CSCC Reports 2012: South Wales - January 2012

Two days after Burns Night, a 20% Scottish group from the Civil Service Canoe Club made their way to Brecon for a weekend of paddling easyish white water rivers in south Wales.

We hired a cottage for the weekend, which was lovely. We had plenty of space, an excellent kitchen, and a wide variety of different types of heating. Pete and Richard got to wrestle with gas cannisters, while Mark showed us how to set a wood fire.

The first day we paddled the Wye from Rhayader to Llanwrthl. Levels were good - 2 inches above the red line on the Rhayader gauge, and about 90cm on the Ddol Farm gauge. We did a bit of practicing with break-ins and break-outs, before testing these on some determined eddy lines. One rapid under an old railway bridge required some chin-stroking, but everyone got down OK. Turtle and Steve had a mild out-of-boat experience or two, and were informed by a well-spoken lady outside a big red house by a footbridge that they should swim down 1km to Llanwrthl Bridge, rather than uncouthly emptying out their capsized boat on the bank near her house.

That night we demonstrated the power of division of labour, in a way that would have made (canny Scot) Adam Smith proud. Martin took on the haggis, Tom the tatties and Richard the neeps. Fi did the carrots, Pete the smoked salmon and Mark sort of did the gravy. Colette remembered the words to the Burns Night grace, and Fi which order they go in. Neither would let me recite McGonagall. We then stuffed ourselves silly, Colette and Mark cleaned up after us, and Turtle stayed up with the dishwasher.

No rain overnight and an icy morning saw a low river Usk the following morning (1.3 on the Brecon gauge, 53cm at Trallong). We paddled down from Sennibridge. The kayakers enjoyed the ledge drops, especially Tom who got out and ran most of them twice. Everyone remained in an uprightish position. The open boat needed coaxing down drops on a long rope, which took some time, and eventually when the half-way point beckoned Steve and Turtle decided to try the overland route. The kayakers sprinted on, with only the briefest pauses at playwaves. At the end as we got to the cars we saw Turtle jogging along, proving that kayaks and Turtles move at much the same speed.

Click here for Tom's photos and here for Pete's.