Time: 3 hours

Level: 0.726 m, dropping to 0.71 m

Weather: 3 - 8 °C, occasional rain, and really windy at the start

Group: Me, Andy, Aaron, Ellena

Vibes

A cold and windy start, but fun and varied features all the way down. A great day!

Features

1. Big Rock - Straightforward read and run grade 3+, around a big rock.
2. Chicken Shoot - We ran the right (hero) line, starting hard right. Worth inspecting before running, I did this from the right. Andy looked from the left side and said it would run, but would be a bit dull. This was good fun.
3. Sheep Trolley Gorge - Bit of a hole, but nothing to worry about!
4. Easan Dubha - It looked horrible, and would've been erring on stunt boating at this level. No-one paddled it.
5. Sore Tooth - You've got to start on the left, but after this you have options. The flow wants to take you right, over a diagonal drop. If you do go right, you'll want to commit and go hard right to get to a tongue drop. Otherwise, gun hard left and enjoy quite a fun little drop.
6. Rollercoaster - Go right and enjoy! Start over towards the right to avoid carrying momentum into the wall.
7. End of Civilisation - Scout around the corner and then snake through the read and run grade 4. We had to start left and then wiggle rightwards to avoid a bit of a hole.
8. Eas a'Chathaidh - I ran it!! Start left and do a right-hand boof over the lip to avoid going into the boily mess/hole. Then, try and stay upright. Worth guarding the hole with a line.
9. Witches Step - Go fairly right and boof off the rock, and then you're at the get out!

Other Notes

I ran my first grade 5!! It looked inviting enough.

Level: 1.6 m on Caminsky gauge

Weather: 5-8 °C, cloudy

Group: Me, Josh, Jacob, Abi, Fin, Cartwheel

Vibes

We ran this as a speedy lap and it was both enjoyable and uneventful. This was made more worthwhile by its proximity to our accommodation.

Features

1. Fairy Steps - Some fun bounce, but largely washed out. Enjoyable, and read and run with a solid group.
2. Head Banger - Largely washed out and now dominated by a wave further downstream. Quite boily!
3. Constriction - A fun grade 4 drop at this level. Worth having bank based safety and signals on the river right. It's a bit boily immediately above the drop if you're starting from the eddy on the right. The line is definitely left!
4. Toxic Masculinity - Boil, boil, and boil. Rocks here are washed out.

Other Notes

This was done quickly to facilitate a Garry lap in the afternoon and could be paired with a second river for those keen (or as a follow up to the Upper Spean).

Level: 2 pipes flowing out of Laggan Dam.

Weather: 7 °C, raining.

Group: Me, Max, Oatmeal, Aaron, Fin, Emma

Time: 1hr40 plus a protracted climb in and out.

Vibes

A delightful section that provides very fun continuous grade 3 before flattening out as you approach the end. It might not be everyone's cup of tea and would be a very sub-optimal swim location. If the river is running at two pipes, it is ABSOLUTLEY worth running, I personally had a blast!

Features/Experience

Getting on below the dam, you're immediately in continuous grade 3 - read and run. There are a decent number of eddies to catch your breath. This is a bouncy delight.

As the river flattens, you start to approach Inverlair Gorge, which is an ok grade 3/3+ gorge, but its proximity to the falls is spooky. Guard the entry hole with a line. Eddy on the left after the gorge.

Other Notes

The climb in and out are quite a protracted affair and we had to use throwlines to lower the boats down to the river.

Level: Medium?

Weather: 11 °C, sunny.

Time: 2hr40 with significant sessioning of the main event, and some safety practice.

Group: Me, Andy, Emma, Ayla.

Vibes

A shorter section, with just one noteworthy feature. A good choice for gentler/shorter day, or an entry in a multi-river day.

Features

1. A weir - plenty of signage to warm you of its approach. Can be run, but it's not really fun. It is easily portaged, and could well be safer to.
2. The Main Event - A grade 4 feature with a fairly straightforward line: right. While it can be scouted from either bank, the river right bank is superior in every way. The main point of interest is the hole near the bottom, which we guarded. When you near the bottom, just follow the flow into a bit of a small bend. Line of sight is a bit annoying. Sessioning is easy and recommended.

Other Notes

You can do a bridge jump at the end if you're so inclined.

Time: 5hr20, with a little bit of sessioning of Triple Step.

Level: 0.55 m (Linne nam Beathach/Victoria Bridge) BUT the level was definitely rising while we were on it and higher than this may suggest due to significant snow melt. This was a much hotter day than the proceeding days.

Weather: 5 - 15 °C, sunny (lovely)

Group: Me, Andy, Aaron, Emma, Ayla

Vibes

Perhaps a little higher than we would've liked. This was a punchy day, but very rewarding. I think the sunny weather was a massive boon.

Features

1. Triple Step - Honestly, a bit mank at this level. Many people relied on braces through triple 1 and then were stuck against the rock on triple 2. This definitely required some set-point safety and generated a good few swims!
2. Letterbox - Go about as far left as you can manage. It wasn't a bad level for letterbox, but the hole was in need of live-bait safety (this was only used for a boat rescue in the end). The siphon should also be considered. I ended up paddling pretty close to the slot without consequence.
3. Ski Jump - Always a blast! Auto-boof fun. Aim to the left of the rock on river right. At this level, the rock was covered by water, but was still somewhat visible as a landmark.
4. Crack of Doom - A rocky lead-in. The line itself was fairly hard to whiff, but also hard to master. There was some disagreement about which side to boof over the lip, suggesting either would work. I opted for a left-hand boof. It's definitely worth having some robust safety in the rock itself.
5. Crack of Dawn - A good sneak line ran to the left, and the flow at the bottom made the landing and turning pretty automatic. For those who didn't fancy running it, there was a decent enough portage spot on the far left, but some help may be required to keep the boat steady.
6. Slides - A little bit meaty at this level, pick you way down and it's mostly read and run. We did have a swim here.
7. Right Angle - This was big water and an intimidating drop. A gentle boof was ideal to carry your momentum out away from the bottom of the drop. We as a club had a couple people get stuck behind the waterfall, these were pulled out using a throwline from the crag at the top of the falls.
8. Hipbreaker - This is the first time I've actually run it, it looked more appealing than it has before at lower levels. I did have my deck implode. The line is to just gun it away from the titular rock. Safety is reasonably straightforward. Paddling the bit after hipbreaker can be taken on river right, but avoid the siphon on far right.

