Kent, England

Ringlestone put-in (Maidstone)

Launch — A concrete slipway at Mill Meadow, reached from St Peter's Street through a railway arch, on the site shared by Maidstone Canoe Club and a co-located leisure centre (currently Freedom Fitness, previously Dragons Health Club). The Environment Agency's own user's guide lists it among the Medway's public slipways, with a launching fee administered by the site's operator.

Parking — An on-site car park shared by the leisure centre and canoe club uses automatic number-plate recognition; visitors register at a clubhouse terminal to avoid a charge. On-street pay-and-display bays also line nearby James Whatman Way, charged 8am to 6pm daily and free from 6pm to 8am and all day Sunday, set by Maidstone Borough Council.

Access — Reached from St Peter's Street via a railway arch into the Mill Meadow site. Maidstone River Park's paths continue from here, crossing the river by the Kent Messenger Millennium Bridge (off James Whatman Way) or the Downstream Millennium Bridge (off Monckton's Lane) to reach Whatman Park and Maidstone Rowing Centre, whose own clubhouse and launching steps are sited opposite Freedom Fitness, on the far bank.

Season — The Environment Agency aims to keep the navigation clear from Easter to the end of September and carries out most maintenance between the end of September and Easter, giving at least 28 days' notice of major works. Locks and canoe passes further up the navigation have been restricted to daylight, high-water-only operation, or closed, during past low-water and drought conditions.

Regulations — All craft on the Medway Navigation, including unpowered canoes, kayaks and paddleboards, must be registered with the Environment Agency (Paddle UK/British Canoeing membership satisfies this). The navigation's speed limit is 5 knots, landing on gravel shoals and islands is barred between 1 April and 31 July, and craft must not paddle just above weirs, which are marked by orange exclusion booms.

This slipway sits at Mill Meadow off St Peter's Street, on the west bank of the River Medway close to Maidstone town centre, on a reach the Environment Agency lists among the Medway's public launch points. It forms part of the non-tidal Medway Navigation between Maidstone and Allington Lock, the lowest of the ten locks on the 31km inland waterway and the point where the river becomes tidal.

Downstream from the slipway the Medway curves south-west in a broad bend past a line of moorings and Allington Marina before reaching Allington Lock, the lowest of the navigation's ten locks and the point where the non-tidal Medway ends and the tidal estuary begins. The maximum draught permitted on this stretch, from Allington up to Maidstone, is 2.0 metres. Upstream, the river passes through the town centre below the Archbishop's Palace, a surviving medieval building on the east bank.

The Environment Agency's own canoe trail material for the Medway records kingfishers and, occasionally, otters along this reach, herons standing at the water's edge, and more than twenty species of freshwater fish including roach, dace, pike and eels. Allington Castle, now a private residence, stands visible from the water on the approach to the lock.

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Riverside Bar & Café

Cafe and bar inside the Freedom Fitness leisure centre that shares this site with Maidstone Canoe Club, at Mill Meadow, St Peter's Street, Maidstone ME16 0SX; the Food Standards Agency classifies the premises as a restaurant/cafe/canteen rather than a cafe specifically. No distinct OSM element could be confirmed for this venue, so no coordinate is given.

Website

Allington Lock Camping and Cabins

Environment Agency-run campsite beside Allington Lock, about 1.3 miles downstream: eight non-electric tent pitches plus two cabins, open to public bookings and seasonal.

Website

Conditions to check

Lock

Allington Lock, the lowest lock on the navigation and the tidal limit, lies downstream; the weir alongside it is marked with orange exclusion booms.

Source

Boat traffic

This reach carries rowing and canoe club traffic from clubs based here, and pleasure boats stop on request at Whatman Park Wharf downstream.

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