Two Kayakers Paddling 5,000Km From Ireland to Istanbul

If there’s one attitude that’s nearly universal among adventure athletes, it’s a pathological commitment to optimism. Johnny Coyne and Liam Cotter of Ireland possess this quality in spades. In the last five months, they’ve camped in freezing cold temperatures beneath the cliffs of Dover, hauled loaded kayaks uphill for 160km through Germany’s Black Forest, and when they knocked a hole through one of their boats in a French canal, they went door to door asking for help to repair it.

To these many obstacles, Coyne merely says, “It’s all part of the experience.”

The two 24-year-olds set out from Ireland in early September 2024 to pull off an improbable quest: kayaking across Europe from Dublin to Istanbul. That could make them the first people in the world to travel the continent by kayak. It hasn’t been easy, and several setbacks have added months to the planned itinerary.

Recently, Coyne and Cotter were happily setting up camp along the Danube River, near Germany’s border with Austria. Of the 5,000 total kilometers likely required to reach Istanbul, the pair have traveled more than 1,900. They’ll now follow the Danube through Eastern Europe until it empties into the Black Sea, where they’ll follow the coastline all the way to Istanbul.

“I know this is going to be one of the longest and most unique journeys I’ll ever do,” Coyne said. “Trying to stay in the present moment is key.”

Kayaking through a canal in Warrington, England, in October 2024. Photo: Johnny Coyne

 

Channels and canals

While Coyne’s kayaking quest has been more difficult than he expected, it’s far from his first grand adventure. The young Irishman has committed himself to daring outdoor journeys in the last few years, from cycling to Portugal and trekking across Nepal to a bike trip from Canada to Costa Rica.

Though neither consider themselves serious kayakers, Coyne and Cotter compensate for the lack of experience with an indefatigable attitude.

“I didn’t have too many expectations of the journey. I just knew it was gonna be hard,” Coyne said.

It’s possible that the most difficult parts of the trip are already behind them. For starters, it took them nine long hours of paddling to make an unsupported crossing of the Irish Sea to England. They arrived at 10 pm, slept for a few hours beneath the famous White Cliffs of Dover, and then woke up at 4 am to start their crossing of the English Channel.

Though they’d planned on having a support boat for some extra protection while crossing one of the business shipping lanes in the world, the operator canceled at the last minute. So Coyne and Cotter once again paddled unsupported, pulling off a 12-hour crossing while fighting the channel’s fierce winds and waves.

Riverbank serendipity

Usually, the pair spend each night camping on whatever soft riverbank they can find. They keep their kayaks loaded with food, water, camping gear, and clothing. The original idea was to spent almost the entire journey traveling by water — but France had other plans.

Coyne and Cotter were kicked off the country’s canals for two to three weeks for paddling them without special permission from the government. And by the time they finally received a permit, winter had arrived and frozen the waterways.

Realizing that portaging their kayaks long distances was going to be necessary to have a chance at finishing the trip, they spent three weeks in a French village awaiting attachable wheels. But even that proved fulfilling, as a local named Bruno introduced them to his football club and found them a more comfortable sleeping situation at a local fire station.

“There’s a massive learning curve always. There’s only so much planning you can do,” Coyne said. “And it’s always the most memorable parts of all my journeys. We wouldn’t have experienced any of that if we hopped on a bus.”

Photo: Johnny Coyne

Portaging through Europe

It was never part of Coyne’s plan to do long portages with loaded kayaks weighing up to 200 pounds — especially in urban areas.

Yet that’s the situation Coyne and Cotter repeatedly found themselves confronting in France and Germany. Sometimes, that’s a relatively short jaunt around “the odd weir” blocking the waterway. Other times, it involves a prolonged carry, like their 160km portage through Germany’s Black Forest (“a really cool, mystical place”).

But perhaps the toughest portages are through cities, where these traveling Irishmen must contend with moving cars and city traffic. They also become the subject of bizarre fascination among bemused locals.

Urban portaging. Photo: Johnny Coyne

 

“For some reason, we love chaos — but it does get very stressful at times going through cities,” Coyne said. “Everyone is looking at you like, what the f*** are you doing? Most people are smiling and laughing, though there are a few honking.”

Meanwhile, their gear has held up relatively well to all the abuse. Coyne and Cotter have been paddling in Pyranha Valkyries, an outdated sea kayak model from the British boat maker. They also got sponsored soon after starting their journey, receiving a couple of Palm Equipment dry suits that have made all the difference.

“They’re an absolute game changer,” Coyne said. “We probably wouldn’t be finishing the journey without them.”

The kindness of strangers

As Coyne recounted the most special moments of his trip so far, it was the unexpected kindnesses that received the most attention. Over and over, the duo were aided, fed, and saved from potential disaster thanks to complete strangers.

In fact, the duo is now a trio. Coyne’s friend Ryan Fallon, also 24 years old, joined up in Strasbourg, Germany, and hopes to finish the rest of the pilgrimage to Istanbul.

A couple of weeks ago, the three were traveling down the Danube River in Germany when some whitewater slammed Cotter’s kayak against a rock, producing a massive hole. Feeling “distraught” about overcoming this problem while in “the middle of nowhere,” Coyne found a nearby road and knocked on the first house he found to ask to help.

Against all odds, the German man who emerged actually owned a plastic welder and was able to fix Cotter’s boat in a half hour. Then, another man arrived to help repair the kayak. Coyne and Cotter had called him earlier but weren’t sure he’d arrive in time. The man not only invited them to stay in his home for the night but also gave Fallon a kayak for free. (Fallon’s kayak was old, full of holes, and lacked storage.)

“It went from a terrible disaster to something that happened for a reason,” Coyne said. “We had people invite us into their homes and were constantly getting looked after by really nice people. It’s amazing how many people have tried to help us.”

Halfway there

It’s been a tough, complicated journey to make it about halfway to their intended destination, but Coyne is hopeful the most difficult bits are already behind them.

Ahead is the rest of the Danube River, which they’ll follow through Eastern Europe until the Black Sea. Once there, they’ll paddle along the sea’s northern coastline all the way to the Turkish city once called Constantinople.

Coyne near the cliffs of Dover. Photo: Johnny Coyne

“I might not ever do a journey as long as this again,” Coyne said. “We wanted to do pure travel — pure adventure — and see what happens. And that’s what we got.”

This article first appeared on GearJunkie.