Other Notes

The level did rise due to snow melt and this is definitely something to consider. The day was made considerably more enjoyable by the sunshine, and we chose to do the Allt a' Chaoruinn afterwards.

Level: 0.55 m (Linne nam Beathach/Victoria Bridge) BUT the level was definitely higher than this may suggest due to significant snow melt. This was a much hotter day than the proceeding days.

Weather: 10 - 15 °C, sunny/cloudy/warm breeze

Group: 19 of us.

Time: 1hr25 plus the 20 min or so hike up and down.

Vibes

Due to snow melt, this was much higher than we'd seen previously, and more sections were actually paddable than usual, depending on how sendy you are! Our usual slides weren't the most inviting swim, but there were still fun chances for jumping in.

Features

1. Speed - Still a chute, but thew you into a wall at the end and the eddy at the bottom was flowing downstream. You may benefit from a spraydeck.
2. Ecstasy - Not suitable for out of boat fun, but could be enjoyed in a kayak.
3. Pinball - At this level, not suitable for a crewed kayak. Portage.
4. Crack - Scary!! Three people went for it, but in my book, they're nuts.

Other Notes

The walk is much more pleasant now the path has had some work finished.

Level: Just above two levels of quartz lines at Roybridge. Probably a high low?

Weather: 2 - 10 °C, sunny/cloudy

Group: Me, Abi, ETP, Fin

Vibes

This was enjoyable and wasn't too scrapey. Fairly back heavy in terms of features, but entertaining throughout.

Features

1. Mini gorge - a non-issue and a fun bit of eddy hopping.
2. Rooster Tail - The only grade 44. Scrapey, scrapey entry, then choose the right channel and pop a left-hand boof, plenty of room to clean-up after.
3. Wish you were here - Go left of the fairly central rock and ride the flow down the drop. You may enter the drop at any point and probably be fine. You might accidentally eddy out early (as I did), but this is also fine.

Other Notes

Good fun! We went on to do the gorge and the lower with slightly different groups.

Level: Just above two levels of quartz lines at Roybridge. Probably a high low?

Weather: 4-10 °C? Cloudy and sunny spells.

Group: Max, Josh, Me, Andy, Oatmeal, Maddy

Time: 1hr30 for this section, but we then did the lower (another hour) down to Roybridge.

Vibes

Both fun and funny, but not for everyone. Full of fun drops and choss. Perhaps best suited to those with a touch of masochism. I'd take a strong group as swims could potentially be quite protracted.

Features

1. Siphon River Right - A fairly straightforward chute with an easily avoided siphon.
2. Headbanger - Mandatory portage siphon, marked by a huge cliffy rock on river right.
3. After the portage, get back on for a fun sudden drop. Worth scouting this drop and the following rapids while you're out of your boat for the portage.
4. There's a boily slot with a rock in the channel, but it's reasonably easily avoided.
5. A longer section of grade 3 read and run, with some windy-er bits required eddy hopping for line of sight.
6. Steep Ramp - First of the three "lefties". The line was middle down a steep ramp (as the name might suggest), and it was a bit chossy.
7. Boulder - Boof - Siphon (aka Teacup) - A tight wind around a rock, very quickly into another rock. Easy to hit into the following rock. Very difficult to have line of sight or scout it.

Other Notes

Plenty to entertain, and most sections look worse than they are.

We had a swim a bit before the first siphon, which was easy enough to rescue, but would've been more of a pain at higher levels.

Level: Just above two levels of quartz lines at Roybridge. Probably a high low?

Weather: 4-10 °C? Cloudy and sunny spells.

Group: Max, Josh, Me, Andy, Oatmeal, Maddy

Time: 1hr for this section after having run the upper and gorge earlier.

Vibes

A vastly superior option to the long climb out of the gorge. Peppered with grade 3 and bimbles, but also a fair bit of scrape!

Features

Not really too many stand out features. Plenty of read and run grade 2 and 3. There were sections of extended scrape. There was one longer grade 3 section by the rail bridge in Roy Bridge, which was a pleasant surprise.

Other Notes

We did this after the gorge instead of walking up from there, it was definitely the superior choice.

Morning run: 2hrs for this lap.

Weather: 2 °C, hailing initially and pretty miserably cold at first.

Group: Me, Andy, Maddy, Fin

Vibes

Incredibly fun and pleasant. A bouncy ride with boils and one stand-out feature (constriction). Devoid of the scrape and portaging that are present at lower levels.

Features

1. Fairy Steps - Largely washed out. Two distinct steps, both predominately right lines.
2. Headbanger - Washed out and no longer grade 5 at all. A nice tongue on the right. Make sure to go right after the wave to avoid the central hole.
3. Constriction - A big loud drop around the corner. The main flow is split in two. Go left to avoid a munchy time, ideally aim for the left shoulder. There are eddies on either side. So much fun, and it looks worse than it is. The flow does go into a wall pretty quickly after the drop, so do make an effort to paddle into the eddies relatively quickly if you can.
4. Toxic Masculinity - Washed out and just a boily run.

