Aber Kayakers Lake District Trip
Having now kayaked on 3 different rivers in my life (the Dee at Mile End Mill, the lower Tryweryn and the Teifi at Llandysul) I was beginning to feel like an actual kayaker. Time therefore to join the Aber Kayakers on a trip to the Lake District to paddle 4 more rivers. Doing so would double my river count and my time on the water in a kayak. Hopefully, I’d improve my skills somewhat too.
With the same boat I’d used previously loaded onto the camper and a new drysuit to try out it was time to head north, collecting Judith and her boat on the way.
To break the trip up a little we stopped off in Llangollen for a stroll up to Castell Dinas Brân where we were greeted by a dramatic double rainbow.
Once in Kendal, we were soon settled into a nice Hostel right in the middle of the town. It was clean, comfortable and had everything we needed. It was also close to places to eat and drink. Judith and I headed off to find a pub for what Judith had promised would be a single beer before the others arrived. Of course, the others arrived one by one while we were in the pub, ordering drinks as they did. We were ‘forced’ to remain with them and the peanut butter stout was going down well. Those of us too lazy to cook stayed there for dinner too. Delicious Venison steak with a blackcurrant jus for me.
Back at the hostel talk was of the plans and logistics for the following day. As a novice I just listened in, hoping that the talk of wave trains, weirs and rapids wouldn’t prove too much for my skills. I was half hoping to hear that there would be someone else similarly lacking in experience but that didn’t seem to be the case. I was definitely going to be the novice on this trip and therefore the least capable. Not something I’m used to in most walks of life, but I’d have to get used to it.
Lake District Day 1: The River Eden
After the usual pfaff with boats, cars and shuttles to get everyone where they needed to be, it was into the water at Lazonby.
Today’s trip would be down the River Eden. It was a little overcast, quite windy but warm. I was certainly toastie in my dry suit and much more comfortable than in a wetsuit as I had been previously. We were split into two groups. My group consisted of Ro and Judith T. as the leaders and me, Judith W and Brychan. The first obstacle of the day was a bridge with a few little swirly bits of water around the stanchions. It didn’t take long for me to prove my novice credentials by going for a swim. It was an easy rescue though and I was soon back in my boat. I did try to claim that I was just checking that my drysuit worked and that Ro and Judith were up to the task of rescuing us should the need arise!
Not the best of starts but I’m glad to say that was my only mishap of the day. The river itself was lovely. It’s very wide, surrounded by autumnal trees and towering sandstone cliffs and full of bumpy, fun wave trains. There was nothing too tricky for most of the day so it might not have been too exhilarating for most, but for me, each rapid was a new experience and required concentration to execute. I soon discovered that I quite liked following Judith W’s line as she seemed to pick a sensible route that suited me just fine. It also meant that if I saw her hit a rock I could avoid it.
Brychan went for a bit of a swim at one point which made me feel a little better. He then managed to fall in whilst getting out of his boat for lunch too. We saw the other group from time to time but mostly stayed apart on the river to make things easier for the leaders. The section after lunch was much the same as before until we got to the crux of the day at Amathwaite Weir where the groups came together. We all got out to have a look. A few people decided it was too much for them, so they portaged around it. I was a little unsure but then had one last look said “yep, I’ll do it” and then didn’t look at it again for fear of changing my mind. Judith W. decided to do it as well so we headed back to our boats ready to give it a go.
Ro led the way with Judith W following. I was then to follow Judith T. down. What I didn’t know as I set off to follow Judith’s line down was that Judith W (who is a much better paddler than me) hadn’t quite made it and had ended up swimming. Probably a good thing as had I known I may have lost confidence in my ability to do it. As it happens, and probably due to some luck, I made it fairly cleanly and popped out the other side in control and the right way up.
I was glad I’d given it a go and quite pleased as I felt as though I’d put in paddle strokes right where I needed to and in just the right way.
That was the end of the River Eden for the day. Other than my little mishap in the first 5 minutes all was good. It was back to the hostel and off to the pub again for dinner.
Lake District Day 2: The River Lune
The weather was similarly overcast the next day for a trip down the River Lune. The put-in was in a little woodland where we spent quite a bit of time waiting for the shuttles and such like thanks to various closed bridges. Once on the water the first half was a pleasant, easy run with little of consequence. That’s not to say it wasn’t nice as it was actually very enjoyable with plenty of interesting little features and some lovely scenery.
