble in Hampshire.

During the Covid lockdown I picked up paddleboarding for the first time, so I was keen to pick up a stand-up paddleboard, get exploring, and see the river in its full glory.

My guide for the day is Karl Hobbs, an instructor with The Paddle Centre in Swanwick.

The River Hamble is about six miles (10km) long

Paddleboarding for me is a way to be active on my doorstep, enjoying the beautiful nature around us.

Karl has been doing it for decades, and the Hamble feels like home to him.

According to Tom Peterken, a data scientist for Ordnance Survey, the source of the six-mile long (10km) river is the Sand Boils, or Boiling Sands, in Bishop's Waltham.

He also tells me there are about 350 different places "where a stream of some sort begins, which eventually feeds the Hamble".

The Sand Boils is the source of the river

But we join the water at Botley Mills, where the river becomes navigable. Tide times are key as we enter the shallow stretch of the waterway.

According to data from the Office for National Statistics, there are 19,000 people who live within 100m (328ft) of the Hamble system.

As well as homes there are businesses on its banks too, including the not-so-secret Hidden Tap pub.

The friendly face of Rob Sanderson peers over the wall on the riverbank to lower down a drinks order using a handy pulley system.

Sarah Farmer picked up a drink from the Hidden Tap pub on her route

He has seen traffic on the waterway, such as paddleboarders and canoeists, increase since the pandemic.

"Initially we were serving people by leaning over the wall," he explains.

"So it's a good job I'm as tall as I am, and my arms are as long as they are."

As we journey south the softness of the birdsong and the breeze add an ease to the paddle motion.

Paddleboard instructor Karl Hobbs joined Sarah Farmer on the trip

"Remember your old geography," Karl says at one point. "The river is deeper on the outside of the bend."

With the sun's rays kissing the water's surface, the beauty of the river is striking, and the wind shows its presence before we feel it.

Karl can read the river as we meander through the countryside.

"Once we get round the corner we'll be able to see the lay of the land, and which way the wind is blowing," he advises.

"So if it's possible we'll try and stick to the left hand side and get a bit more shelter."

The route winded its way beneath the bustling transport links of the south

We reach the River Hamble Country Park, where families cluster on the pontoon with their crabbing nets.

Then we venture beneath the bustling transport links of the south, and the river's personality begins to change.

Glistening boats line the marina at Swanwick, and as well as the glamour of the gin palaces there is a glimmer of showbiz.

The Jolly Sailor pub here played host to film crews in the 1980s for the BBC drama Howards' Way.

Boats lined the marina at Swanwick near the filming locations of Howards' Way

Beyond the harbour master's black and white tower, the rise and fall of the water ramps up as we make progress towards the mouth of the river, and the wake of passing boats brings an additional balancing challenge.

Passing the lifeboat deployment station, Southampton Water estuary beckons, and the coastal finish line our reward.

Paddle boarding is a way to enjoy the "beautiful nature around us" Sarah Farmer says