Other Notes

Plenty of boils just randomly around. It was a miserably cold start in the heavy hail.

Afternoon run: 2hr50 for this lap.

Weather: 2 °C, with spells of sun, rain, and cloud.

Group: Me, Andy, Maddy, Fin, Ayla

Vibes

Another very pleasant lap! However, a swim just after head banger added some faff due to being in a gorge.

Features

The features were the same in this afternoon lap as the morning lap. Copied below for completeness:

1. Fairy Steps - Largely washed out. Two distinct steps, both predominately right lines.
2. Headbanger - Washed out and no longer grade 5 at all. A nice tongue on the right. Make sure to go right after the wave to avoid the central hole.
3. Constriction - A big loud drop around the corner. The main flow is split in two. Go left to avoid a munchy time, ideally aim for the left shoulder. There are eddies on either side. So much fun, and it looks worse than it is. The flow does go into a wall pretty quickly after the drop, so do make an effort to paddle into the eddies relatively quickly if you can.
4. Toxic Masculinity - Washed out and just a boily run.

Other Notes

We had a swim on the hole of the exit of headbanger, and used a throwline to get them out swiftly. The boat chase continued down to constriction. While it was possible to climb up to the path on river right from headbanger, there was no way down to constriction, and so the swimmer walked off from there. Towing the boat was fine, apart from trying to get the boat across the flow at constriction. Helpfully, there was phone signal (SMS, but patchy mobile data) along a lot of the gorge, which made communicating a fair bit easier.

Weather: 4°C, but felt warmer and was sunny - although snow on the ground.

Time: 1hr50, but this could be extended by doing more laps.

Group: Aaron, Josh, Me, Fin

Level: Dam was releasing, but we were there for pretty much the switch on, so may have been lower than typical levels.

Vibes

A leader development day, focussed on planning approach to features. A pleasant day out with plenty of playing oppourtunities.

Features

1. A turn in the river around a orner, with a bit of a drop. Fairly read and run.
2. A play wave which is a nice spot with big eddies. It's a great spot to work on flatspins, or just general hole/surfing confidence.
3. Hey Diddle Diddle - Line straight down the middle, but fairly forgiving even if you don't plan your line too much. Line of sight is the challenging part here, but signals on the rock on river right (or a party train) solve this. May be a bit of a longer boat chase, but very managable, if there are any swims.
4. Whitebridge Wave - Usually a better play hole. Today it was quite flushy and pushed you to river left if you didn't kill you entry speed.

Other Notes

We sessioned down from Hey Diddle Diddle and did a 13-person party train. There was snow on the ground at arrival, but because of no wind, it really didn't feel that cold, until you got brain freeze from the water if you rolled.

Weather: 11°C, cloudy, light occasional drizzle.

Group: Me, Abi, Noah, Bread, Max, Josh

Vibes

Really good day for inters, with something for everyone. Good variety of playspots between the two (enjoyable) features.

Features

1. Serpent's tail - Follow the flow. No option to skirt around the bottom stopped, so try to carry some speed. It's quite boily at the end, so remind people to keep paddling.
2. Mile end mill - Starts with a steep hole that didn't look inviting at this level. Then you have two play waves, the first of which was the most beginner friendly, and was a decent flatspin spot.
3. Town falls - The weirs on the lead-in were fairly easily navigable with a bit of thought. Left line (just right of the slab) ran well. The right line required more finesse to avoid slots/holes/backlooping. Keep people paddling through the boil at the end (avoid premature celebration).

Other Notes

We did the seal launch at the start. Both features were worth a bit of a session.

Level: rather low.

Weather: 8 °C and cloudy

Group: Me, Andy, Abi

Time: 1hr00, not including the climb out.

Vibes

We went for a bomb lap. It was a bit of a boney technical paddle. I wouldn't say it's the best paddling Scotland has to offer. At this level, it's less scary than the guidebook says.

Features

1. I wish you were here - I didn't paddle it as it just looked boney, a sign of what was to come. River left drop ran fine though.
2. A siphon. Large boulders mean it's time to get out on river right, it was fairly easy to get in and out, and not the absolute worst portage.
3. Uncertain on names from here. There were plenty of awkward bimble like sections - reminiscent of a scrapey Dart, with a few more rocks that may be in the way of your elbows.
4. The Brothers Grim? - I got pinned here. At this level, easily guarded and scouted river left, saving an awkward river right climb. Am annoying rock in the middle of the channel after the bend causes the pins!

Other Notes

The climb out at the end involves a lot elevation. The get out is marked by a rocky beach after a narrow pass exiting the gorge.

Level: Releasing

Weather: 6 - 10 °C, cloudy with some drizzle.

Group: Maddy, Me, Max, Ayla, Amy J., Jack

Vibes

A very nice day out, well within comfort zones, with something for everyone! A short stretch that permits read and run and can also be bombed.

Features

1. Double or quits - Fun read and run drop around the corner.
2. Playhole - A delightful playhole, really nicely suited to flatspins or tailees.
3. Hey Diddle Diddle - Such fun. Two lines, either down the middle or a little channel on the right. There's a fun eddy halfway down and after the hole, there's a wave if you can get onto it.
4. Pop till you drop - Read and run!
5. Whitebridge Wave - There's a little wave in the eddy above the main wave. The main wave didn't feel super retentive today, but was still fun for side surfing and tailees.

Other Notes

Plenty of opportunities for playing on this river! Easy enough to walk back up to "Hey Diddle Diddle".

Level: ~ 0.64 m

Weather: 3 - 13 °C with sun

Group: Me, Ed, Jacob, Ayla, Aaron

Vibes

Not a whole lot of paddle-able named features, but definitely enough on to keep you entertained, if a bit portage and scrape heavy.

