Valsesia has been on my kayaking destination bucket list for years! After years of watching my friends post photos of steep creeks and delicious gelato, this year I finally made it there myself! A small group of us headed out there at the end of May for a week of white water kayaking in the Valsesia valley and it was wonderful! It was an eventful week with big highs and lows and an unexpected ending. Here is the story of our trip!
Getting to Italy: A few bumps along the way
There were five of us heading to Italy: Becca and Steve in their van, and me, Callum and Jake in Callum’s car. With both boys happy to drive, I happily assumed my role as passenger princess – official car DJ, toll‑gate operator and designated chatter and car entertainment.
We took LeShuttle and made it into France by midnight, stopping at a cheap hotel just over an hour from the terminal. We had one stop by the Gendarmerie, which of course sent us all into a panic. Luckily it was just to tell us that the local town had won a football tournament and was celebrating a little too enthusiastically. Fair enough!
The next morning we aimed to leave at 7am… but one unnamed member of our group slept through his alarm, so we didn’t actually leave until after 8am. A couple of hours later, an AdBlue warning light appeared. Even after topping it up, the light stayed on (eek) and the car helpfully informed us we had 1000km before the engine would shut down. Valsesia was 900km away. Perfect.
We decided to risk it, and thankfully the car behaved. Fourteen hours (and many snacks) later, we finally arrived in Italy to a beautiful old house. We said quick hellos to Steve and Becca, and went straight to bed!
Day 1 – An interesting line at Piode
I woke in the night to what I thought was the sound of a windchime, only to discover in the morning that it was actually a field of cows wearing giant bells! A very Italian start to the day.
We planned to paddle a gentle section of the Sesia, but getting there was complicated. I’d messaged around for shuttle help, and by pure coincidence my friend Chips drove past our house at that exact moment I was on the phone to him. He kindly scooped me and Becca up and dropped us at the get on at Campertogno. Only we had told him a different section from what we’d apparently agreed on with the boys. After a few confused messages, the boys found us and we finally got on the water!
The valley was stunning: snow-tipped mountains, clear water, class 3 boulder garden rapids and 30°C sunshine. We paddled down happily, scouting where needed, until we reached Piode Bridge – a rapid that deserved a proper look.
There were quite a few groups who caught us up here including some of the Palm Groms and their dads. It was nice to catch up with everyone at the bridge. Chips also joined us here.
The left slot looked awful and I was looking at it thinking ‘gosh – surely people don’t run this?’ It made a lot of sense when Jake informed me the rapid was actually on the right. It looked okay: head right, avoid the rocks and take a stroke over the lip! It felt within my ability, so I decided to run it.
What happened next is something I debated sharing, but I think there’s value in honesty.
I struggle to focus when I’m tired or overwhelmed, and after two days of travel, a stressful exam season at school, and worry about the car, my brain was already full. As we got on, the boys were discussing tiny details of their lines – angles, strokes, timings…. as I set off, I was thinking about everything.
I was so focused on what to do on the drop itself, I missed the smaller but very crucial move above it (hit the wave pointing right). My bow turned left, and suddenly I was heading straight for the slot I absolutely did not want to be in. I had a split second to react, tried to catch an eddy above, missed it, and ended up dropping the left line backwards. I actually think this helped as the slicey tail of the ReactR dipped under the water. I don’t remember going upside down but I did at some point. After a couple of roll attempts, I came up at the bottom of the slot, shaken but okay.
As I rolled up, my first thought was ridiculous: “Chips won’t want to paddle with me now. 😭” It seems like such a silly thing to get stuck on but I guess I was in shock and shock does strange things. Me and Chips have spent a lot of time together at events – white water course and low water UK runs. However, we have not actually run many rivers together and I was excited to actually spend some time paddling together in Valsesia. This felt like a terrible start to that adventure!
I knew immediately that I needed to run it again – not out of ego, but because I understood exactly what had gone wrong and knew I was capable of better. So I carried my kayak back up, took a moment to breathe, and this time focused on one thing only: hit the wave pointing right and then driving right. The second lap was smooth, and I was SO HAPPY at the bottom.
I was full of adrenaline at the bottom and can’t remember much of it. People talked lots to me and some gave me hugs. I remember hugging Steve and Jake and then Becca coming and giving me lots of love. I remember Chips giving me a big hug and telling me well done. But honestly it is all a little blurry. I felt so calm and yet also like I wasn’t there.
The rest of the day was joyful. Our little group plus Chips headed down the river and we had so much on this next section. Lots of bouncy grade 3-4 read and run rapids.
