Liverpool University Canoe Club

This weekend was always going to be a total biblical weekend with the amount of water around! We set off late (ahem sorry guys) on Friday evening ready to tackle a Noah’s Ark Scene J all the cars arrived later that evening at the hut with no problems – well I say no problems, some cars took alot longer than others. But that’s Welsh sign posts for ya!

When we arrived to our horror the ‘usual’ pub had been boarded up, which left us with no option but to head down to the only other pub in the village, ‘The Bull’! Now this pub had character!! Everybody was lovely lol – even the big bellied bouncer who took a liking to most of the girls in the group. For some reason that baffles me, he didn’t take to Pete straight away :s. However the little pub which was now packed out with all 20 of us coped very well with us and the beer was flowing nicely. It must of been around half 12 we decided to make a move back to hut up the top of the hill.

A few people decided they were not cold enough and decided to strip down to the bare minimum and take a dip in the stream!! Not sure Phil Ade or Kieran will ever be able to reproduce after that night J Back at the hut more drinking was to be done along with the usual games such as table turning. I do believe it was Lindsay who took the record from all the boys with around 5 turns of the table in a row! Of course all the boys tried to prove they were the Alpha male but failed miserably.

The hut started to quiet down a little by around 3am but there was a little stir in the house  - was it a mouse – no it was Rhys who decided to get up out of his bed and empty the entire contents of his stomach all over the dinning room table, floor, Pete’s coat and my leopard print wellies!! After what can only be said to be a very poor effort to clean it up he decided to get back into bed and leave the horror scene for the early risers! Lets just say he had beans and sausages for tea that evening as the chunks were evidence.

So Saturday morning around 8am the hardcore group (Ade, Phil, Ginge, Matt C, Jamie, Squirrel and Sam) decided to get up and paddle the Ogwen. They came back all smiles and said it was a great run but to our surprise the water level was not too high! Great!!

Around 11am we all headed off to the Llugwy which was also at a reasonable level. Quite an easy and nice warm up for the fresher’s, but it rained the whole time we were on the river and the levels rose quite alot. I think by the time we got to Cobden Falls Orla had been out her boat a few times (but decided to get off and walk to the bottom to meet us) Kieran and Emma had all been fishing, however, they were all still smiling and we proceeded down Cobden Falls!! This ‘would be my first time on this river and Cobden Falls looked ‘Scary’ ! I think Sam said he went down and messed up the start, the middle and the end so not such a good decent. Fortunately for most of us there was a chicken shoot down the far far left. This was also a little tricky and caused Joss and Rys to take a little dip and me to roll – but all got down safely.

From the Falls down to Pont Cyfyng was just big and bouncy, fun rapids and then we all got out above what can only be described as the biggest, pant wetting, cross my heart and hope to live rapid of all times; Pont Cyfyng was totally immense looking down from the road above it. Ade and Phil looked at their line for a while but in the end did the walk of shame and joined the rest of us below the rapid!! Was a great day!

Saturday night after we all had full bellies more drinking was being held along with more drinking games. That night we were joined by the Sunday crew – Stu, Hannah, Jon and Special (Ginges’ friend). We headed down to the pub quite late that night and it was even more packed as it was auction night and karaoke for the whole village. A few of us sat in a back room and played poker – was good fun and some of the locals joined in. Some others were playing pass the 5p – which also enticed the locals. The 40 something caretaker of the hut we were staying in got to know a few people quite well. I believe it was Jamie that said for someone who is nearly 50 she had a great arse! Not sure what went on between those two but i do know that her husband was overlooking and im sorry to say but Jamie would have been no match for him J. After the pub we headed back to the hut for yet more drinking and it seemed that my room had quite alot of love going on – but that’s not for me to talk about

Sunday’s paddling comprised of another early run of the Ogwen. This time only Ade, Stu, Sam and Phil managed to get up and they said it was a totally different river with the amount of rain that fell all day Saturday and through the night. I think Ade had to take a roll (!!) The rest of us packed up our kit and cleaned the hut, ready to leave when they got back.

We decided to paddle the Dee on our way home as would have been the only suitable river for the fresher’s that day. We did the upper part of the Dee – from Carrog down to Horseshoe Falls then from Chain Bridge down to Town Falls. The upper bit was supposed to be something like a 14k flat paddle and even though it was flat, the river was so big and fast flowing that it didn’t take long at all – was big and bouncy and perfect for our fresher’s. Everybody portaged Horseshoe Falls apart from Ade I think and it was at this point some of our fresher’s got off the water. The next section was totally massive – I have never seen the Dee so big, it was unrecognisable. Serpents tail started from the restaurant just below the bridge and was a stoppery mess all the way to a single big eddy just below where the usual serpents tail finishes. I think Matt E swam most of it as was difficult to get him or his boat out for a while. He later told me that he rolled up in a stopper with no paddles in his hand and though he was upright he did not have the skills to surf the stopper and get out of it with the palms of his hands, so pulled out and swam, for what im sure felt like ages!!  Kieran who was in my group did very well but got totally munched by the last stopper at the end! Well done you though. I went down with penny – i got stuck in the first stopper but managed to get out just as she came wizzing past shouting ‘C’mon Kay this is ace’ then she got stuck in the next stopper and called me for help but i just shouted ‘Paddle harder Penny’ and she got out ok lol. We ran this section mostly straight down the centre of the river. Then there was a monster of stoppers at the end and i bounced through but looked behind me to see penny upside down, but after a few attempts she was upright again!

Matt E and Kieran got back in their boats and we set off again. We were at eddy lines in no time and ran that whole section as one big rapid – awesome big bouncy fun.

Now by this time it had started getting darker, so the decision was made to take anybody who didn’t want to run town to get off above it – Matt E and Kieran got off (that was all i think)?

Then we set off towards the bridge in little groups and were told we were to run the river far far left. I was in the last group with Squirrel and Jamie. There was a big munchy stopper as we went over the weir. Was abit sticky but everybody managed to get through apart from Jamie – i looked behind to see him getting a working in the stopper and after a few seconds he pops out! I shouted to Squirrel who was in front that there was a swimmer and he dropped back to help him. I was quite worried at this point as i was approaching the bridge on my own and couldn’t really stop to help Jamie as it was stopper after stopper and i needed the speed to get through them all. So i decided to plough on through and try to catch up Ginge who was quite away in front of me. There were trees everywhere and i could see her stopper dodging and she went through one of the middle arches, so i decided to follow. There was a tree under that arch but was easy to get past and then a clear run to the get out where i shouted to Stu that Jamie was somewhere upriver out of his boat. The middle arch happened to be the best route as i later found out that the far left arch had lots of strainers after it that were avoidable but difficult and unfortunately caught Katie out! She had quite a nasty swim but her and her boat were rescued swiftly by Phil and Ade.

Then the only person left to help was Jamie and his boat that were both on top of a tree. Took a while but with combined help both boat and person made it safely to the bank, just before visibility had gone!

We all decided later that it was probably better to have run town falls the normal route and down river right and just be more cautious when coming up to the weir – but what the hell – how many times do you get to run town falls river left J

 Was a totally awesome weekend of paddling and thanks to everyone that came along!! I think Orla has some pictures of the weekend so get asking her on facebook! Please feel free to add comments of anything i have missed!

Thanks to the drivers and river leaders. Cant wait for the next trip.

(p.s Joke of the weekend: what vegetable should  you never take on a boat?…. A Leak) J J J

Love Kaylia

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