Liverpool University Canoe Club

Fantastic news: Today the Welsh Canoeing Association (WCA) have announced a total change in the Canolfan Treweryn (National Whitewater centre for Wales) pricing structure.

This affects us when we paddle the river Tryweryn.

The price has changed from £7/£14 for BCU/non BCU members to… FREE!

For discussion of why they’ve done that, see:

UKriverGuidebook Thread

and

Announcement on the WCA website

The underlying reason for this is that the WCA feel that charging a fee which could be interpreted as an access fee is entirely against their philosophy of “access for all”. So instead, they are now aligning themselves with a lot of paddlers who, despite being quite willing to spend vast sums on their sport every year, believe that everyone, walkers, cyclists, kayakers, swimmers should have free access, to footpaths, bridleways, and rivers.

This is quite a brave change to make - the centre is still going to cost money to run, and remains a white water activity centre which needs to break even.

The changes mean that from now on, visitors will still sign in at the centre building, but will not be charged a fee. Visitors can still make a donation to WCA, which will be spent on the upkeep of the pathways and carparks and on the ongoing access campaign.

Its unclear whether visitors will be charged for parking, or whether this will also be by donation - it would seem quite reasonable for them to charge for parking, and certainly for showers, as in those cases they are providing a service. We’ll see how it works as time goes on.

In this move, the WCA have shown total support for paddlers in Wales.

Some ways in which we can support the WCA in return are: Make a donation while visiting the Treweryn. Pay online to become a friend of the WCA access campaign (£10). Become a WCA member (£33).

Ways in which you can support the WCA indirectly: Make use of the facilities at canalfon tryweryn: Buy things in the shop and cafe, and book on the excellent courses which are run there (personal qualifications, safety and rescue courses etc.)

Well, this is really a big change, and I suppose with that kind of example, we should all try to change a bit. I might even make a resolution to start using the showers - more pleasant for lift sharing. Everyone wins.

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I’ve unpacked, and have found a battered bit of cereal packet inscribed with various swims. Blimey, quite a lot. But also an impressively long list of folk who managed to keep their hair dry.

French Alps “No Swims” list is as follows

Flic, Andy R, Lloyd, Ade, Dinny, Alison, Moik, Clur, Ruth, Cath, Phil H, Greg, DaveO, Martin, Matt C([edit] had a technical, hmm this list is getting shorter ), Sambo? (inflatables don’t count), Jandles? ([edit]: No: swam on the guisane).

For the swim list, go to the linked forum post.

Both the zero swim list and the swim list are unlikely to be accurate - corrections please.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (15) Posts

Yay, hoodies are here, hoodies are good, nice one MedicDave.

Photos by: Jon

Alps was super - looking forward to seeing everyone’s pics and reports. Check out  many photos on facebook, and Lloyd’s tour-de france report: snail-bothering, tripe-tasting, muscle-torturing adventures. If you want to write your report about the whole trip, or about just one bit,  go for it, there is a write on the front page link on the right.

In the meantime, here is a selection of natureful pictures of Alpine meadows.

Pics: Kylie

The BCU North West Paddle Weekend is happening on the weekend of 7/8 June in the Anderton Center (Rivington Reservoir, Lancashire) - its the weekend when term ends, and its the weekend before you go to the Alps.

Its organised by  bcunw and its open to anyone who wants to improve their skills. In past years, this weekend has been just for coaches, but its now has more sessions on various things and is open to anyone in the BCU. You can still use the weekend to do your coach update or L2 assessment, but you can now use it instead to learn canoe sailing, to get your 3* skills or to do your foundation safety and rescue award or do workshops on games or on sea kayaking, or plenty of other things - check the program (link below) to see what is available in the parallell sessions. There is also a bunch of kayak talks, and a party.

You can go to as much or as little of it as you want - the cost is from £15 for the one day coach update (that’s two update workshops and a keynote lecture), up to £55 for a whole weekend of mix and match practical/theory workshops, talks, and paddle skills. including food, accomodation, and party.

