BIG WET HUCK BLOG

2008-02-21T17:37:00.002Z

ALLT NA H-EILDE

Last weekend saw us head up the west coast again in search of some water. Despite the Falloch and the Cononish looking low, we eventually made our way to the Leven. From the bridge at the bottom, it looked like a good level, so we shouldered our boats....

On the way up, we passed the Allt na h-Eilde, which flows in above End of the World. This is mentioned in the Scottish guidebook, but it is unclear how much has been run. I've had my eye on the last two drops for ages, but this weekend was the first time we'd had the camera kit for this (thanks Tom!).

After a long slog uphill, John and I had a bit of a scout and decided the top drop was good to go. The drop itself is probably 50ft high and about 70-80 degrees. However, closer inspection from the top made it look a bit more gnarly, and put John off. I decided it went, and hucked off it:

We then headed up to the Leven, and found a huge amount of water! We jumped on and headed down the the first falls, Three falls to Agrippa.

After a quick look we placed our camera bunny in the optimal spot, and John went first. After watching him style it, Gary jumped on. A minor upside-down moment saw Gary end up in the hole and the bottom, where he eventually swam. Tom and I chased down the bank for the boat, but our relief at getting it out safely was shortlived! Gary appeared and gave a thumbs down (literally). His thumb was looking huge, and we all thought he had dislocated it. So, game over, and time to walk back to the car. Another successful (?) days boating! Videos to follow............

NB: after several hours in hospital, Gary was told his thumb was broken. However, after a reassessment, it turned out to be badly bruised. No boating for a few weeks for him!

2008-01-21T21:23:00.000Z

WATERY GOODNESS

Over the last few weeks, there's been a fair bit of water, and therefore a fair bit of boating. Here's some slect photos of the last few days play:

The Keltie Burn and Bracklinn Falls
This was an afternoon session of slacking off thesis writing and going for a play. Four or us went up to the Keltie, which was at a nice level for those who hadn't done it before. It's just up the road from the Leny, and makes a nice change when it is going. The whole thing is great in high water!

Dave having fun on the top falls:

John on the next drop:

I ran bracklinn falls: a lovely set of drops with one hard move to clear a sticky hole ('The gates of Shangri-La' mentioned in the guidebook). Unfortunately the light was dropping, so photography was difficult:
The second drop:

This weekend saw us hunting for something different, and we ended up on the Leven.

A brilliant day, including some fun (for me) on 'End of the World' (see here too).

That's all for now folks: hope it rains again soon......

2007-12-10T14:46:00.000Z

A (DANGEROUS) LACK OF FRIENDS.........

After spending a fruitless Thursday night trying to persuade people to come paddling, Friday morning dawned and I was on my own (again!).

I was determined to get out, so stuffed the boat in the car and headed north. No rain was forecast, so I was pretty fixed on soloing the Etive. However, after arriving at Triple falls and seeing only one drop, I ran away with my tail between my legs and decided to head north.

Luckily the rain/snow persisted, and the Nevis was up. It was a great level, slightly higher than last time (see here), although I avoided Scimitar by a cunning portage.

Next up was the Coe gorge, which had risen enough for a quick blast down. Back Door Man went fine, although it was a bit scarier than usual.

On the way back to Glasgow, I passed the Falls of Falloch and decided to have a peek. It was a lovely level, although it wasn't as soft as I'd expected when I hit the pool. Surprisingly, it took me longer to run the Falls than the entire of the Coe: I was a wee bit nervous!

A great day (even if a bit lonely), and I got back just as it got dark..................

2007-11-27T22:04:00.000Z

MACRIHANISH: NOT JUST FOR SURFING......

Last weekend saw a load of folk from GUCC head to Macrihanish for some drinking/surfing. However, on Friday it rained, so two of us headed off to find some unexplored creeks.

We ended up on the Inverneil Burn, between Tarbert and Lochgilphead. A brilliant run, although a bit of a mission (1st descent?). Great if you have a sense of adventure........ It can be summed up in three words: Steep, trees, fun!

Thanks to Gary for getting out of bed to come boating.

PS: has anyone else done this, or the lower section flowing into the loch? There's falls in them there hills!

2007-11-13T16:58:00.001Z

A SPLASH OF WATER

After weeks of waiting, some water finally fell during the weekend, enabling me to get out boating at last!