Features

1. Fairy Steps - A nice sequence of 3 (ish?) drops, all quite small for some read and run fun. There are more serious things on this river without a name.
2. Headbanger - Mandatory portage at this level. There's a few fake headbangers before you actually get to the real one. Portage on river left and seal launch in afterwards.
3. The Cave - Named in the guidebook, but we're not entirely sure what it refers to. Probably not a grade 4 - maybe just a little tight s-bend.
4. Constriction - Impassable in a boat, a fun out of boat jumpy portage.
5. Toxic Masculinity - A tight windy pin-risk of a "feature". Easily portaged. A tree filled gorge then follows and requires a naff portage.

Other Notes

You don't need to memorise anything on this, just lead sensibly.

Level: 0.486 - 0.510 m (Linne nam Beathach)

Weather: 6 °C, raining on and off

Group: Me, Andy L., Ed, Maddy, Amy J.

Vibes

Mostly a fantastic time! Some features may seem a little scary, but there's absolutely something for everyone. THis level made for very pleasant paddling with minimal scraping.

Features

1. Triple Step - Good fun! Triple 1, go through the foamy rooster tail. Triple 2, boof it if you can and a pencil is fine. Triple 3 you want to slam it to the right.
2. Letterbox - Grim at this level. Go far left with speed and hope for the best. Guard the siphon on river right.
3. Ski Jump - About 30 cm left of the rock and then enjoy a delightful auto-boof.
4. Crack of Doom - Awkward lead-in to a narrow "gorgey" setion where you'll want safety.
5. Crack of Dawn - Awkward drop seal launch/portage.
6. Slides - Some fun read and run slides that were a little scrapey in places.
7. Right Angle - Seal launch on the left into the small eddy and then go left on the drop.
8. Hipbreaker - Actually looked possible.

Other Notes

It was definitley worth layering up for this as it can get cold in places.

Time: 2hr30

Level: We pushed the button, but it didn't release any extra water.

Weather: 6 °C, windy, cloudy

Group: Everyone.

Vibes

We'd be lying if we said it was kayaking, but it's a fantastic bit of fun. An oppourtunity for testing drysuits and good photos. Basically just a water park!

Features

1. Speed - A bit drop that makes be scream. Spraydecks optional and fun for all.
2. Ectasy - Rock slides that are wayyy more enjoyable out of a boat than in one. Entry fee is a few bruises however. Make dams with your friends' bums!
3. Pinball - Everyone (who ran it) managed to avoid living up to its name. But definitley could be unpleasant. A nice spot for jumping in too!
4. Crack - Scary! Only the foolish/silly ran it, but they seemed to have a good time.

Other Notes

You'll need to get somone with a Paddle Scotland membership to get you the code for the button, which is near the bottom.

Time: 3 hours for two laps

Level: Releasing

Weather: 11 °C, partial cloud, but fairly sunny.

Group: Me, Max, Josh, ETP, Maddy, Ed, Jack, Amy J, Aaron, Tom F.

Vibes

Intimidating, pushy, but fun. A short section that inspires people to get kitted up slowly, but then they actually enjoy it...unless they get hurt.

Features

1. Top Drop - I didn't do it, but one paddler did and hurt their shoulder and boat. Apparently has a new rock at the bottom.
2. The Narrows - A speedy little chute that's just a fun time.
3. Sticky Hole - Fun drop! Start right and drive left. We had an un-used throwline on the river right bank. Easily sessioned.
4. Cheesegrater - There are two "lines", both in the left channel. Left and left-ish will take you down the reasonably safe slot. Right will maybe allow you to avoid the slot and go down some slabs. Either way, this requires commitment, balls, and maybe some luck. The right line felt chossy under my bum. One paddler flipped early on this and it was v. v. unpleasant.

Other Notes

We got there at ~11:30 and it wasn't quite full, but the carpark was pretty damn full, because nothing else was running.

Time: 3 hours

Level: Compensation flow, a 4 on the physical gauge.

Weather: 11 °C with cloud

Group: Josh, Euan, Ed, Jack, Aaron.

Vibes

Ahh, the Meig. A day of rocky/scrapey paddling that is actually more a day of gorge walking, peppered with kayaking. Some intmindating features that look worse than they are.

Features

1. First Drop - Take the far right fish ladder, then it's a bit of an awkward centre line into another pool before a succession of 2-3 boofs, slightly around a corner.
2. Teacup - A technical (in Meig terms, this means incredibly scrapey) lead-in. This is basically an in boat portage before the feature itself. The drop itself has two drops, do a strong right-hand boof to make the left turn needed into the 2nd perpendicular drop Slightly sticky hole at the end.

Other Notes

There's a lot of faffy walks/portages/boat movings, Be prepared for scrambles and deliberate swims as a result of those portages.

Group: Me, Ayla, Aodhan, Ruby, Amelie, Bread

Vibes

I have never had such a perfect day of paddling with the club. Flawless lines all round. Very nice level on all features.

Features

1. Washing machine - Left line running. Boof line approach pushed you left and into the middle.
2. Lovers' leap - A lovely level, the right line ran like a dream and the end bimble was navigable on river left.
3. Triple step - Triple 1 had a clear wave between the two rocks, more on the left. Triple 2 & 3 wer a case of just meandering with the flow.
4. Spin dryer - Raftable and of little consequence.

Other Notes

A brilliant day, clean lines were hit all round. A genuinley lovely level for fresher paddling, bar a lack of many good surfing waves.

Level: 0.55 - 0.53 m.

Weather: 4 - 6 °C, bit windy, sunny.

Group: Andy L., Me, Skipper, Ed G., Abi, Oatmeal

Vibes

Chilly morning on the upper and a scrapey one in places, but not too masochistic. Decent chilled morning on the upper, requiring some rock dodging.

