A Day Kayaking on Grade 2-3 water – Trip Report

Sat 24^th November 2018 – A Day Kayaking on Grade 2-3 water.

HCC. Trip Report – Phill Burgess

This trip was planned to be at Matlock on the river Derwent, with a sizable group desperate to go, however because a BC kayaking event was being held on the same day the location was moved to the river Dee at Llangollen. 

This move was a significant bonus for all, the Dee was at a relatively low level but the quality of the water for a days paddle was significantly better.

We were 13 paddlers in total including 2 invited guests with Dave Clarke and Fraser Watson leading the group we were all in safe and capable hands. 

A couple of the paddlers had brought their playboats, to refresh their skills on water that was ideal for playing, especially on the stretch of water adjacent to Mile End Mill (MEM). The rest were in standard closed cockpit kayaks, a fun day ahead.

We assembled in the car park of MEM, at 9-30 and were ready to get on the water just before 10-30, a group discussion decided that the preferred option was to run the river from just above The Horseshoe Falls Hotel, back down to MEM, where we would then play for a while. The alternative option would have been to stay at MEM all day.

The downside to our choice was that we needed to paddle up the canal in order to get to the start point. This involved a preliminary warm up paddle getting used to the moving water and gently warming up the muscles etc, on the water outside MEM, and then crossing over the river and portaging the boats up the bank, across the railway line at the crossing point, the main road and onto the canal towpath. We then had a procession of kayakers paddling up the canal to the start point where the canal ends, but is also adjacent to the river. This is a character building start to the day, the playboaters suffered more than the general kayaks and by the time we reached the river start point we were all ready for a short break.

To access the river below Horseshoe Falls requires negotiating a steep embankment, there is reasonable access down the bank at one point, but a far more interesting and exciting entry to the water is to slide down a steep purpose made ramp and seal launch into the river. To those who had not done it before, it looked intimidating, some were having second thoughts, but having watched the first few launch this way, they too became eager to do it. We all launched using the ramp and it was a great start to the trip.

Seal launch to start – Photos  by :- Martin Shakey Cattel

Because the water was relatively low there were lots more rocks in evidence and throughout the day I’m convinced that some people had ‘rock magnets’ concealed in their boats they had such an affinity with the rocks.

As we progressed down the bouncy water up to and past Horseshoe Falls hotel, it allowed all to get used to the water conditions, with an odd swimmer, but nothing untoward or unexpected. 

We then moved on to the holding and get out point for an inspection of Serpents Tail. Discussions were held regarding the alternative routes to take through Serpents. Decisions were also made about who wanted to run it, understandably, some felt they didn’t have the experience/confidence to run it, the playboats were not really appropriate for running it, and for some this was a personal challenge that they wanted to undertake. Preparing oneself for runs of this nature is as much about mind control as it is about boat control, there were some great achievements made today. This was the highlight of the day for those who hadn’t run it before, or struggled with it on a previous occasion. It was a joy to be part of these personal triumphs, well done all. 

Serpants Tail – Ro Puttergill & also  Scott Jones (guest) riding over the top of Kenny Crane’s Boat (was he in it???) – Photos by Jude Kristian

The remainder of the run was a lovely gentle paddle with the occasional feature which required single file passage to ensure safety, and soon enough we were back where we started at MEM.

This had been a superb river run in fantastic surroundings, with a water level that suited everyone with many personal triumphs. The day passed with good company and a great team that worked well together.

For some it was (late) lunch time and time to get changed, for others there was still some waves to play on and build up skills (or maybe not), on wave surfing, boat control, stoppers and generally having fun. We had the wave to ourselves, except for one young lady who showed us how it should be done. It wasn’t too long before the playing came to an end with a group of very tired but extremely happy paddlers.

It was time to hit the road back home, thanks everyone for a superb day.