Saturday looked more promising, and the word went out that some fun was to be had. Surprisingly, only Gary turned up in the morning, and soon headed home as he sounded like he was about to cough up a lung!

So I was on my own, and headed up north in search of water and paddlers. (NB: I'm not encouraging anyone to paddle on their own unless they accept all the risks involved).I arrrived at the Etive, which was at a lovely medium level. I jumped on, and had a great blast, meeting up with a group from Kirkintilloch who provided lots of amusement.

Next up was a solo down the Nevis.

Brilliant fun, although I walked my nemesis rapid (Dave's hole) and a couple of others. Despite it being dry during the day, the level was spot on, and I just had time for two runs down the Mad mile section. Great!

Sunday was forecast to be a bit colder, but there was still enough water for a play. First up was the Allt Gleann a Chaolais. It was a really nice level for the folk who hadn't done it, and much fun was had, including several backwards runs of crucial drops, and a set of snapped paddles.......

Hopefully it rains again soon!

2007-11-12T15:41:00.000Z

EXCELLENT SERVICE

After a long break to finish off my lab work for my PhD (and help organise the Wet West Paddlefest, I'm back boating in earnest. However, after a few seasons of abuse, some of my kit finally died. This was compounded by a recent rip to the Etive, where I ended up cutting my precious throwline to free it from Crack of Dawn...... gutted!

However, after a phone call to Nookie, some shiny new kit arrived the next day. I rang at lunchtime, and my shiny new stuff arrived at eleven the next day.

Thanks Nookie: brilliant service as usual!

2007-04-25T18:10:00.000+01:00

AT LAST......

After a couple of months of near drought in Scotland (interspersed with a couple of runs down the Orchy and Nevis), it finally rained! The first rain in about six weeks fell mainly in Glen Coe (suprise), so we headed off for a day of classic boating. After driving about with things not looking too promising, we finally decided on the Coe.

It wasn't particularly huge, but was wet enough for a quick blast down. Suprisingly, it was warm, rather than horizontal rain that is usually foud when the Coe is up!

Next up was the Etive, and it was nicely high as we got on. Most of Triple falls was avoided by a cunning portage down the bank, with me and Dave venturing on to run the final drop.

A brilliant blast down topped off the first proper day's boating for about a month.

Finally, here are a couple of lowish water shots of the Nevis, taken many moons ago in January:

2007-01-16T15:51:00.000Z

INVERVAR AGAIN

After a decent amount of rain, a huge group of us from Glasgow, Stirling, Edinburgh and the Borders headed to the Invervar Burn for some steep creeking. Those of you that follow this page will know it's a favourite of mine, and a great wee run.

Levels looked a bit low at the start, but things soon perked up with some rain. Mass carnage was (just) avoided, although Mark swam twice, Paddy swam and Matt got off with knackered ribs.

See HERE for more photos of the day......

A great day, and a good crew. If you haven't done it: what are you waiting for?

2007-01-09T10:30:00.000Z

NEW YEAR: NEW RIVER

The beginning of 2007 meant a new year, and new rivers! The first of the year was the Abhainn Bheagaig, just to the west of the Fassfern. Has anyone else done this: first descent 6/1/07?

After a steep walk-in, the river drops through a series of boulder gardens and ledge drops. The first two drops are brilliant: just try and avoid being stuffed into the walls!

Soon the river drops into a tree-infested gorge. The biggest drop looks great but has a tree in the bottom. A sketchy line might be possible.....

After this the burn changes and becomes slabby in nature. A triple fall stands out, with a really heinous hole at the bottom. More slabs and drops (including a very long slide) lead steeply down to the bottom, where a deer fence marks the end of the burn.

Brilliant, but a bit of a mission! Very continuous: be on your toes!

The Sunday saw a bit of rain, and Dave, Kenny and I headed across to the Dubh Lighe . After a quick blast down one of my favourite burns, Dave and I headed across to the Coe for a couple of runs. A great weekend all told: hope it rains next weekend too!

2006-12-21T09:47:00.000Z

CARNAGE ON THE LEVEN

Last weekend saw a huge crowd of us hunting for water up the west coast of Scotland, surprising given all the rain. We ended up at the Leven, which was running at a medium level when we looked from the bottom...

