Alpine Paddling Holiday 2020     LCC Home Site Map Page last updated News items or reports on club activities should be sent to website@liverpoolcanoeclub.co.uk Archived Newsletters  Major Trip Reports.… Day 06a Upper Guil We headed up the Guil Valley stopping briefly at Mont Barton Bridge and Triple Steps to view the water levels. Passing Chateau Queyras we headed for the get in at Aiguilles and on the way tried but failed to peer over the edge and into the gorge section. I am sure it will be ok said Stuart. A quick car shuttle and we were away, going with the flow over and around every boulder in sight. Soon reached the start of the gorge, the river steepened and disappeared around a corner. Time to eddy hop. Signals were being passed along the line and paddlers dropped into an eddy and then the next. The river had very sharp rock strata and the step walls had collapsed in several places giving difficult routes around blind bends. On one tight sequence Craig had made all the difficult moves but was unsettled by a nasty boulder. He soon got himself and paddle to the edge, but the swift current sped his boat over the next few rapids before Keith managed to wedge it tight against some rocks. It took a few minutes to sort the boat and re-establish contact with the rest of the group. They had portaged around the tricky rapid under Stuarts guidance. Once on our way again we encountered several nasty bends, a few overhanging walls, and another long portage for most. This is where good soled trainers or river shoes are a must and make scouting and portaging on difficult ground that much safer. A few more pour-overs and pour-throughs saw us the end of the gorge. […]

Alpine Paddling Holiday 2020     LCC Home Site Map Page last updated News items or reports on club activities should be sent to website@liverpoolcanoeclub.co.uk Archived Newsletters  Major Trip Reports.… Day 5 St Clements to Embrun (Lower Durance) The morning was spent on the campsite, for some this was a chance to rest whilst others visited local shops for supplies. We had lunch on the side of the Slalom site at St Clements and then we ran the shuttle. On the return of the drivers we played in the two surf waves at the top of the rapid. This was at a good level and more and more of the team were starting to get more adventurous on the play waves. After the slalom course we set off down the main river towards the Rabioux Wave. There were several interesting features to play on and Aleksander was really trying to pull off a wave wheel in his inazone in every standing wave he could find. On arrival at the “Rab wave” Keith and Stuart paddled to the bottom and then signed the others to paddle over the crest and head for the red boat in the eddy below. One by one we all made it down safely and in some style. The wave seemed to have changed again this year and was more of a tail with huge standing waves below. Once we left the “Rab” the lower river was entertaining with several large wave trains and bouncy rapids to keep us on our toes. A couple of people decide to practice their rolls, but this only shows that they were pushing their limits and trying moves and tight break ins. The tall crumbling cliff just above “point Neuf” was avoided by heading to river left and then we paddled down […]

Alpine Paddling Holiday 2020     LCC Home Site Map Page last updated News items or reports on club activities should be sent to website@liverpoolcanoeclub.co.uk Archived Newsletters  Major Trip Reports.… Day 4a Upper Guisane We headed off to find a river… the Upper “Insane” Guisane. It started from a precarious launch spot and we were soon on our way, dodging rocks and following the swift flowing water. There were very few eddies and it was a good job we split into two 4s as any more than this and we would lose contact between paddlers. After 4 km of this grade 2-3 toboggan run, we entered the fantastic canalised section through “Les Grand Bains”. Here the water flows over boulders and twists and turns to give an excellent 1.5km section though the town. A few sensible people portaged while the less sensible people tackled the (quite long) rapid in a small group. I t was big and fast with lots of rocks to dodge and smiles all around at the bottom. We all met up in sight of the house on the left bank and were very quickly on our way again. We stopped at the raft get in and discussed the lines some of us had taken over the two small weirs in the next section. This year none of us had any trouble and Oscar didn’t even know we had gone over those pesky weirs. The rest of the river was a relaxed and pretty paddle, with a few bits to keep us entertained. We are glad to report the student globe is still on the balcony where it has been for the last 20+ years. A great river and in total contrast to the mighty Durance. More photographs………. Day 4b Lower Guisane Following a shuttle to leave a […]

