Help me identify a book of my childhood

[BananaBeforeBed]

I am 51, if that helps. We often had older books kicking around too.

I liked anything with adventure - Hardy Boys, Malcolm Savage etc.

This book featured a large forest and at least two kids trying to escape from something or with something, not necessarily sinister (I hate creepy).

They ended up in a boat, possible a coracle, and had to allow the gentle pace of the to lead them out of there. The river was winding back and forth, so they almost retraced their route back and forward as it meandered.

Anyone recognise this?

Booked seemed a very gentle form of adventure, and was possibly set in England.

I'm a similar age to you, OP, avid reader in childhood, but no bells ringing here, so just bumping for you!

Is it one of the Narnia books? I'm sure one featured a coracle and potentially a giant mouse?

It's come to me now! Reepicheep in Voyage of the Dawn Treader?

The Adventure books by Willard Price?

Philippa Pearce "Minnow on the Say" would be my first guess

Alternatively what about "River at Green Knowe"-part of the Green Knowe series by Lucy Boston.

Don't think it was a Malcolm Saville. Two fair Plaits has a canal boat in, and Susan, Bill and the Saucy Kate has a boat, but both, as far as I remember, are to do with kidnapping.

Thank you all.

Not Narnia, I don’t think, I never liked fantasy at all.

Will google the others.

Not Minnow, was briefly hopeful of Green Knowe but the flying horses and fantasy element are wrong.

Children of the New Forest?

Possibly, but I don’t recall it being so historic

It sounds like it could be The Treasure Hunters by Enid Blyton? Not all the details match but the winding river rings a bell...