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Ambassador Interview

Interview by # ShePaddles Ambassador Charlotte Ditchburn

Tell us a bit about yourself . What ’ s the day job ? How do you fit in around daily life ?

How did you first get into paddling ? Tell us about your favourite paddling experience . www . britishcanoeing . org . uk

Hi , my name is Anna , aka # kayakinghijabi ! I moved to the UK from Russia in 2003 and have lived here ever since . I lived in London until 2019 , then moved to Bolton to start a family .

In Bolton , I had a baby , so have been pretty much a full-time mum to a baby girl and a stepmum to three schoolchildren for a while now . At the moment , I work as a part-time self-employed copywriter for a party decor and balloon artist businesses .

In London I had access to regular training at Leaside Canoe Club on the canal and took part in canoe marathons . Now , in Bolton , I paddle at the weekends mostly on Bridgewater Canal or on club trips to the Lake District . We also have paddle sessions on Monday evenings at Bolton Canoe Club .

If you want to find out more about Anna and her upcoming projects ,

you can find her on Instagram at

@ kayakinghijabi .

As a teenager , I paddled big old foldable expedition kayaks in Russia , 2-3 seaters , on trips with up to seven days of paddling and camping in the wild ( very different from comfortable UK campsites ). I also did a bit of rafting . In the UK , I didn ’ t start paddling until 2011 . When I did start paddling again , it was the best decision I made for myself .

I started my paddling journey as a white-water paddler , and later switched to marathon racing . Recently , I had a lower back injury ( slipped disc ) which made it difficult for me to sit in my K1 racing boat , so I bought a SUP shortly after the diagnosis .

It ’ s difficult to choose my favourite paddling experience . I ’ ve had lots of lovely adventures : not the fancy and difficult ones you read in magazines , but they all mean something to me .

From paddling in Russia , the most memorable was a 21 day catamaran rafting expedition on the River Tyia in Buriatya , Siberia , in summer 2011 . I was invited along by old friends who worked in outdoor tourism . The river starts up in the mountains ( only a rescue truck driver agreed to take us up there ), it has rapids of course , and after a long stretch , it flows into Baykal Lake . There is lots of unique wildlife , beautiful and frightening . Wolves , bears , blueberries and wild garlic . The water is so clear , you can drink it from the river directly . I guess that trip brought my paddling spark back from childhood .