We stopped at Scopella for a gelato! As we were getting out, the other groups caught up with us and we had a chat. One of the kids who’d seen my first Piode line came over to check I was okay, which was incredibly sweet. I explained honestly: it was a small mistake with potentially big consequences, and I wasn’t taking it lightly.
It is the thing that bothered me most about the whole incident – that kids I knew had seen it. I am involved in lots of grassroots events, often in a pastoral role. These kids we bumped into I have known for years. It upset me to think I had caused any upset for any of them in watching it and I really did not want them to think that I had paddled this rapid recklessly. I hoped my chat with them had helped to reassure them but it was still bothering me as we got out for gelato.
Jake later said something that stuck with me: “White water is always a roll of the dice. Sometimes the dice rolls not in your favour and things go wrong. What matters is how you respond when the dice doesn’t land your way.” Chips was also very reassuring about it all and especially about my response which was nice. Gelato and a break with friends really helped.
After gelato, we got back on for the final stretch and it was very joyful – just what was needed! We had a swim at the get out and what was really cool was that there were so many lizards! As you walked back up the rocks, there were dozens of them running all over the place!
After sorting the shuttles, myself, Chips and Steve headed to the Alpine Sprint. I didn’t kayak it but it was fun to hang out with people at the bar whilst the boys went for a lap. I bumped into the Tickner family here which was lovely.
When the boys returned, four of their group then ran Mollia, the larger rapid below. It was pretty cool to watch and I was quite happy to be camera woman for them from the bridge. A lovely atmosphere and cool to see people get the lines they wanted.
By the time we got home for a late dinner, my head was buzzing and I struggled to sleep. It had been an amazing but intense first day in Valsesia.
Day 2 – The Big Del Crash!
I woke up feeling awful. I’d barely slept – every time the cow bells rang, my brain jumped straight back to Piode and spiralled. I’m usually quite a resilient person, but after weeks of exam‑season stress, two days of travel and an intense first day on the river, I’d finally crashed.
I sat outside with a coffee trying to untangle my thoughts. When I’d got home the night before and checked my phone, I saw a string of messages from my friend Benji, who was in Valsesia doing his Advanced Whitewater Coach training and desperately needed mock students. By the time I had read the third “please” in his messages, I’d said yes and Becca agreed to join too. It worked out well: the boys could take Callum’s car to the garage and then have a boys’ day out in the van together.
Benji and his provider arrived at 9am, and we headed to the Sesia Classic. It was another beautiful day, and in theory exactly what I needed. But I was struggling. My confidence was low, and even simple decisions felt heavy. I am a very confident person but there were nuggets of self-doubt in everything I did today.
Today the day seemed to be focusing on the provider modelling how they would coach and explaining this process to Benji. The provider’s coaching style was very “information overload”. There was so much to think about and my brain simply couldn’t cope. Halfway through the session I hit cognitive overload and was completely overwhelmed. I didn’t want to let Benji down by not being a ‘good student’ so told myself just to ‘get through it’ and spent the rest of the session focused more on trying to look like I was listening than actually listening.
We finished the section and headed back to the house for a debrief. I knew I hadn’t been in the right headspace for coaching, and that the coaching style probably didn’t align with my learning style. Becca, on the other hand, had a brilliant day, which made me genuinely happy.
In the afternoon we reunited with the boys and went to the Sorba Slides. They were stunning, but I knew I wasn’t going to paddle them. I was not having a good day and you certainly would not want to go upside down on any of the slides!
The group went to scout the Gronda above the slides while I stayed by the river in the shade, completely overwhelmed. I needed a friend to talk to – someone I didn’t have to mask with – so I messaged my lovely friend Matt, who immediately called me. The second I had him on the phone, I burst into tears and we spoke for nearly an hour whilst I let everything from the last two days out.
Matt was his usual kind and caring self and I felt a lot better for our call. Sometimes you just need someone who really gets you to completely unmask with. I call my friends who I can do this with my ‘comfort people’. Matt is absolutely one of those people and I really appreciated his kindness in this moment.
By the time the boys finished paddling, I felt steadier. We headed home and I went straight to bed, hoping tomorrow would feel better.
Day 3 – Finding my sunshine again!
I woke up feeling much better and like me again! A better night’s sleep, sunshine and a slower morning made everything feel lighter. I called a couple of friends whilst out in the garden with the cows and one of them said to me ‘Nice to hear that little Miss Sunshine has found her sunshine again’ and it felt so true.