As usual, it rained whilst we got changed. However, it kept raining all the way up the walk-in and whilst we were on the river. The first set of falls, "Three falls to Agrippa" were great: really clean and fast with only a couple of shoddy lines.

The drops continued thick and fast, with a slight carnage moment as our "fashion guru" Mark swam in one big hole, then dropped his boat and watched it style the next drop, the gutter. This was a brilliant rapid, and me and Dave ran this several times.

Next up was End of the World. The levels had now risen, and it was slightly higher than in this video. We all had a careful look and Dave and myself were convinced it would go. First up was Dave. He cleaned the top two falls, and was looking good. The third and fourth falls proved his undoing though, as he pencilled into the hole at the bottom and popped up sidewards in the hole. After a few seconds, I chucked him a line (and was ready with another) but to no avail and he continued to get a caning for another twenty seconds, before bailing, recirculating and swimming through a very nasty hole at the bottom. Needless to say, I was put off and walked!

(Video to come)......

Luckily, we found all his kit on the paddle down to McKays falls, but the carnage wasn't over. Mark slipped on a rock chasing Dave's boat and broke several bones in his hand. However, being a hardened borders lad, he paddled the rest of the river! With his teeth!

An awesome day; a bit carnage filled but great all the same. I love the Leven!

2006-12-07T17:30:00.000Z

ONE WET WEEKEND...

After one very wet week up here last week, we managed a whole weekend's boating. Strangely, on the saturday we found ourselves heading towards the Invervar again. This trib of the Lyon (see below and here) is a magic wee run, with some very very steep sections. Four of us turned up, but Neil quickly decided that the steep gradient, compounded by his lack of sleep, would give him an excuse as camera-bunny. So myself, Paul and Andy jumped on the top, below the weir (why oh why did I run that!).
The top drops were brilliant, with the second ledge proving a tricky boof to make.

We continued down, and it soon became apparent that the rain was pushing the water levels up rapidly. One drop was portaged, but the rest went sweetly, despite the distinct lack of eddies.

On the Sunday, efforts to make an early start were hampered when Mark got lost in Glasgow. In heavy rain, we headed to the top section of the Falloch. At the top the levels looked bony, but as the rain hammered down, the river rose and things got interesting. Euan took a very nasty swim down a shallow fall, and the rest of the team jumped out to chase the boat. After finding it under a tree, thoughts were turned to the hardest drop, with two big holes and a fence to negotiate (below).

Several of us jumped on and headed down the gnarly lead-in. Out of the three of us, one swam, I got a caning in the biggest hole, and Andy got an even bigger caning and jumped out onto the bank. Confidence-inspiring stuff! Needless to say, both Rich "Jedi" Waterworth and Paul "Balls of" Steel styled it. Most annoying!
More drops came thick and fast, with a distinct lack of time between them. Finally, after a gnarly hard drop which was run by Rich and Paul, we jumped off, and considered where to go next.

After much deliberation, the day was polished off by a run down the awesome Coe gorge, finishing in the dark (as usual).

How I wish every weekend was this wet!

2006-11-14T09:43:00.000Z

INVERVAR BURN....THE TOP SECTION

At last, some rain fell on a weekend for once, so we were able to get out and do something other then the Orchy. We made our way east towards Glen Lyon, with a few different burns in mind. After scouting a couple of unrun bits and bobs, and deciding they would be better with more water, we ended up at the Invervar Burn (see here). The level wasn't super high but big enough not to be too bony.

As we arrived at the top, we decided it was wet enough to warrant a further explore up the glen to the (unrun?) section above. Back onto the shoulder went the boats, and we continued up the track to a rickety-looking bridge. Above here the river split, so we decided to put on below a nasty looking drop with lots of pinning potential.

The next drop was a great way to start, with a 3m drop taken on the left, then staight into a double drop with a tricky rooster.

The drops continued with more slabs and drops heading back towards the dam at the top of the usual section. A shallow drop stood out in the memory near the end, with lots of boulders for pins......

Once back on the usual section we blasted down, avoiding the trees on the way (careful, there are a few new ones!). Halfway down, Dave decided that his boat was leaking too much for comfort; the welds had given up and his boat was slowly sinking. We decided that enough was enough and headed back before it dropped dark, stopping on the way to scout a couple more burns.........