There were a few larger features in the second half. Most of which I made surprisingly well. I did go for a swim at one point though on a feature known as The Strid. It looked a little intimidating but I thought I’d be OK on it so gave it a go. However, I fell out before I even got into it so ended up doing it upside down whilst getting out of my boat. No harm was done and it was the only time I got wet today – just testing procedures again. I did lose a shoe in the process though.
Dinner tonight was a fish and chip takeaway washed down with beer, all consumed en masse in the hostel.
Lake District Day 3: The River Crake
Day 3 started from Coniston Water on a glorious, sunny autumnal day. It was still unseasonably warm for November though.
We were soon off, paddling into the wind and a low sun across Coniston Water looking for the source of the River Crake. We found it and paddled through the reeds and then into a maze of overhanging trees. Negotiating our way through the trees wasn’t much fun really. My GoPro that I had mounted on top of my helmet kept getting caught on the low-hanging branches, and eventually got tangled a little too much in one. This toppled me out of my boat for the first swim of the day. It also snapped my GoPro mounting and I managed to lose a shoe again. Thankfully this time I was reunited with it and able to carry on. This little spill did provide a good opportunity to stop for first lunch and the other group joined us too. A chance for a group photo.
Back on the water, it was more of the same really. There were some nice rapids this time though and a couple of tricky ones too. I managed to hit another tree a little later in the day. As usual, I was following Judiths line, she clipped the tree but I wasn’t quite a lucky and hit it full on. This toppled me from my boat and into a tricky swim trying to avoid getting washed into any of the trees and other debris in the river. I was OK and soon out of the water with the help of a throwline from Ro. Brychan had hit the tree too and also come out. He too was safely on the bank. Our boats however were both pinned in a tricky spot.
Another chance for procedural testing as we tried to extricate the boats. Eventually we were on our way once again. There were a few tricky sections to negotiate and a few other swimmers too but I managed to stay in my boat for these. We then entered calmer waters as the river made it’s way to the estuary of the River Leven. Today’s trip had pretty much been a source to sea journey. Despite the trees and nastiness they presented it had been a good paddle.
Lake District Day 4: The River Kent
The final day of the trip was upon us already. Time for a slightly more demanding paddle on the River Kent. The planning meetings about this sounded a little ominous and much was kept under wraps. It was going to be a case of finding out how difficult it looked on the day.
It started off nicely with a small weir just outside of Kendal and then some pleasant paddling with the odd little rapid. There was another slightly larger weir too that was easily negotiated by all. The river then started to steepen and the rapids became a little more exciting. Soon we were into more of a gorge and came upon some drops. I can’t remember the exact order of the but I decided to miss one of them out. The drop itself and the run off after looked doable but I wasn’t confident of my ability to ferry-glide across to the correct spot. If I got it wrong on the set-up then the consequences didn’t look like much fun. I wasn’t the only one not to do it but had fun watching the others. I tried the next one which was actually a bigger drop but had an easier set-up. I pretty much made it but then just at the last minute fell out. Once again rescue procedures were tested. The only way out was up a slippery gorge wall. So, with the aid of ropes I went up first and then dragged my boat up.
There was no way back in from here so I, along with those that had decided not to do the previous drop, headed a short distance along the road to the get-out. The others carried on, over a weir that looked fairly straightforward and then into Force Falls which looked a little more intimidating.
Everyone made it safely over and that was the end of the trip.
There was just time for the usual pfaff with cars and boat and then a visit to the nearby Farm Shop and Café. Here we had a late lunch overlooking a milking parlour.
The perfect end to a great trip. Thanks of course to the organisers and to everyone else who came along to make it a good trip. I have to thank Judith W for being my ‘rock-finder’ for much of the trip and of course a special thanks to all the people who pulled me out of the water and rescued my boat when the need arose. I did feel as though I was something of a nuisance seeing as I came out of my boat every day, but it’s also the only way I’m going to get any better. Hopefully soon I’ll improve enough have less of an impact upon proceedings.
I wonder where kayaking will take me next? For now, here’s a quick 3 minute video edit of the 4 day trip for your enjoyment.
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Sometimes I wonder if you are my son ? ..However I remember the birth quite clearly!