From the start, the day felt different. This time Callum was joining us as a mock student and it was Benji’s turn to take the lead on coaching. The plan was to paddle the Sesia Classic again (with a little more added at the start) with Benji and his provider, and I felt ready to actually enjoy it this time.
The Classic was beautiful and it was the perfect day on the water to remind me why I love kayaking. I wasn’t perfect, but I was present, and that felt like a win after yesterday.
It was fun to be coached by Benji and to watch him coaching and I thought he did very well. It is always nice to see friends in different contexts and I genuinely think Benji has so much potential with his coaching. He is a very thoughtful person and was eager to ensure that we all had a good day and got genuinely helpful feedback to help develop our kayaking.
After finishing on the classic section, we headed over to Piode bridge and got on here for a second section. It was good fun and I enjoyed getting to pick my own lines again for some more read and run fun. We ended the day and I was feeling good. Callum and Becca had also got a lot out of the second day which was lovely.
In the evening, I went out for dinner with Chips and Lucien to catch up with them. They had both been working hard the last couple of days filming product reviews for Kayak Session. It was lovely to have a relaxed evening of fun with them.
At one point, they were looking at my feet under the table rather intently, before asking me if I would fit in size 6 or 7 shoes, which I said I would. Whilst they had generally got larger items of gear to review this week, they had not got shoes which either of them could fit into as all the shoes were size 6s or 7s. Once I realised they were asking me if they could film by feet (which is obviously hilarious), I of course said yes! So we agreed to meet up the next day and they dropped me home.
Day 4 – Joys on the river and a modelling opportunity
I was excited to paddle as a full group again, and even more excited that Benji was joining us. It also meant that we had a shuttle which made everything easier! We headed to the Sermenza, a gorgeous little river full of tight boulder gardens. It was SO hot, so we started the day with a swim at the get‑on, which felt heavenly!
The Sermenza was exactly my kind of river – technical and beautiful! There was a small ledge drop early on that was easy to lap, and I had a great time practising on it.
I could tell I was definitely tired as I braced more today than I have all year and even had a surprise roll! But none of it mattered. I was just happy and lost in the joy of the river!
At one point the others stopped to surf a wave, and I took a moment to float in the eddy and vibe by myself. A huge rock wall beside me was covered in tiny purple flowers, with lizards darting between them. The sun was sparkling on the water, and I felt completely grounded and grateful. It’s amazing how a river can reset you. How lucky we are to live this life!
When we reached the gorge, we had the option to get out or continue into the gorge, which was harder. I knew I was tired, so I chose to hop off with Callum and Becca. What meant a lot was Jake still asking, “What are you thinking, Del? Do you want to paddle it?” Even when the answer is obvious, being asked matters. That’s the kind of support that builds confidence. Thanks Jake for being a good person and a good friend.
After the boys finished the gorge, they collected us and then dropped me at the get out to meet Chips and Lucien for some gear‑review filming. Modelling shoes basically meant doing the same movements repeatedly – walking, climbing, swimming, doing all the things feet are meant to do. And keep doing it until Chips ‘got the shot’.
I honestly love doing this kind of thing so much and find it pretty fun! At one point Chips asked me to “get my feet more out of the water”, so I treated them to my full childhood water‑gymnastics routine. A group of kayakers arrived mid‑handstand and looked very confused. Luckily Lucien was matching my vibes on the bank!
We wrapped up and met the others at the rafting centre, where they’d apparently had “the best lunch of their lives”. I joined Team Gelato for the afternoon – lunch at the Gnome Cafe (my personal heaven), followed by gelato in the sunshine. Valsesia really is unbeatable in 30°C heat.
Later we regrouped at the Egua. The river was too low to run the full section, but the top drop was perfect. Before coming to Valsesia, I’d promised my friend Janice I’d paddle it, so I was excited.
We bumped into Quim and his European Whitewater School group. Quim excitedly introduced me to his student Paula, a reader of this blog. She absolutely nailed her line on top drop so shoutout to Paula!
Top Drop was fun – you feel like you’re flying! After my first lap, I heard shouting and looked up to see Chips coming down with his legs fully out of his kayak.
Somehow he nailed the landing, although his boat did come down first before Chips followed several seconds later. It was heroic chaos, and of course he made me take a photo of him emptying his kayak at the end.
After a second lap, I was done. (The walk up was really quite challenging!) I hung out while the boys finished filming and chatted with a big group of Irish paddlers who’d just arrived. Eventually we headed home for a BBQ and a relaxed evening with friends – the perfect end to a brilliant day.