Features

1. Mad Mile - Boulders were pronounced, but this was straightforward read and run.
2. S-Bend - We took the right ("s-bend") line, which ran fine, although it wouldn't be as satisfying as it was at higher levels.
3. Euthanasia - More menacing than the day before (0.85 m), flipping half our party. We all took the chute line and were okay. The eddy before the drop was present. The lead in was unpleasantly boney, but still very navigable.
4. Pandora's Box - We went right of the island, this was good. The rocks you hit will decide your line and I finished it backwards, plenty of pin opportunities here.
5. Magnetic Rock - The only time it's actually felt like a feature to me, holes and rocks, but nothing crazy.

Other Notes

A tree was down after (much after) magnetic rock. It was fine. I also took at stupid swim on the very "upper loop" after getting pinned, lol.

Time: < 3 hours

Level: 0.55 - 0.53 m

Weather: 4 - 6 °C, bit windy, sunny.

Group: Me, Amy J., Ayla, Dan H., Jackson, Amelie

Vibes

Great development level with a few rocks, but never really unpleasantly empty nor boney.

Features

1. Washing Machine - Boof line was actually pleasant and low consequence. Left line was clear.
2. Lovers' Leap - Only pleasant route was the right line, which actually ran fairly cleanly and didn't throw you too much into the side. A throwline at halfway/above bottom is nice. Final bimble required hard right.
3. Triple Step - Triple 1 required finding the tongue, but was fine. Triple 2 and 3 ran cleanly with few surprises.
4. Spindryer - Happily rafted and the eddy was flushy.

Other Notes

I used this day to allow backers to gain leading experience and to get intermediates to be involved in rescues where sensible. This level, and only have one beginner, enabled this.

Weather: 6-8 °C, raining, amber wind warning (gusting 69 mph).

Group: Me, Andy L., Nat, Oatmeal, Abi

Level: 0.85 m and lapping the slab at newbridge.

Vibes

Primo levels! No real scraping, all the features were in play and fun. Paddle the upper at this level!

Features

1. Mad Mile - Delightful, just bouncy read and run vibes. Slabs were non-existent and rocks covered.
2. S Bend/Lucky Tour - Right side of the island, went hard left. Line of sight is difficult, but I think it wasn't impossible. Good fun to run!
3. Euthanasia - Most ran down the chute line, going between the rocks at the top and it was grand. One paddler did the boof line and was apparently not loving it. Eddies were present.
4. Pandora's Box/Surprise Surprise - Read and ran river right and I had such a good time! Bit blind. The holes were sizeable.
5. Magnetic Rock - Felt like enlarged bimble.

Other Notes

An amber wind warning means trees may be down or go down, making travel difficult. This was a faffless run, but perhaps the wisdom (or lack thereof) regarding paddling such conditions should've been revisited.

Level: 0.8 m, dropping to 0.74 m.

Weather: 6 - 8 °C, amber wind warning (gusting 69 mph).

Group: Me, Amy J., Ayla, Dan, Jackson, Amelie, Barnie ... Ed, Josh, Maddy, and more!

Vibes

A bit of a carnage day, but not necessarily due to the levels. A couple injury walk-offs led to significant group changes. The level itself was actually very nice to paddle. Paddling in such wind should probably be reconsidered.

Features

1. Washing Machine - Really clear wave on the left line, some hole on the right, but no a huge drop.
2. Lovers' Leap - Bit washed out, but the rocks could still cause issues! We put a line halfway and were grateful for it. Eddying across at the bottom was difficult, so try and get freshers to eddy on the right if possible. We paddled the left-ish line and it seemed ok.
3. Triple Step - Step 1 looked meaty, but had a good sneak on the far right. Step 2 was washed out and step 3 was a bit of a hole garden, but in the bouncy fun sort of way!
4. Spindryer - Not raftable, bit scrapey at the end, where rocks can cause flips, not a nice place to be boat chasing.

Event Account

My group had a fair few swims early on, until one paddler hit their head above the seal launch and was displaying concussion symptoms. They were walked off with someone else and we waited for the next group (who were not far behind) to: (a) pair one of our drivers with one of their stronger paddlers to go down to the bottom for the minibus and (b) then merge for ratio.

When the next two groups arrived piecemeal due to their own swim issues. I merged with one of these groups, and initially towed our two spare boats.

At lovers' leap we ran into another group with a suspected concussion. This led to more walking off, and so groups were further consolidated. The remaining paddlers then proceeded very cautiously, portaging triple step.

After spindryer, we saw a pile of club boats and two members on the bank. They'd got out there due to having seen a, now removed, tree across the road and told us to go down to Holne Weir. Freshers and inters were taken by minibus to River Dart Country Park and some paddlers went off to paddle the boats left at the bottom of Lovers' down to the bottom. This was a bit of a long day.

Other Notes

Amber weather warning for wind led to a tree coming down on the road - this was cleared before the end of the day, but worth thinking about. This could've easily been more problematic.

Level: 0.404 (at 11:00)

Weather: Up to 16 °C, sunny

Group: Me, Amy J., Emma, Ale, Alex

Vibes

A typical scrapey Dart. Features all ran pleasantly, but Lovers' Leap became far more boney. Good level for boosting confidence if the group can withstand the scrapey bimbles.

Features

1. Washing Machine - Left line was ok, but avoid the rocks on the far left. Boof line was more central than it was right.
2. Lovers' Leap - Only the right line was really suitable for beginners, with the left line closing a third of the way down. The eddy before the final turn was huge and very easily made.
3. Triple Step - The first step was the most challenging, I dropped down to guide people to the nicest spot between the two rocks and this felt helpful. We eddied between two and three with beginners choosing their own lines well.
4. Spindryer - A non-event at this level, raftable.