Alpine Paddling Holiday 2020     LCC Home Site Map Page last updated News items or reports on club activities should be sent to website@liverpoolcanoeclub.co.uk Archived Newsletters  Major Trip Reports.… Day 3a The Lower Guil We had a leisurely start and headed up the Guil Valley under Mont Dauphin Forte. The road was a rocky gravel track which is closed outside the summer because of rock fall from the hillside above. On crossing over the bridge and into the car park we checked out the “scenes of crime”. We spotted the line of oil from James earlier grounding of his Volvo. This is a sad story of wow with his car having hit a rock and holed the sump pan resulting in it having to be posted home and James booking a flight. (The French main Volvo dealership could not book it in for repairs for another two weeks!) The shuttle was soon sorted. Olesia and Nadia were going to follow us down the valley on foot following the valley path and gravel track. This was Oscars first ever river and we spent a little time at the start explaining what an eddy was, how to edge and carve a turn. He was also shown the basics of a ferry glide, a few river signals and what to do if he encountered a rock midstream or a overhanging trees on a bend. We headed off down the picturesque valley with crystal clear water flowing from snowmelt higher up the valley. There were a number of other groups on the river and we leapfrogged each other between the rapids and eddies. We played for a while on a good little surf wave and honed our skills ready for St Clements Slalom site below. As the Guil joins the Durance there is a […]

Day 2 The Upper Durance The Upper Durance is a good little warm-up river and confidence builder for the less experienced at paddling white water. Lots of easy bouncy rapids with more quieter stretches on which to take in the spectacular scenery. Today, was particularly enjoyable as the sun was out and the water blue. The get out at the barrage by the tunnel was “barred” but we still wanted to run the lower section which has fantastic eddy sequences for about a 500m section. We scouted on foot through the barriers and tunnel and noticed the tunnel was indeed blocked on both sides, but we thought we would be clever and drive the cars to the other side of the tunnel. However, the road was also blocked about 1km away, so we had to leave the cars there and do a double shuttle at the end of the trip. We bounced down the rapids opposite the commercial centre, under a footbridge and then the road bridge to the commercial centre. We all took turns to lead and find breakouts. On one tricky section Kayleigh followed Craig over a large rock (boof) but this proved a little unbalancing and the inevitable happened and she took a short swim. Kayleigh managed to self-rescue dragging her boat to the bank. This was a great spot and we all surfed the little wave in the centre of the river while Kayleigh sorted her boat out. After about 3 km we made it to a railway bridge and the start of the main rapids. These all had a good level in them and provided a great playground for us to play as we made our way down through. The stinky bridge at the bottom (possible exit point) will have to be renamed as the […]

Alpine Paddling Holiday 2020     LCC Home Site Map Page last updated News items or reports on club activities should be sent to website@liverpoolcanoeclub.co.uk Archived Newsletters  Major Trip Reports.… This year’s trip had been affected by the Covid crisis but eventually we decided that we could not take the minibus and trailer and started to cancel these. Instead, some of us opted to drive out in cars as this followed government advice and was obviously much safer for all. In all 8 vehicles made it out with 24 of us in total. These included Craig Ford, Aleksander Ford, Nadezda Ford, Stuart Toulson, Keith Steer, Neil Jones, Kayleigh Campbell, Oscar Kelly, Olesia Polivac, Chris Murphy, Oliver, Charlie, Clare, Steve Hitchen, Sara Gille, Richard Clews, Amy Newnham, Ella, Poppy, Clara, Maria Safar, Steve Gavin, Ellie Gavin, Gabrielle. The annual Alps Holiday has been running every year since 2008. Day 1 The Durance from the campsite to St Clement After our eventful 23-hour journey on the cars we finally arrived at the camp site, everyone exhausted we decided to have a nice chilled night. As this was my first-time out to the Alps, my excitement and anxiety started to kick in said Kayleigh. We started our two-week journey on the Durance which was flowing very quickly. I was very nervous as this was the fastest river I have ever done. As we drifted down the flowing river the scenery surrounding us was fantastic. About halfway down we approached a rock cliff on a sweeping bend with a low overhang. Craig suggested that we all take the left-hand channel this year. Keith and Stuart decided to “get up and personal” with the gigantic overhang and checked out the right-hand route. Soon we made it down to St Clement Slalom Course where we played on […]

If you missed last night’s talk by Ian Bell you can now watch it on the Club YouTube Link…. Recent talks: 21st April Turner Tours Ltd Open Boat Expedition to Canada by Keith Steer 28th April Bowron Lakes by Ian Bell  Club YouTube Link…… 5th May Sea kayaking in East Greenland by Jim Krawiecki Club YouTube Link… 12th May Circumnavigation of Menorca by Pete Thomas Club YouTube Link… 19th May Hiking the Te Araroa trail in New Zealand by Hannah Bellamy Club YouTube Link……. 26th May Sun Khosi River of Gold by Jenny Brown and Chris Thompson Club YouTube Link…. 2nd June Greenland revisited by Jim Krawiecki Club YouTube Link… 9th June Walking through the Tobeatic with canoes on our heads by Roger Coleman Club YouTube Link…. 16th June Constrains led approach in coaching by Matt Giblin Club YouTube Link…. 23rd June Prince William Sound by kayak – Alison Moxley and Keith Steer Club YouTube Link…. 30th June Costa Brava Sea Kayaking Club Trip – Pete and Carol Thomas  Club YouTube Link…. 7th July Hiking and sea kayaking on Vancouver Island by Catriona Hare Club YouTube Link…. 14th July West coast of Scotland Oban to Jura by Ian Bell Club YouTube Link…. 21st July River Rottnan from Norway to Sweden by Debbie Hughes 28th July Sheffield or Bust by Brian Green Summer break 8th September Outer Hebrides Caz and Pete Thomas 16th September ???????