Day 5 – One last perfect day
This was my last day paddling in Valsesia, and I was excited to spend one last day with my friends. We headed back to the Classic section for a fun, relaxed group run. We scouted the rapid just above the rafters get on and when I went to get back into my kayak – I fell face first over a rock and firmly launched my kayak (with my paddle tucked in it) into the middle of the river! Luckily Callum and Becca escorted it back to the side before the white water started – which I was very grateful for!
Once I was actually in my boat, the river was pure joy. We played, tried silly moves, and generally messed about in the sunshine. It felt like the perfect final lap.
Afterwards we drove to the Sorba Slides, which were a little lower than earlier in the week but still great fun. We spent the afternoon lapping them, cheering each other on, and finishing with a group swim in the bottom pool.
All week I’d had two phrases stuck in my head on a loop: “You’re doing amazing Kylie!” (apparently from the Kardashians, according to Callum) and “More passion, more energy!” (from that song).
Somewhere between the heat, the slides and the delirium of the week, I decided it would be hilarious to do the “more passion, more energy” dance while the boys paddled down the slides behind me. Somehow I convinced Jake and Steve to do one more lap, and with Callum filming, we created a masterpiece. A perfect end to my last day on the water.
That evening we went out for a group meal, with Lucien joining us too. The woman next to us was eating the most incredible‑looking prawn pasta, so – with the help of ChatGPT – I confidently ordered it. When a plate of king prawns arrived, I was a little surprised! I have never eaten king prawns in my life. I had to Google how to peel them. I was basically Mr Bean in the seafood restaurant scene, and my friends found it absolutely hysterical.
We walked out of the restaurant into one of the most dramatic lightning storms I’ve ever seen – huge forks of lightning cracking across the valley. It felt like Valsesia was giving me a spectacular goodbye and I was here for it!
Day 6 – Road tripping to Park Jam with Chips
With Callum’s car in the garage earlier in the week, I’d been quietly worrying about how we’d get home if it wasn’t fixed in time – I had to be back for work on Monday. Luckily, Chips was also heading back to the UK this weekend, leaving a day earlier so he could go to the Palm and Pyranha Park Jam in Hohenlimburg. He offered me a lift, and I gratefully said yes. In the end Callum’s car was fixed, but I was still glad to have a plan.
Chips picked me up at 9am and I said goodbye to everyone. It had been such a lovely week, and I really enjoyed spending time with my old Birmingham friends. After a couple of errands in the valley, we hit the road and headed out of Italy.
It was a long, hot 10‑plus hours of driving in a van with no air‑con, and we were both just a little bit sweaty. But the mountain views were stunning and the van banter was excellent.
Two hours in, we stopped so he could visit a tech store. “What for?” I asked. “Headphones,” he said, smiling. Naturally, I shared this with the Park Jam group chat, who found it hilarious. The best part? The headphones stayed in the box the entire journey. He didn’t actually want to miss out on my chat, as much as he tried to pretend he was fed up of it!
Chips also invented a game called “Del, which country are we in right now?” Turns out my geographical knowledge of Europe could do with refreshing as I struggled with this one!
We made plenty of stops to keep things fun: one final gelato in Italy, fresh strawberries from a roadside stall in Austria, and dinner in Germany. By midnight we arrived at the home of the wonderful Manuela, who works for Palm and had kindly offered us a place to stay. Thank you Manuela!
Days 7-8: Park Jam magic & Heading home
We woke up early the next day and headed straight to the Palm and Pyranha Park Jam in Hohenlimburg. It was a wonderful event and I have already written a whole blog about it which you can read here.
After the event was over, we started the long drive back to Calais. It was another sweaty, air‑con‑less journey, but we kept ourselves entertained with singing, great chat and riding the buzz from Park Jam.
We has a 2am ferry booked and we made it back to the UK in time for sunrise! We stayed at Chip’s parents house who kindly let me crash in their garden shed for a couple hour nap before I then headed home to my own house!
Reflections on a wildly emotional week
I got back to Nottingham later that morning, slightly delirious from lack of sleep but absolutely buzzing. It had been an unexpectedly emotional and full on week. The highs had outweighed the lows and I was genuinely in such a happy place by the time I had got home.
Valsesia had been beautiful, the weather, the rivers and the gelato had all been incredible. Attending Park Jam Germany had been an unexpected delight. But it was the people that had made it special. Thank you to all I shared a river (or gelato) with over the week – it was truly magical. Until next time!
