CSCC Reports 2006: River Barle, 11-12 November 2006

The team

Bridget, Carole, Chris, Fi, Martin and Richard with guest appearance from Tiffany, Steve and family.

The B&B

We stayed at a B&B in Dulverton called Town Mills www.townmillsdulverton.co.uk. The accommodation is very spacious but without any communal rooms. Breakfast is served in your bedroom. I think we did not endear ourselves to the landlady.

The Trip

When we arrived on Friday evening the river was very low, about 15 cm below the bottom of the ramp. Fortunately it started raining hard and we spent the evening in the pub feeling more optimistic.

By Saturday morning the rain had stopped but the level was up to the bottom of the ramp so we headed for Tarr Steps. Steve was looking after the children so we did not need to organise a shuttle. Even so we didn’t get on the water until after 11.00. Some of the team took advantage of the low level to practise limbo under the stepping stones.

The major hazards on the river were rocks hiding just under the surface and horses (huntsmen) paddling across the river. Chris kindly located every rock in the river and that made it easier for those following to avoid some of them. Carole performed a spectacular breakout and ended up hugging a rock but Fi was there to provide comfort and help. Bridget and Tiffany also managed to find a few rocks but without major incident. Whilst most of us had lunch watching the huntsmen go back and forth Fi and Martin performed for us on a conveniently placed wave. Steve was waiting patiently as we arrived in Dulverton – it seemed a long way and took us about 4½ hours all together.

The Expedition

No more rain so we decided to mount an expedition to the source of the Barle. The explorers set off from Tarr Steps and forced a passage along wide leafy paths as far as Withypool. There we stopped for refreshment before scaling Withypool hill (398m) using only our legs. Martin’s kite provide lots of entertainment with Bridget standing by in the danger area to launch it for everyone.

R.S. 05.12.06

All images ©2006 CSCC. Pictures by Richard S/Carole M, Chris S, Martin S.