Other Notes

I led one of the beginners down the left line on lovers', they got spun backwards near the end and swam - very avoidable if I'd chosen a better line.

Time: 4hr30

Weather: Up to 16 °C and sunny - very nice!

Group: Me, Amy J, Ted, Emma, Ale, Alex

Vibes

A pretty perfect beginner level, apart from some scrapey bimbles. One person unfortunatley dislocated their shoulder (this is reflected in timings).

Features

1. Washing Machine - Left line ran nicely at this level, but the hero line looked too boney and not really boofable.
2. Lovers' Leap - Central rocks covered at this level, making a leftish-middle line the path of least resistance, but the left was still boney.
3. Triple Step - Triple 1 was the munchiest part, go closer to the right of the middle wave. One person dislocated their shoulder here. Triple 2 and 3 were reasonably clean apart from an annoying rock just before the hole at the end. Eddies were easy before, during and after.
4. Spindryer - Non-event at this level, carnage raft went down without an issue.

Other Notes

The group(s) were reconfigured after triple, allowing the injured paddler to be walked off to the road fairly easily at Holne Chase Hotel. It is worth noting that the individual was more prone to a dislocation and I wouldn't expect such an injury here otherwise.

Time: 1hr40

Weather: Got up to ~14°C, sunny

Group: Andy L, Me, Josh, Ed, Jacob, Abi

Vibes

Scrapey-ness particularly apparent on lead in and out, the lead-out being the worse of the two. All the features still ran entertainingly. Be vigilant for pin risks! A technical run due to rock-dodging.

Features

1. Mad Mile - Fair bit rocky, but pretty straightforward, eddies easily caught. Two drops to take pretty left to avoid enjoy it more.
2. S-Bend - We took the line left of the island, this was preferable, as the more traditional right line didn't have enough water. Technical line, be prepared to make tight turns.
3. Euthanasia - Pretty fine, both channel and boof lines ran, but the channel had fewer consequences. Pretty automatic at this level.
4. Pandora's Box/Suprise Suprise - Right (non-slot) line, definitely a good few pin spots, but the better line.
5. Magnetic Rock - Not much of a feature at this level.

Other Notes

We rushed after magnetic rock, definitely allow at least 2 hrs for sorting a rendezvous with paddlers at Newbridge (if doing a fairly speedy lap).

Time: > 5 hours (+ 45 mins or more for the Allt Kinglass)

Weather: 11 - 13 °C, showers and gusts up to 46 mph.

Group: Max, Me, Ronan, Bill, Eric, Amy J, Oatmeal

Vibes

A long day out with something for everyone, but some challenging/intimidating grade 4s may spook. Place cars at intermediate points. Mostly close to the road with signal.

Features

1. Allt Kinglass - Set of drops that looked ok, apart from the first. Most didn't bother with this trib. A throwline on river left.
2. Big Rock - Main line left of big rock, possible to read and run.
3. Chicken Chute - Both line ran. The left line (the chute) was rockier and needed some protecting. The right line required a hard right start, but was fairly straightforward, maybe even nicer.
4. Sheep Trolley - Big hole round a corner, line was hard right, but not too consequential. Awkward line of sight, but there's an eddy at the top river right.
5. Easan Dubha - Bumpy grade 5, didn't look clean. Easy to portage on river left.
6. Sore Tooth - Pretty soon after Easan Dubha. Left, then left channel looked the friendliest - not a nice place to swim. Big diagonal hole across feature, and another hole at the bottom.
7. Rollercoaster - Just go down right.
8. End of Civilisation - Long grade 4, fairly read and run. We went left trying to skirt one particularly big hole. Scout first!
9. Eas a'Chathaidh - Ew. Portage on river left, or run left.
10. Witches Step - Ideally on the right flare. Get out right after and avoid going further after! Pretty inconsequential.

Other Notes

The wind was unpleasant!

Time: 2hr45

Level: low Weather: 6 °C and raining, but no wind in the gorge.

Group: Jake, Me, Abi, Vi

Vibes

At this level, quite pool drop nad not as scary as the guidebook makes it out to be. Scrapey and pinning risks in places witha couple siphons. These are easily avoided on things you'll be scouting anyway.

Feature

1. Wish you were here - I think this is the one at the start. We just used it to gauge the level.
2. Big siphon, denoted by big boulder. If leading , it should be hard to go down accidentally, portage on the right.
3. The Brothers Grim - A wave followed by an s-bend. At this level, there's a rock in the channel immediately after the s-bend that is a pin risk. Very very awkward walk around this. I did some rope work to get around to protect the pin. There's a small siphon on riiver right, with no effect on a boat above.
4. A turn with a rock at face height.

This might be slightly out of order.

Other Notes

The walk out is gross. At this level, a small group is still very desirable for at least the first third, as the eddies are a bit small at the start before becoming more pool drop. Our group of four was a good size.

Time: ~ 2.5 hours Weather: 3-5 °C and cloudy. Group: Josh, Me, ETP, Alex B., Amy J.

Vibes

Features

1. Turn around the corner. Good line of sight demo.
2. Surfing wave, a good place to throw boats in with large, easy eddies
3. Bimble and surfey wave
5. Hey Diddle Diddle - Main line down the middle with 2-3 eddies that can be hit on the way down for practice. Hit the first eddy on river left for a surfing wave.
6. A pop out spot and some good bimble to practice a pin resuce
7. Whitebridge wave

Other Notes

Time: < 3 hours Weather: < 5 °C, constant drizzle and breeze. Group: Me, Jake, Ed G., Oatmeal, Abi, Amy J.