Anyone else done this section above the dam?

2006-09-23T20:40:00.000+01:00

FALLS OF CLYDE

Every once in a while, the companies controlling the dams on the Clyde decide that a bit of water needs releasing. Today was one of those day, and we headed south to look at the Falls of Clyde. These have been in my mind for a while, but today was a bigger release than I've seen and we were hopeful for a first descent of the Falls.

After spending a while scouting Corra Linn, the bottom falls, we had decided that there was at least one line, but it was marginal. So we traipsed up to Bonnington Linn (the top fall) with the intention of checking out the fall, the gorge and the other side of Corra Linn.

Bonnington Linn proved to have a multitude of lines: right, left and middle. Dave was convinced that the right was the best line, and spent fifteen minutes dribbling until we coaxed him away.

The gorge looked enticing (apart from the bottom hole, which was sucking leaves off the trees!), and we soon wandered down to the other side of Corra Linn. A bit of ropework was necessary to get down to fall level, but the view was immense. There looked to be two lines off the fall but both were sketchy. Needless to say the balls-up potential was massive!

A line did look feasible, and full of renewed optimism we made our way back towards the car. However, self-belaying back up the overhanging 20-ft cliff left us absolutely knackered and in no fit state for a first descent.

We will be back!!!!!!

2006-09-23T20:26:00.000+01:00

SOLO ON THE LENY

After a very frustrating week, in which it rained all week whilst I was stuck in the lab, I finally managed to get out boating on Friday.

After some careful decision making I headed up to the Leny (see here) for a quick blast. To my suprise no-one else was up for boating, although I managed to scrounge a shuttle with Matt who was heading back to Stirling (cheers mate!) I was on my own!

The level was high, and the first few rapids were a lot faster than usual, but I made my way down to the top of the Falls without mishap. After a quick scout, I jumped on and headed down the Falls on the left, avoiding the heinous hole that is the right-hand side in high water. The gorge below was horrible, just a big long boil for about 30 yards!

The rest of the run was brilliant, and most of my time was spent dodging very very very low trees in most of the lines, especially Wee Stinker and S-bends. Some lovely waves delayed me for a while at the bottom, then it was time to head back to Glasgow and go to the pub! A magic blast: top to bottom in about half an hour.......

(Strangely, no photos as I was on my own!)

2006-09-12T10:41:00.000+01:00

WET WEST PADDLEFEST 2006: ANDY JACKSON MEMORIAL WEEKEND

The event is now in its second year, and is a response to the dream of the late great Andy Jackson for a Scottish paddle festival. The whole thing kicked off on the Friday night at the Ice Factor in Kinlochleven. The prayers of many had gone unheeded and there was no water in the rivers: for once a September weekend in Scotland was dry! Quite a few people had migrated to the Etive for a scrapy afternoon run, but the car park slowly filled up with paddlers from far and wide.

Tickets and t-shirts soon sold like proverbial hot cakes, and the bar grew steadily busier. Hungry boaters were offered an all-you-can-eat buffet: just the ticket after a long drive. After some minor technical hitches the slideshows began: reports from India, Quebec, India (again) and a short Scottish creeking show. After these the bar became full again, and over a hundred people drank and partied the night away to the sounds of the (free) band. Tents were erected in the nearby campsite and midges feasted on juicy paddler-flesh.

The Saturday morning dawned on some sore heads and folk began to migrate up to the Garry, the first scheduled release of the weekend. The improvised car park filled up quickly, and the shuttle buses were soon doing a brisk trade ferrying people up to the get-on at the dam. As more people arrived, the refreshment tent became busier with hung-over paddlers seeking bacon sandwiches, and ticket sales rose towards the 200 mark. The play hole was busy but never packed, and the buses were kept busy with folk doing several runs. The sun was shining and the atmosphere was relaxed as the afternoon drew on, but soon the midges began to return and people began to get off and head back towards Fort William for the evening’s entertainment at the Nevis Centre.

