Port of Plymouth Canoeing Association › Forums › PPCA General Forum › PPCA Club Paddles › LAST RIVER TRIP FOR 2017 SUNDAY 31st DECEMBER
- This topic has 12 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 2 months ago by Ken Hamblin.
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December 27, 2017 at 8:15 pm #4749Ken HamblinModerator
Clive and I are running a trip on Sunday on one of our local rivers. Unfortunately we cannot say at this time which one as the forecast is showing a lot of rain for Saturday so it will be either the Loop 😮 or the Walkham 😯 . Either way if you are interested please show this by telling us on this topic so that we are confidant in the amount of cover required. At this time we will meet at the Plympton Car park near to the Coop Supermarket ready to leave at 0900 hrs. For those living near either of these venues I will try and determine which one we are going to do and you can meet us in the Laybys near to the get out points. Hopefully I will try to do this by 1800 hrs on Saturday evening. If you have any questions on this please ring me. Remember Kayaking is not just for Christmas!!
Ken 🙄 🙄December 27, 2017 at 9:43 pm #6903EMUParticipantHi Ken thanks for putting an extra trip on. Gavin and I are both going, levels should be good if the forecast is right.
December 27, 2017 at 10:57 pm #6904KarenParticipantYes please, count me in, just me as unfortunately Adam is working
December 28, 2017 at 12:03 am #6905Kevin JonesParticipantI’d like to come along. The Loop seems quite within reason now but I haven’t done the Walkham so I don’t know where that fits in the scheme of things.
December 28, 2017 at 7:23 pm #6906smegParticipantEllie and I will come.
December 29, 2017 at 10:20 am #6907BigAlParticipantI will be along.
Fingers crossed for the Walkham.
AlDecember 29, 2017 at 8:28 pm #6908janehitchingsParticipantHi Ken and Clive
I’ll be there,hope it’s the Walkham.
Love JaneDecember 30, 2017 at 9:54 am #6909Clive AParticipantKevin
It may be worth looking at the UK River Guidebook to the Walkham at https://www.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/rivers/england/south-west/river-walkham-bedford-bridge-to-tavy-confluence but bear in mind that the notes about tree hazards are out of date, (the river was clear on Boxing Day), and the note about the car park in the woods is also out of date, that car park is now closed and we have to park adjacent to Denham Bridge.
You may also like to contrast this with the UK Rivers Guidebook to the Loop at ">https://www.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/rivers/england/south-west/river-dart-new-bridge-to-holne-bridge-the-loop
The Walkham is a relatively small river but once the fun starts it is a fairly continuous grade 2 – 3 helter skelter ride that will put a smile on most people’s faces. Each drop / rapid is in itself fairly straight forward and there are plenty of nice friendly eddies to rest in but the continuous nature can become overwhelming. The recovery of swimmers and kit can be a long process.
Once the confluence with the Tavy is reached the river becomes quite wide. There is one significant grade 3 rapid just after the confluence then the river mellows to a gentle grade 1 – 2 bob through pretty scenery. I once spotted a wild boar rummaging in the woods along this section of river.
My opinion is that the Walkham sits between the Lower Dart and the Loop for difficulty but the UK rivers guidebook would suggest the opposite is the case.
Health warning. Some people have felt unwell after running the Walkham. (Sickness and diarrhea). Whilst not everyone in the group has been affected there have been enough cases of upset tummy’s to suggest that this is not a coincidence. Perceived wisdom is that drinking Coke will alleviate the symptoms but there is no medical evidence to support this.
I’m not sure how much this has helped.
Clive A.
Tel 01752 344425
Mob 07854 648584
E-mail cliveandjoy01@gmail.comDecember 30, 2017 at 3:51 pm #6910Ken HamblinModeratorWell there you are a pretty comprehensive advice of what to expect on the Walkham which coincidentally is the river we will be paddling tomorrow. The dilemma is what is the river level going to be like at 0930 hrs tomorrow as the forecast is for 12 hours of heavy rain overnight finishing at about 0500 hrs continuing with light rain for the rest of the morning/day. The good or bad thing is that this river along with the Tavy run off very quickly but until I have a look at the levels on the screen at 0700 hrs I will not be able to guarantee that this will be a club paddle. However if this is so and things aren’t too stupid I am prepared to run a trip for anybody who would like to join us as a peer paddle so either way please meet at the layby/ old road next to the Tesco roundabout at Woolwell Roborough ready to leave at 0900 hrs. Having checked the levels I will post on here my opinion as to whether this is a Club or a Peer paddle.
For your guidance the top level on the Environment Agency River Level for the Walkham at Horrabridge for a club trip would be about 0.80m with the minimum at 0.40m. The information given at 1245 hrs today was that the current level is 0.46m which is scrapey.
See you in the morning
Ken 😀 😀 😀December 30, 2017 at 4:58 pm #6911Kevin JonesParticipantClive, Ken,
Thanks for the very informative descriptions!
I’m happy to take advice from my “seniors” since I have nothing on which to base my own judgement having never seen the river and videos are not helpful in that regard :-). Last week (after my seemingly obligatory swim in the first 5 mins) I felt OK on the loop. Today on the lower with high water, I struggled for the first 10 mins and swam in a ferry. After that (and a bit of undoing boat adjustments made last night), things settled down and I was fine by the end.
I’m not averse to trying most reasonable things since the worst that can happen (to me) is a swim and some bouncing off rocks – and I’ve done far more of that in my life than floating along in a kayak 🙂 – and it’s all learning. However, I am conscious that if I do swim, it becomes some one else’s problem to grab the boat and such and Clive mentions this as a particular difficulty in the case of the Walkham. I am culturally averse to being an imposition!
I will happily take advice in this instance – but if it’s that it would not be a good idea to paddle tomorrow, I’ll probably come along as a spectator since at least I’ll get to see the river!
One day, I will get the hang of this …
Thanks,
Kevin
December 30, 2017 at 6:05 pm #6912Andy KittleParticipantI should be there thanks,
KittsDecember 30, 2017 at 8:16 pm #6913AnonymousInactiveI would like to join you please.
December 30, 2017 at 8:16 pm #6914AnonymousInactiveI would like to join you too.
December 31, 2017 at 7:08 am #6915Ken HamblinModeratorFor information the level at 0400 hrs on the Walkham was 0.64 and will drop by the time we get on there
Ken -
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