If you want to go to this, you do need to get your form in pretty quick - by this friday - or get in touch with the organiser Gill Davies (\manchester CC). If you want to use the weekend to get your L2 (old style) assessment, then suggest you also phone Ian Bell, regional RCO, as well as sending the forms.

Map      Info     Entry form    Program

Words: Helen H Photos: Alison B http://www.koolkayaking.co.uk

Dave R and I went to Bala for the weekend. There were over 200 guides and scouts, around 30 coaches, from all over the NW, and 2 days of continuous sunshine. I was paired up with Tom, another coach from an Air Cadet group, and we were assigned two groups of 6 kids - a one-star group, and a “paddle passport” group. Tom was super and knew lots of games, and the kids were great, really eager to learn stuff. For one of the sessions we used Bell Boats, which can fit up to 12 folk on each - these are good for having wars between pirate ships.

The whole event is really well organised - this is down to hard work by Ian and Alison Bell, managing all the information and equipment - everything is set up and ready for you to get on the water and coach. After 4 x 1.5 hour coaching sessions a day, you are absolutely exhausted, and ready to sit around with the other coaches drinking wine and chilling out, listening to guitars and paddling stories, or watching kayak DVDs in the mess tent.

This was a very fun event, though exhausting. Anyone wanting to help next year, that would be great. Its an opportunity to get either L1 or L2 Training and assessment if you do not have those things yet, and to have a very fun time teaching a bunch of kids.

More details about the annual scout Bala weekend can be found at:

http://www.koolkayaking.co.uk/

Stu is going to Norwayland for the summer, raft guiding and travelling. To celebrate the end of exams, and to wave Stu off, cake party in Sefton park next tuesday afternoon, see this thread for more details.

“Final plan
Meet in the park at around 1pm with drinks and cake and happy smiles
Spend all day in park enjoying pims”

Sunshine booked.

See email from Tammy.

TUES 20TH MAY

Wristbands available from Tammy now:

£8 includes multi-club access, BBQ, fire spinnage, bands etc. Its going to be a big one.

Join this event at facebook and see the whole list of clubs and bands

Photo by AndySq

Lloyd was asking what the surf will be like. Well, we’ve booked it to be 6′ and clean, hope that suits.

Keep an eye on Magic Seaweed

General info about the St Davids trip is on the, er, St David’s Trip info page

Lovely lovely trip. Get in touch with Andy R now. £35. Camping. Surfing. Coasteering. 

 Here is the weekend plan:
+ Friday night - leave sheds at 7 o clock sharp, arriving at the campsite in time for last orders at the pub…. (that would be about 2 o clock :o)

+ Saturday - morning paddle around the bay to whitesands for some Surfing and a beach day in the sun. Join Andy’s surfing school :D. Possibly combined with a “bitches” visit, tide depending and left in the capable hands of mr potts! Evening activities will include a beach party with huge campfire (unless we get arrested in the process), fancy dress(hawaiian) and some kind of team sangria will be arranged.

+ Sunday - the standard sunday morning, “classic Ade coasteering” with Ade, you’ll be coasteering, it’s a classic. followed with more surfing and a beach day in the sun. fun.

+ Monday - Get up and pack away everything. If it’s been raining in Mid/north wales, we’ll come back via a nice river, if not, a further morning of surfing. back in liverpool in time for tea.

IF/When you want to be involved, email me back asap. Minibus places will fill up quickly.
If you or anyone with friends etc meeting us at the campsite, they NEED to tell me this year, i’ve agreed with the owners that i’m going to pay upfront for the whole weekend for everyone on saturday morning, this makes it less like hell for them collecting money, so we’re getting a discount deal…. (proceeds will go to saturday night’s beachparty)

£15 camping fees for people making own way there
£35 For a minibus space, including camping and party

(not bad for a whole bankholiday weekend in the sun!!)

Get in touch, this is going to be an awesome trip (start saving the pennies)

Much love from your captain
Andy

Pics from Last year (by Sara and Sue)

General info about this trip on the St Davids page