Things remained quiet until around half past nine, but this was the calm before the storm. The ticket desk at the door was soon overrun with folk clamouring for tickets and the hall and bar steadily filled. Raffle tickets proved incredibly popular too and cries of “Werners for a pound” rang out across the foyer. Just when we thought the majority of the rush had been catered for, some genius had the idea of halving the price of raffle tickets and a fresh wave of eager paddlers overwhelmed the desk. Finally ticket sales were closed (after having sold over 2000 tickets), and MC Blobby drew the raffle. One happy winner won a set of Werners and various other goodies. The beer flowed freely and the band and DJ soon had the place rocking. Eventually we were kicked out into the street and weaved our way back to our respective accommodation.

Sunday morning came and went, and the car park at Invermoriston was relatively quiet. Around midday the bleary-eyed hordes descended and the car park was jam-packed. Once again the shuttle buses plied their trade and ferried people to and from the top section. Much fun (and carnage) was had on both upper and lower sections of the Moriston, but happily few injuries occurred. Refreshments were laid on in the village hall, and hungry paddlers feasted on cake, soup, tea and sandwiches. The afternoon drew on and slowly the car park emptied as people made the long trek home. The dust settled and we surveyed the aftermath of an excellent weekend: we had made a profit for next year!

Many thanks are due, and this list could be almost endless. Endless thanks go to Glenmore Lodge, Steve McKinnon and John Picken for the shuttle buses. Yvonne on the desk was a star: thank you! We are also indebted to the Ice Factor and the Nevis Centre for hosting our events, and to the landowners and water authorities for the negotiated releases on the Garry and Moriston. Thanks also to those who provided raffle prizes; SystemX and Werner, Tiso, Nookie, Perception, Palm, HighNMighty, Carlisle Canoes, PeakUK and Lomo. Thanks also to Pyranha for the demo boats and raffle prizes.

Finally, a huge thanks to the other organisers who made this event run so smoothly, and to the three hundred or so paddlers whose relaxed nature and friendliness made it such an enjoyable event for all. See you next year!

2006-08-25T14:41:00.000+01:00

WET WEST PADDLEFEST

With only a couple of weeks to go, now is the time to get your tickets for this year's memorial to Andy Jackson, the Wet West Paddlefest.

To be held in Lochaber, on the 8th-10th September, this weekend promises to be a brilliant weekend for all.

Highlights include:

Releases on the Garry on Saturday and the Moriston on Sunday

Decent tidal differences for the Falls of Lora all weekend

Playhole at Kinlochleven on the Friday night: perfect for winding down after a week at work!

Slide shows and buffet (£5 per head for buffet) on Friday evening in Kinlochleven.

Entertainment and kit raffle on Saturday evening in the Nevis Centre, Fort William.

Demo fleet from Pyranha.

Tickets for the above events are £10 for the weekend (see below).

For more details, see here.

A tribute to Andy is here.

If you can't make the whole weekend, why not turn up for a day?

2006-08-13T08:48:00.000+01:00

MORISTON

After surviving Canada, it was back to Scottish boating on the Moriston, shared by clouds of midges. After a mammoth drive from Glasgow to the Moriston via Edinburgh (to pick up Dave and Chris), we finally arrived in torrential rain.
This was more like it; finally some rain!

The skies soon cleared and we had a quick peek at the top drop. A group from Aberdeen and another from the Borders bimbled down as we got changed and I pointed out the line to the guys. They'd never done the Moriston before: disgraceful!

A few down the upper section warmed us up. Dave started off with an awe-inspiring line on the first drop by (accidentally) dropping off the middle. A good start to the day!

(I was tempted to lead them down the more technical river right side but decided against it- in a generous mood that day!) We caught up with the guys from Aberdeen Uni and paddled with them for the rest of the day. Boofs were made and grins could be seen everywhere, even from the more nervous!

After two runs down the upper we headed for the lower section and the gnarly-looking top drop. Water levels were a bit low for everyone to run this, but me and Rich (from Glasgow) jumped on. Rich headed off first, but didn't inspire confidence as he battled not to go down backwards. I headed straight for the boof at the top, and then to my suprise managed to get a clean line down the drop, riding the rocks all the way.

The rest of the lower was brilliant, punctuated only by a swim and kit damage from one of the Aberdeen guys on the second fall. They then headed south, while we jumped on for a last run of the upper.

All in all a brilliant day: 4 sections and 400 miles of driving! Hope it rains soon..............

Thanks to Paul Seddon for some of the photos.
See here for Dave's version of the day!