Photo of the Month Please send any photos to website@liverpoolcanoeclub.co.uk August 2020 Click here to see the photos and to vote for your favourite.

Photo of the Month Please send any photos to website@liverpoolcanoeclub.co.uk Congratulations to Alan Peachment and his winning photograph of the month July 2020 1st Place There is light at the end of the tunnel by Alan Peachment 2nd Place New Brighton by Kris D Aout 3rd Place Harvey at Chester Weir by Paul Harwood 4th Place Chris and Reece Marsden at Jack Fields Rapids River Severn by Neil Jones 5th Place Crosby to River Alt by KS 6th Place First Polo Session after Lockdown by Josie Moss

If you missed last night’s talk by Catriona Hare you can now watch it on the Club YouTube Link…. Recent talks: 21st April Turner Tours Ltd Open Boat Expedition to Canada by Keith Steer 28th April Bowron Lakes by Ian Bell  Club YouTube Link…… 5th May Sea kayaking in East Greenland by Jim Krawiecki Club YouTube Link… 12th May Circumnavigation of Menorca by Pete Thomas Club YouTube Link… 19th May Hiking the Te Araroa trail in New Zealand by Hannah Bellamy Club YouTube Link……. 26th May Sun Khosi River of Gold by Jenny Brown and Chris Thompson Club YouTube Link…. 2nd June Greenland revisited by Jim Krawiecki Club YouTube Link… 9th June Walking through the Tobeatic with canoes on our heads by Roger Coleman Club YouTube Link…. 16th June Constrains led approach in coaching by Matt Giblin Club YouTube Link…. 23rd June Prince William Sound by kayak – Alison Moxley and Keith Steer Club YouTube Link…. 30th June Costa Brava Sea Kayaking Club Trip – Pete and Carol Thomas  Club YouTube Link…. 7th July Hiking and sea kayaking on Vancouver Island by Catriona Hare Club YouTube Link…. 14th July West coast of Scotland Oban to Jura by Ian Bell 21st July River Rottnan – from Norway to Sweden by Debbie Hughes 28th July Sheffield or Bust by Brian Green

Paddling in groups, trips and car shuttles. Over the last few months the club has had to restrict and adapt a lot of its paddling.   We always follow all government and British Canoeing Guidelines.  Unfortunately, we have had to cancel many trips and club weekends.   Shetland Islands, Pembroke and Anglesey weekends, Sardinia trip, Alaska Sea Kayaking expedition and now the Alps minibus has had to be cancelled.   However, the good news is that many of us are still going in household or support bubbles in cars to the French Alps now much of Europe has lifted many of its restrictions.   Traveling in a car is thought to be much safer as you can easily maintain the recommended distance from others en route. (no ferry’s, coaches. Trains or minibuses).   In addition we are all on our own camping plot on the campsite which is expected to be a lot quieter than normal. As lock down guidelines are eased people have been asking about doing trips again with car shuttles.   Well the simple rule is that if you want to be as safe as possible do not leave home and continue to self-isolate.   However, as things are eased, short car sharing for shuttles may become an acceptable risk for some in a similar way to those that have to get a taxi or use public transport. Most trips are safer if you remove the need for a shuttle or use another method.  Eg Chester Weir – paddle from Sandy Lane, JJs you can use Llangollen Canal to get to the top next to Horseshoe weir, static sites like JJs or the Burrs etc.  We use a bike to shuttle effectively in the French Alps.  At the weekend, on the river Leven, you could easily walk or jog back the two miles to […]