Vibes

Features

1. Dulsie Rapids Right at the get in, a gorge section with difficult line of sight, but easy inspection. Plan your eddies beforehand and you'll be fine. At this level, aim for the curler on the hole 1/3 of the way down. Some undercuts to be way of when running the broadly left (only) line. This feature looks like it could be portaged with faff.
3. Leven's Gorge A slightly easier feature. Starting with a drop that's probably easiest to run along the curling flow. The hole may flip you and then the flow goes into a rock. There's a far away blind corner on it, thankfully not into anything, but can make for an awkward boat chase

Other Notes

Level: Releasing. It initially seemed lower, but filled in.
Weather: 7 °C, cloudy.
Group: Me, Max, Bill, Alex B., Vi
Time: ~30-45 mins per lap

Vibes

Features

1. Top Drop - Go hard left. Signals are possible from the small eddy above. The spotty rock offers a good guide. The right line was apparently open on the low first lap - it was easy, but consequential if you miss the must make line.
2. Narrows - A nice chute, not challenging
3. Sticky Hole - It's a sticky hole. Throwline on right bank. Start right and punch left into the eddy. It seemed reasonably flushy at the lower level, not sure about higher.
4. Cheesegrater The line (left channel, right then track to centre right), is not tooooo difficult, but potentially quite consequential. Slotty left line looked naff, but it was OK when I tried it

Other Notes

Level: releasing.
Weather: 7 °C, cloudy.
Group: Jake, Skipper, Me, Bill, Alex B., Ethan
Time: ~ 30 mins

Vibes

Features

1. Bridge Falls - Take right line for a steep drop that's fairly straightforward. Drop. pool twist corner after/under the bridge. It's a bit boily, but not bad.
2. Gun Barrel - Choose the left side of the island after the entry choss, follow the flow and stay straight and upright for big speed. Technically sessionable, but slippery. The line of sight was awkard. There's an awkward eddy just before entry to the gun barrel bit.
3. Rollercoaster - While grade 4, you could get away with read and run, but seeing the second half of the feature is hard from up top. Line of sight is possible to the bottom. There's a hole near the end
4. Last Hurrah - Grade 3 read and run, grade fun. Very relaxed compared to the rest of the river.

Other Notes

Level: Dam was releasing at a normal flow.
Weather: ~ 7 °C and cloudy.
Group: Me, Ed G., Oatmeal, Abi, Amy J.
Time: ~ 1 hour + playing

Vibes

Features

1. Turn around/corner at the start. Stay vaguely left, it's kinda just bimble
2. Surfing wave
3. Bimble and surfey wave
4. Hey Diddle Diddle - Main line is... straight down the middle! Or, there's a more gorgey right line. The lead-in is easier for the right. Consequences are lower in the middle. A signal person is required on the right hand side, it's best to get them out early.
5. A pop-out spot
6. Whitebridge Wave - A fun play hole

Other Notes

Weather: ~12 °C and sunny.

Group: Me, Max, Nat, Paddy, Eric, Amy J., Vi

Time: 5hr20

Vibes

A lovely day for a strong group, and a good strech for improving inters. Very tired all round afterwards. Not too much scraping!

Features

1. Triple Step - Rooster tail on triple 1 was just foam. River left after step 2 had an annoying rescue eddy - a line on the opposite side was a good idea.
2. Letterbox Hug the left wall and you'll be fine. The siphon on river right is easily guarded. The feature is a retentive hole, as per usual
3. Ski-Jump - 30 - 40 cm left of the outcrop/ledge. This rock was slightly underwater, but visible. Autoboof.
4. Crack of Doom - Awkward entry, grabby on the rail. Left on entry, left at exit. Consider livebait safety in the crack.
5. Crack of Dawn - Porage seal launch on the left. You could paddle over the portage line (I did). It's an awkward bottleneck for a large group. It's worth holding people as they get in their boats on the seal launch
6. Right Angle - Go slightly left.

Other Notes

Lots of boulder gardens and bimbles to be careful of that can induce swims, especially if people are getting tired. Especially between crack of dawn and right angle.

Weather: 7-8 °C, no wind, changeable rain/sun

Group: Me, Max, Nat, Eric, Paddy, Vi, Amy J.

Time: 1hr40

Vibes

Good relaxed Scotland river. Most non-events with one relaxed-ish grade 4, it's easily sessioned, so a good development spot. It helps that the feature is fun too!

Features

1. A weir that was rocky apart from one chute. Fine.
2. Main Event - Annoying access as it's around a corner. If on the bank, go river right. The line is to go with the flow, mostly to the right. Bimble/rocky open with two big steps.

Other Notes No real gauge, so that's fun. Not particularly scrapey on the level we paddled. Definitley worth sessioning "main event".

Weather: 7-8 °C, no wind, changeable rain/sun

Group: Me, Max, Nat, Paddy, Vi, Amy J.

Time: ~ 4 hours

Vibes

Good vibes, boily in places, but features mostly quite nice. Bit of something for everyone. Scrapey entry, long lead out.

Features

1. Fairy Steps - Tongue, boof (left line), elbow, elbow. Worst bit was the first elbow, throwing you into rocks, also somewhat likely to flip. I did a naff run on my first attempt and took a roll.
2. Headbanger - Definitley a grade 5, two required boofs and plenty of ways to go wrong.
3. Constriction - Almost runnable, but not actually runnable lol. It required it's signature portage/pump situation

Other Notes

1. Plenty of blind corners precluding ideal scouting, but follow good practice and you'll be fine. Two of note: the first is between headbanger and constriction that throws you against a wall and is boily - you may find youself needing an offhand roll if flipped - this may have been "the cave", watch for undercuts. The second is near the end of the gorge, with two paths around a rocky island, not too tricky, but definitley some pin oppourtunities.

