Aire Waves: Spring Bank Holiday

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Aire Waves

Leeds Canoe Club Blog. We paddle... lots!
Airewaves used to be Leeds Canoe Club's magazine letting people know what the club was upto. Its quite hard work pulling together a publication letting people know what the club is doing and publishing dates in advance is always hard as things tend to change. Step forth the blog.. Push button publishing for the masses. So here is the idea a few people in the club take it in turns to write up trips and talk about things in the club.

Thursday, June 02, 2005
Spring Bank Holiday - Tryweryn

For the last couple of years the club has been away for the Spring bank holiday weekend. This year again we have been off traveling. The exodus for the weekend started as early as Wednesday this year but we made an early start on Thursday evening to catch up with the family on the way. Friday we spent some time looking at the upper sections of the river Conwy to check access for a trip this winter. This looks to be a good river however I think Fairy Glen is a little beyond us at the moment.
Friday evening we arrived to find Dave and Steve already on the surf. Reports of small but good surf we encouraging and the weather was pretty good as well all was looking good as we sat in the pub waiting for everyone else to make it over from Leeds. By 10 only Mark had made it to the Pud so Jeanie and I went back to the Campsite leaving Dave and Steve in charge of people turning up to the pub. Here we found lots of tents had sprung up and most people were heading to bed after the travel down. The weekend was looking promising..

Saturday I woke up to howling winds and heavy cloud cover. Curly's gazeebo had been taken down over night as it was looking as though it would blow away. I drove down to Hell's mouth to check the surf out. Seeing the Wind and Waves it was becoming apparent how the name came about. All the surfers seems to be tucked up in their little vans as we walked down to the beach. The waves were big! but the wind was stronger. After being sand blasted for 2 minutes we decided that surfing was a non starter. So we loaded up the cars and headed over to Bala and to the Tryweryn.

The Tryweryn is a dam release river which has been modified to provide a grade 4 river. This is typically where we go in the summer when there is no water else where. Bala was equally windy but the trees gave a bit of shelter. We all headed up to the top of the river and put in beneath the Chipper. This was the first trip on the Tryweryn for Dave, Steve, Gill and Bob.

We started out just practising Eddy hopping at the top of the grave yard all seemed to be going well. Everyone made the eddies that they needed to and we decided to go on to the next section over the large drop. I went off first to watch people coming down the drop and Bob followed me. Sitting at the bottom Bob came storming down the drops but went over near to the bottom when things easied off abit after the worst of the run. Once I was sure Bob was to the side I started off after his paddle and boat. Eventually I met up with the boat at the bottom of the Ski Slope and got it empty with the help of a near by paddler. A slightly battered Bob met up with me and his boat.

Andy and Gill had made there way down the river on their own after Bob and I had left them. the rest of the river was reasonably straight forward, although I did take quiet along time to roll after the elbow wave under the bridge. I'm looking forward to seeing Paul's video of the trip. The next trip down was a little less eventful, although Andy and Paul managed to get the small eddy in the middle of the Ski Slope. I think i've got to get this nailed when we go next.

More Pictures

# posted by Gavin @ Thursday, June 02, 2005

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