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Imperial College Canoe Club

Wales October

Wind and the Wnion

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Those present:

As befits a Fresher's Trip, things got off to a bit of a shaky start. A change of date, the last-minute cancellation of our minibus booking by the union, severe weather warnings for the whole of North Wales...Some club members were so convinced that the trip was doomed they headed off to Centre Parcs instead! But in true Canoe Club style everything was (mostly) alright in the end. Despite being full, the minibus offered a luxurious ride with proper heating, surround sound, and a carpeted floor. Rob and Theo excelled themselves in the packing of the van, managing to fit 16 boats and all the paddling kit in. The journey was uneventful, with the pouring rain serving to excite the hardcore paddlers and strike fear into the hearts of the less experienced.
"...We couldn't see the gauge and judged it to be bank full (though this may have been due to looking on the wrong side of the river)...."
A quick stop was made to check the level of the Conwy; we couldn't see the gauge and judged it to be bank full (though this may have been due to looking on the wrong side of the river).

On arrival at the hut we found James, Sam and Zoe already there with beer and a fire. Sadly the stove seems to have given up on producing heat and now just emitts smoke. (this may have been partly due to the "unsuitable for indoor use" coal we were using). The choking black fumes didn't really add to the hut ambience much, but at least there was no re-run of the perennial argument about whether the stove should be open or closed. The van arrived a little later on, but Rob and Asa had done some superb shopping: plenty of beer and economy Vodka. This was warmly received by most, though Paula seemed more excited by their choice of margarine, and Ruth spent the whole weekend moaning about the choice of chocolate.

An early start on Saturday morning (breakfast cooked by 9!!) saw us getting on the Conwy at Ysbty Ifan at about the same time as always. Jo looked particularly stylish in a big black helmet, prompting James to remark "I remember the first time I got shot from a cannon". The section down to the A5 road bridge was run with a good deal less carnage than expected; the half-way drop ("Hargreaves Folly") located, scouted and run by almost everyone. Most carried on down to Rhyfaundlair Bridge, including Thofique who managed to break the club record for most swims on a single run, racking up 9 in total. We finished the middle section too late for a cheeky run of the Ogwen, so Theo, Ruth, Rob, Sam, Zoe, Tim, James and Harry decided to continue down the next section of the Conwy while everyone else headed for the cafe. The Grade V cascade was run nicely by Rob and James and less nicely by Tim who got the line a bit wrong, narrowly avoiding a tight stopper at the top; the words "what am I doing" confirmed the safety crew's thoughts of the run. Ruth and Theo decided to carry out before the gobbler in order to get some tea & hot chocolate at the cafe. The little gobbler-gnomes have been working hard at rearranging the riverbed to a lethal helmet destroying configuration; though failing this time as only Harry took the blow under the helmet line, so gracefully saving a club lid.

The weather had turned a bit horrid by the time everyone was off the water, and as no-one fancied trekking back from the Cwellyn in the pouring rain and howling gales the decision was made to stay in the hut for the evening. We stopped quickly in the pub in Capel Curig on the way back though, ostensibly for a pint but mainly to use the toilets, as the hut didn't have any running water. Back in the hut, masterchefs Paula, Ruth and Theo served up a superb bolognese complimented by some burned & soggy pasta with after-dinner entertainment provided by Rob and Asa. Although their songs (all original material apparently) were very imaginative I doubt they'll be getting a contract with EMI any time soon. Drinking games swiftly followed including "random mess of death", a lethal evolution of "circle of death", which ensured that most of the aforementioned alcohol got consumed. The rest of the evening saw the ladder successfully completed by all the hut virgins.

360 degree view of everyone in the hut


Despite hungoverness, Sunday saw another early start (doubly early as the clocks had gone back) with breakfast once again ready by 9 (which was really 8). The plan was to run the Eden and Mawddach, so once the van had been push-started and James' mini loaded down with Tim as ballast we all headed off towards the put in. Unfortunately the gale force winds and constant rain of the previous night had caused carnage all over North Wales, and many roads were blocked by fallen trees, forcing us to take some scenic detours. A lot of the smaller rivers were up, including the Colwyn, which tempted several people to consider a swift run; a plan scuppered by a rude telephone wire that had come loose and was hanging across the river. The pass of the Glaslyn (aka the gorge) was running so high you were hard pushed to spot a single rock in it. Some people started considering putting on so we decide to head off quickly. We eventually arrived at Coed-y- Brenin (the put in for the Eden) to discover the whole forest was closed, so after a suggestion courtesey of Zoe and Sam a quick decision was made to run the Wnion.

Click to view full size Click to view full size A new river for the club, this proved an excellent idea. The lower section was a nice fast run with a few small drops enjoyed thoroughly by everyone, though James managed to lose his paddles somewhere along the way. The upper turned out to be an absolutely legendary grade 4+ run. After the put in it quickly built up gradient with a pool-drop style run, the pools and eddies getting smaller and smaller until we all found ourselves cuddling up in the last micro-eddy before a 400 m continuous section.

A safe and uneventful drive back to London (via Welshpool for fish & chips) concluded what was in the end a very successful weekend.



Theo (and Ruth)
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Imperial College Canoe Club
October 2002