The Mighty Town Falls by Jacki

The Mighty Town Falls by Jacki

April 11th 2026, a White Water peer paddle was organised by Roy. We met at the car park nearest to Horseshoe Falls. Roy, Ian, Sarah, Jenna, Trevor, John, Keiron, Gary and I.

The weather was a mix of heavy rain, wind and sunshine. What to wear? Too warm for full winter layers, still too cold for shorts.  Some of us decided to go for one layer less.

We all got ready, did our usual shuttle and then I decided I needed a wee (nervous one, sorry), but as we know, especially us ladies, it’s such a task when you have your full kit on. Luckily, everyone had patience and goodwill, and there is a toilet at the Horseshoe Car Park.

We carried our boats to the water line, some of us seel launched down the bank just above the cunning curve of Horseshoe Falls. We had a chat, a little warm-up and plopped our way safely over the lip of fall. 

We laughed, we talked, we played on the ripples, and all the while in the back of my mind I knew that Serpent’s Tail was ahead, and there was talk about “a magic carpet ride over Town Falls”.  Have you stood on the bridge above Llangollen Town Falls? I have many times shaken my head and uttered no way will ever do that!!  But then again, maybe if I just take that line……Nahhh, I don’t have to do it, leave that to the experts.

Anyway, let’s get back to Serpent’s Tail, it’s a great feature where the river narrows into a channel, causing the water to rush through fast and requires some technique to manoeuvre through it. It’s a little scary, but with the right people and practice, it’s a thrill to pass through it. Roy went first, Ian, Trev, Gary, John, Kerion, Sarah, and I stayed at the back with Jenna and tried to watch which line to take, where they set up. “Right, let’s do this”, I think I said to Jenna and off I went, gaining my first serious combat roll along the way, which I was more than pleased with. Then I tried it a second time, hoping for a clean run following Roy’s perfect line and over I went, couldn’t roll back up, so I popped my spray deck and had a cold swim. Sarah, the rescuing queen, sorted out my boat, and everyone else made sure I didn’t keep going downriver and helped me out. A couple of the others went for a second run down, and Jenna is trying to catch the top eddy, so she went for a trio of tries; she will just not give up.

We left Serpent’s Tail behind; the river beyond it is relatively easy, with a few fun features to play on, some of the best ones are at TNR. During the rest of the journey, it was decided that it was the right conditions and water levels to tackle “The Mighty Town Falls”. Believe me, even writing this, I feel the rush of smiling fear.

So off we went. I asked many questions, and all were answered with patience. Roy, Sarah, and I held back whilst the rest of the group disappeared over the edge of the first drop. The two of them told me where to go and what happens when you go over the first drop. Use two left power strokes, or the water will push you to the shoot on the right (not ideal). Maybe I might ride the infamous magic carpet? 

Well, that didn’t happen…. I followed Roy, set up perfectly, but hesitated on the two left power strokes. I got pushed to the right down the shoot, but luckily I managed to stay upright and swore through the rest of the loud rushing water. Sarah came behind, riding that bloody magic carpet line, shouting, “Paddle, don’t stop paddling…” And that was that… MADE IT. We did it—teamwork, good advice, practice, and reaching goals beyond my imagination.

Keep paddling, keep smiling, respect the water.