Only a dozen kayakers had successfully paddled alone around Great Britain when Ian Hayward launched from Lowestoft, northeast of London, on April 26. Paddling clockwise, he closed the circle on September 13, after 141 days.
A former outdoor educator, the 58-year-old Hayward had retired the year before. No newbie to water sports, he had decades of paddling experience, including slalom, surf, marathon, sprint, and open canoeing. He’d been sea kayaking since his teens. At the same time, this was his first multi-week expedition.
After a tiring day on the water. Photo: goosejuice_adventures/Instagram
Performance Sea Kayak, which maintains a record of such circumnavigations, sets the distance around Britain as 3,185km. A week after launching, Hayward passed his first major obstacle, the Thames Estuary, notable for its heavy marine traffic. Other critical sections included the English Channel (heavy traffic and headlands), the Welsh tidal areas, Scotland’s west coast, Cape Wrath, Pentland Firth, and the exposed North Sea.
Sometimes, calm, serene moments metamorphosed almost instantly into “brutally harsh” and “terrifying” conditions. Just days from the end of the expedition, Hayward was still describing the experience in terms of judgment, resilience, and decision-making rather than simply endurance.
Happy times: Following wind, following tide. Photo: goosejuice_adventures/Instagram
Sea kayaks can carry a month or so of food, but not four months, so Hayward frequently replenished his supplies en route. Although he camped occasionally, he was happy to accept offers of hospitality, especially from local sailing clubs.
The 1980 expedition by Paul Caffyn and Nigel Dennis is considered the first successful kayak circumnavigation of the British coastline. It took them 85 days, including 68 paddling days, two rest days, and 15 weatherbound days.
One of Hayward’s nights in a tent. Photo: goosejuice_adventures/Instagram
In the summer of 2025, Sebastian Szubski set a Fastest Known Time for the circumnavigation, finishing in under 37 days. Earlier, the former Brazilian Olympic canoeist set a record for distance over 24 hours, paddling an astonishing 251km.
Including Hayward, 23 other expeditions (totaling 36 paddlers) have completed the route. Hayward was the 13th soloist. At age 58, he says he might be the oldest to do so, though that has not been confirmed.