Level: 1 m, dropped to about 0.9 m Weather: 10 - 14 °C, initially raining, then sunny. Group: Me, Ed G., Emma, Rostron, Rendell, Laura

Vibes

Features

1. A small drop found a tight/blind corner. Nice wave on the very hard right with small eddies downstream. A faffy scout/line of sight situation.
2. A ledge drop. Far left had a rock (underwater) that was the easiest line - sail smoothly over the rock. Go too far right and it's a shallow slot that might flip beginners. Boofs work everywhere else. Bit of a pin potential slot in the middle, but an autoboof-ish option on its left.
3. Beginner/inter portage. Technical right line, big boof drop on the left. Beware of a siphon.

Other Notes

Level: Can be round on riverapp Weather: 10-13 °C and overcast Group: Me, Ed G., Ayla, Emma, Rendell, Laura

Vibes

Features

1. Steep bumble with a turn and wave train. Easy safety, good fun. Hard eddy line for beginners at the bottom.
2. Gorge run. Two lines: a chutey right (hard right) or a technical left then right. There's a good eddy at the bottom. It's an annoying walk on river left.
3. Town Falls. There's a boulder garden just before that's navigable with some good signals (not hard). Wave under the bridge was pure choss at this level (not beginner friendly, but they'll cope). Eddy on the left before the falls. Either hard left down the steps or some supposed auto-boofs on the right. Big eddies after with a short paddle onwards to the get out.

Other Notes

Weather 7-8 °C, very cold water temp.

Group: Me, Josh, Eric, Sam T., Ted, Ayla, Dan H.

Vibes

Two main features, but significant and technical "bimble" (grade 3 read and run), where we had flips/swims. Pretty darn scrapey on some bimbles. Features were solid grade 4 and offered a push.

Features

1. Dog Leg - Easy enough to eddy above with some planning on river right. Three main drops. The first drops you on a toungue sideways to the flow. Some small eddies open before two fun drops. Boats (without a paddler in) didn't always flush down. There's a big eddy for clean-up at the bottom. We had a throwline by the 2nd drop. <\li>
2. Low Force - Get out early, before the stone wal that's perpendicular to the flow. Run hard right and place someone, out of a boat, at the bottom to deal with what is a pretty naff eddy on river right. The horseshoe drop before is a bit gross, and the bimble between the wall and the horseshoe are unpleasant with bad eddies at the end. Get out river left after low force.

Other Notes

A pushy river led to tiredness. I wouldn't want to run the river much lower than this. Layer up at the river is quite exposed and cold.

Level: 0.7 m and dropping (Ulpha gauge)

Weather: 8 - 9 °C and mostly sunny

Group: Me, Josh, Eric, Sam T., Ted, Ayla, Dan H.

Vibes

At this level, perfect for a group like this (inters). All grade 4- features were achievable. It would become slightly more challenging with more water. Bimbles/boulder gardens were OK.

Features

1. Jill's Folly - Worth looking at. The line was right, around a central rock. Use some safety in case of a pin.
2. Ulpha Gorge - Friendly feature, but annoying to get a line on the right, but this was very doable. The feature is read and run after inspection on the left. It's a gorge, so get our early to inspect.
3. Rawfold Bridge - A feature of two halves: a bimble lead-in, and the bridge. The bimble precludes line of sight to the bridge. There's an eddy between the two (that wouldn't be there in higher flow). The bridge section can be run centrally or far-right. There's a large eddy after the bridge.
4. Un-named boulder garden (4-) - Line of sight here was tricky. Left line with a hard turn at the end of the channel into the main flow. Not dissimilar to Pandora's Box/Suprise Surprise on the Upper Dart.

Other Notes

We had a bit of a pin on a bimble section, but minimal swimming. This would definitley become harder with more water. The sun was in our eyes. Features were far more spread out after Ulpha Bridge.

Level: Started at 0.47 m, but dropped to 0.45 m.

Weather: 11-12°C and cloudy

Group: Me, Eric, Ed G., Abi, Maddy, Miguel, Rowan, and (for parts) Amy J.

Vibes

Still a decent beginner level, but noticeably more boney than even 0.5 m - with this same group having more swims on this level on bimble than the day before on 0.5 m, particularly after lovers' leap. Consider taking a good break at lovers leap and/or triple step depending on the group.

Features

1. Washing machine - A rock became apparent on the left, and the boof line was slightly more central. For the left line, make sure you don't go too far left of you'll clip this rock, which is fine for a leader, but not if you're leading a beginner!
2. Lovers' leap - 2-3 central rocks more in play, with the left line looking nicer. The eddy halfway down was available for setting up a throwline.
3. Triple step - Triple 1's safe line was clearly visible. Triple 2 was just a channel and 3 was a case of skirting slightly to the left to avoid the hole.
4. Spin dryer - Raftable, non-event.

Other Notes

More swims at this level than 0.5 m, particularly on the post-lovers' bimble - partly due to tierdness, partly due to rocks. We did see a pin on of these bimble rocks, so be careful with less confident paddles. However, these were easy leading conditions, with large eddies and slow moving water. Having a throwline on lovers' proved useful.

Weather: 11-12°C and cloudy

Group: Me, Andy L., Ed G., Abi, Maddy, Miguel, and Rowan.

Vibes

Good beginner level, the bimbles weren't too scrapey and boat chases weren't too punishing. I would paddle again! Nice temperature for it.

Features

1. Washing machine - The boof line was slightly more central.
2. Lovers' leap - Rocks in the middle, go either side.
3. Triple step - Triple 2 was just a channel and 3's hole was ok, but easily avoidable by going slightly left.
4. Spin dryer - Raftable, a bit of a non-event.

Other Notes

5 swims total at bimble, lovers' eddy, triple 1, triple 1 eddy, and triple 3. All of these swims were easily resolved. Rowan's boat nearly went down triple 2, but Maddy grabbed it (woo). Bridge jump was still fine and still a bit stupid.