If you missed last night’s talk by Pete and Carol Thomas you can now watch it on the Club YouTube Link…. Recent talks: 21st April Turner Tours Ltd Open Boat Expedition to Canada by Keith Steer 28th April Bowron Lakes by Ian Bell  Club YouTube Link…… 5th May Sea kayaking in East Greenland by Jim Krawiecki Club YouTube Link… 12th May Circumnavigation of Menorca by Pete Thomas Club YouTube Link… 19th May Hiking the Te Araroa trail in New Zealand by Hannah Bellamy Club YouTube Link……. 26th May Sun Khosi River of Gold by Jenny Brown and Chris Thompson Club YouTube Link…. 2nd June Greenland revisited by Jim Krawiecki Club YouTube Link… 9th June Walking through the Tobeatic with canoes on our heads by Roger Coleman Club YouTube Link…. 16th June Constrains led approach in coaching by Matt Giblin Club YouTube Link…. 23rd June Prince William Sound by kayak – Alison Moxley and Keith Steer Club YouTube Link…. 30th June Costa Brava Sea Kayaking Club Trip – Pete and Carol Thomas  Club YouTube Link…. 7th July Hiking and sea kayaking on Vancouver Island by Catriona Hare 14th July ???????? by Ian Bell 21st July R? River in Sweden by Debbie Hughes 28th July Sheffield or Bust by Brian Green

Covid 19 Guidance (paddling and Equipment)  LCC Home   Site Map Page last updated June 28, 2020  During these difficult times we are not doing any general paddles. To control numbers, every paddle needs to be pre-booked with a leader or coordinator or supervisor. Paddles are notified through the club`s Google Group. All paddling is in separate, small groups of up to six paddlers. The club is now moving to Stage 3, where some paddles at the docks are now promoting the use of club equipment. However, please be aware that some Dock paddles may still require the use of your own equipment – if the coordinator is not a key holder etc. Stage 1 – Promotion of club led trips on easy water currently with up to 5 others. Stage 2 – Club led trips allowed to launch from Coburg Dock (but paddlers must use their own equipment as the compound will not be opened).  Parking is available on the top car park if the barrier is not open (£1 per hour)! Stage 3 – If the named leader of these Coburg Dock trips is also a key holder and is willing, they can allow people in their group access to the compound to collect and sanitise a set of equipment. A full Covid-19 risk assessment will need to be consulted. LCC Covid-19 Risk Assessment Stage 4 – Allowing more than 6 on site at any one time but this will depend on Government advice for mass gatherings. The club has agreed the following protocols: If you are feeling unwell or are in one of the medium or high-risk groups you should continue to shield and stay away from club promoted paddles. The changing sheds should not be used at all. Only one group to use the compound at any one time. Timetabling of trips is via the club calendar […]

If you missed last night’s talk by Alison and Keith you can now watch it on the Club YouTube Link…. Recent talks: 21st April Turner Tours Ltd Open Boat Expedition to Canada by Keith Steer 28th April Bowron Lakes by Ian Bell  Club YouTube Link…… 5th May Sea kayaking in East Greenland by Jim Krawiecki Club YouTube Link… 12th May Circumnavigation of Menorca by Pete Thomas Club YouTube Link… 19th May Hiking the Te Araroa trail in New Zealand by Hannah Bellamy Club YouTube Link……. 26th May Sun Khosi River of Gold by Jenny Brown and Chris Thompson Club YouTube Link…. 2nd June Greenland revisited by Jim Krawiecki Club YouTube Link… 9th June Walking through the Tobeatic with canoes on our heads by Roger Coleman Club YouTube Link…. 16th June Constrains led approach in coaching by Matt Giblin Club YouTube Link…. 23rd June Prince William Sound by kayak – Alison Moxley and Keith Steer Club YouTube Link…. 30th June Costa Brava Sea Kayaking Club Trip – Pete and Carol Thomas 7th July Hiking and sea kayaking on Vancouver Island by Catriona Hare

Recently there has been a facebook post from a horse rider who was not very happy with the way a car and kayak passed her (On North Parade near Hoylake RNLI station). I am sure that this was not any of our members, driving on pavement to get round a horse on North Parade (coast road near Hoylake RNLI), and there could easily be a second persons point of view, but this is a great opportunity to to learn about horses (I don’t know much, but I do occasionally pick bits up). Horses are very strange animals. They are very powerful animals, that can be very brave, but they can also spook at the slightest little thing – such as a crisp packet rustling in the wind, or a blade of grass that is slightly taller than the others. They are often used to cars, but can be very wary of a car with a kayak on the roof simply because it is different to the norm. As such, it is best to slow down and past them as wide as you possibly can (when overtaking or coming towards the animal) or look for the signal if the rider wishes you to stop. Once past the horse, don’t just rev and shoot off as that can also spook them Also, if it looks like the horse is having a moment, or the horse is not fully under the control of the rider, then it is probably best to stop well back because a tonne of horse can seriously ruin your day (never mind the risk to both horse and rider) I am sure this is not one of us, but if this was anyone you know, please tell them as I believe the footage is going to the police / […]

Photo of the Month Please send any photos to website@liverpoolcanoeclub.co.uk July 2020 Click here to see the photos and to vote for your favourite.