Busy old month!

With Welsh river levels on the rise Paddlemaster and the Smurfs headed off to the Banwy to get in what was to become a late season paddle. The Banwy is one of those strange rivers that needs loads of rain to make it do-able. Once the spring arrives it becomes a stone beach full of nettles, so this may have been the last chance to get down it before the end of winter.

When we got to the river, the water level was already dropping and the sun poking out from behind the clouds. Although the trip was a bit of a scrape - Team Smurf acquitted themselves well with no major dunkings or swims. The video isn't our most exciting, but it does how beautiful the Banwy can be and how powerful the floods were this winter. Just take a look at the trees that have washed down and remember to respect the river, for even the mildest stream can become a raging giant.

Around this time a young man called Chris booked in for some coaching towards a Two Star assessment, after some intensive training I can congratulate him on passing his assessment.

March has also seen the return of weekly paddle sessions, until the clocks change these are going ahead on Saturday mornings. Once we're back to BST, regular Thursday night service will be resumed.This week saw the signs of spring on the Severn and an eager team of old and new paddlers heading upstream to the Buildwas play pot. This might not be a full on rapid, but it certainly gives newcomers a taste for playing the river.

Talking of playing, we've had a new addition to the AR Kayaking fleet - a little red Bigdog Kaos! At only 6'2" this boat fits nicely in the back of the car, giving plenty of opportunity to sneak a play session after work. So if you see someone on the Severn paddling what looks like a plastic bucket, it could be me!

Cold Sunday morning on the Severn

The idea was a trip down the Severn and a couple of runs at Jackfield. The reality was a cold damp morning with water levels holding up and flattening most features. So not much to play on, but Cliff got the experience of running boils and 'funny' water - a type of paddling that requires more power than skills.

I just hope spring isn't far away as this chilly grey weather is no use to anyone. Even snow and ice is useful - closes schools and makes the hills exciting!

Very cold day paddling on the Dee

Very cold day paddling on the Dee at Llangollen with Phil and Cliff. They’ve been begging to go out for weeks, but river levels have not been kind. Today it was the air temperature that wasn’t kind - 0˚C when we arrived and it just about made 2˚C when we left at lunch time.
Just to prove the point I took the above photograph showing puddles on the car park that are actually pools of ice. It also looks like Phil and Cliff have also turned blue with cold – or they’re auditioning for the Smurfs! This blog site won’t allow me to upload the picture, if you really want to see it - have a look at my pictures on Playak.

There was a really impressive display of icicles along the river banks. This didn’t fill me with great joy when I took a swim – something that made Phil’s day as he always complains I never get wet. Anyway, I’m going to blame the manufacturers of my gear for this one. Boat designers have increased deck heights for some obscure reason, while buoyancy aid designers stuff more and more foam into the front of their vests; then add pockets. The result is that trying to roll is a nightmare! When upside down in freezing cold water adjusting my roll to account for modern fashion is the last thing on my mind, come on guys – make something that works rather than a fashion statement.

Otherwise a great day paddling – for our next white water trip we are going to wait until temperatures raise above freezing.