CSCC Reports 2011: River Barle Intro to White Water - November2011

On a dark Friday night, a motley crew of 7 paddlers assembled at Chiswick to begin the long trek over to the River Barle on Exmoor. 3 cars were duly loaded with boats, before Fi, Eleanor, Colette, Mark S, Stephen, Mark W and Tom hit the (not-so) open road. As we approached Bristol, we drove through several torrential downpours, which we took to be a good omen of things to come, since there had been rumours that the water level in the Barle may not be high enough to paddle.

We arrived at our hotel-cum-B&B, which Stephen had booked at last minute discount rate, around 10pm. We set up the hotel bar as our briefing room, and the ‘briefing’ lasted well into the night.

The Saturday morning arrived on time, and with it a clear day, and significantly warmer than expected for November. Bacon, eggs, sausage (and coffee) were consumed around our large breakfast table and the final plans for the day agreed. Lunches were procured from the pretty village of Dulverton, and a group inspection of the river levels at the bridge was carried out. The level was deemed to be acceptable, and so Plan A was launched. This saw us donning our kit and ferrying the boats up river to Tarr Steps, from where we would paddle back down to Dulverton. Boats dropped off, the heroic drivers ferried the cars back to Dulverton.

Those left behind at the steps had ample time to contemplate the conditions on the river. Tom was concerned that it was flowing a lot faster than he would be able to paddle. Fortunately, he was quickly told that the plan was to paddle downstream and he was much relieved. Car shuttling complete, and after a quick final brief from Fi, the group made it onto the water without incident around 1pm.

We paddled for around an hour, with the more experienced group members giving valuable coaching to the white water virgins, and the group practiced their break ins/outs in every eddy they could find. [??Was the first surf wave before or after lunch??] About halfway into the session, we came across a small shelf, which produced a perfect hole/wave [technical term?] that everyone had fun trying to surf on. There were also some small standing waves following the feature, that proved more difficult to get onto.

Shortly after 2pm, the rumblings of discontented stomachs saw us land at the side of a tree lined field, and the picnics were broken out. I was at this point that Tom realised that he had failed to ensure the Colette had packed *all* of her lunch, a failure that he deeply regrets to this day. Colette was forced to survive on a small wheel of goats cheese and several handfuls of wine gums - it’s a hard life.

After lunch we proceeded down the river, and the beginners continued to practice their basic whitewater skills. Despite everyone’s best efforts, no one got wet. Not long after setting off we came across an amazing sight. 4 fully grown deer were fording the river in front of us, with more of their herd [is that the right collective?] grazing on the banks. The leaders of the group desperately tried to swing into an Eddy before they were spotted, but neither Tom’s bright yellow ‘banana boat’ nor his ‘mega-tsunami’ paddling style could be described as stealthy. Most of the deer scattered, but the lead buck took his time making it clear that it was his river, and he was choosing to walk out of it in his own time, and he definitely wasn’t scared. A remarkable sight and something no one in the group had ever experienced.

Around 3pm the group realised it was lagging behind where it had intended to be, and so the pace was picked up. This presented its own challenges, but everyone enjoyed the chance to let rip with a long continuous run down to [?? the bridge before Dulverton??].

It was around 4.30pm at this point and the group knew that there was still about 30 minutes of paddling left and about the same amount of daylight. As the bride was the last get-out point before Dulverton, the group unanimously voted to carry on to finished the planned paddle. Shortly before the Dulverton bridge, the final obstacle stood - a weir running down to an island with a sharp left hand kink in the river. Fi went first and scouted the best line down the left hand face, and she was soon followed by the rest of the group. Colette decided that the weir looked a bit too easy for her, and elected to run it sideways. Despite this bravado, she remained stubbornly upright at the bottom, and we proceeded to land at the Dulverton bride just as darkness was falling.

After a brief respite (nap) dinner was taken in the hotel. Tom and Stephen were pleased to find out that burgers are classed as a starter in Exmoor.  Mark S proved that it is possible to drink rose wine while maintaining an air of masculinity (just). Much chat was had reviewing the events of the day and one by one the group dissolved to their rooms.

Sunday morning began with cooked breakfasts gratefully received by everyone. Everyone was keen to discuss the day's paddle ahead, withthe exception of Stephen, who 'needed to be alone' with his paper and the entire coffee supply of Dulverton. This was definitely unconnected with the events of the previous night, the early hours of the morning, nor the hotels beer supply running out. Unfortunately during breakfast, Mark revealed that the backrest in his boat had come loose the day before and that his back was too sore to paddle.

The Sunday paddle was to start at the Dulverton bridge where we finished on Saturday and to finish at [?]. As we brought the boats down to the bridge, we found a large group of paddlers, with a mix of kayaks, Canadian canoes and excellent beards. By the time our kit was unloaded and the cars were shuttles to the get-out this group were on the river.

The Sunday paddle was supposed to be easier than the Saturday as the river was slightly wider and the gradient slightly steeper. However, it was far from featureless. Two weirs were described by the guidebook, along with a fee play waves.

A short way into the paddle, we came across a fast flowing part of the river where the min flow was funneled down a narrow gap. The rear of the preferring group were playing in the subsequent wave train. Not to be outdone, we queued up in the eddy for our chance to break into the fast flow. The first few attempts went a bit too well, and Tom's attempt at a fast break in and out across the flow ended in a practical lesson why you should edge away from the flow! On the positive side, Tom's brand new dry cag performed as advertised.

The group then came to the first edit of the day. The bravado of some of the group wanting to run the edit soon dissapeared as a quick scout from the shore showed a fairly scary looking flow down a set of 4 fish steps. Discretion being the better part of valour, the boats were portaged down to the bottom.

The the group paddled down to the next weir, pausing for a spot of surfing on a small wave by a bridge. A number of walkers on the bridge seemed quite bemused by this. The next weir was reached and once again To selflessly volunteered herself to scout the way. A small wall ran down the middle of the weir on a diagonal, channeling the water down this unusual angle. Most of the group elected to avoid this part, though Stephen ran down it looking very happy. Finally only Mark S and Colette were left at the top. Once again, Colette's disregard for convention kicked in and she decided that Mark and her should raft up and run the weir catamaran-style. This was surprisingly effective and looked rather fun!

The guide book had said that after the second air there as a good play wave. As the group rounded a bend in the river, a fairly monstrous feature loomed. A raging torrent of water cascded down a small lip, creating a mass of foaming fury. No one felt brave enough to try surfing in this but Stephen chose it as a good spot to practice his roll, so paddled in and threw himself over, before making rolling look far too easy and popping back up downstream.

A few hundred metres further down there was a much smaller and more gentle wave running the width of the river. Everyone felt a lot more confident with this and the width allowed the whole group to practice their synchronized surfing! Colette even showed off her backwards surfing - once again defying convention.

The get out was only a short distance further and before disembarking a few of the group practiced their rolls. All were successful, though Mark S's was notable for the subsequent tirade of expletives cursing the low temperature of the water!

Once everone was off the water, tea and snacks were taken in the nearby pub, before the convoy set off back to Chiswick.

Our thanks go to Stephen for organising the trip and acommodation, and to all the experienced paddlers in the group whos teaching was invaluable to the first-timers.