Llangollen Aqueduct & Tunnels – by John Fay Over thirty LCC members gathered at the Pavilion Car park in Llangollen to unload boats and equipment before shuttling cars to the Poachers Pocket Pub in Chirk. On the drivers return all paddlers launch under the canal bridge and headed off towards the Trevor and the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. Stan van-den-berg was in his brand new Rockpool kayak and there were concerns about it getting marked on the canal way. Was this the rights decision to bring his new pride and joy? Amanda had chosen the liquid Logic Remix as her preferred mode of transport which definitely proved not to be the right decision as she struggled in the little river kayak. Early on a swap was made leaving Amanda much happier in a Easky 13 kayak and making much greater progress towards the aqueduct. The group enjoyed the beautiful scenery as they were gently assisted by the slight flow of the canal which was fed from the River Dee back at the Horseshoe Falls. As the back markers turned into the Trevor basin an array of colored kayaks came into view. The large group had waited for everyone to gather before heading over the Aqueduct but first we had to give way to a canal boat coming the other way. There is only room for one boat, and they are much bigger and heavier than our plastic boats. Dorin called the boat a “turtle” as it very slowly made its way across the water course which carried it some 126 feet above the River below. Eventually we were off. People walking were taking photographs of the group which spanned from one end of the aqueduct to the other. One couple remarked to Liz that in all the years of walking this canal […]

River Tees Trip Day Two – Barnard Castle to Winston Bridge After a group meal out in the local pub on Saturday night, we had a leisurely start on Sunday. Everyone busied about eating breakfast, packing up their things and making sure the hostel was tidy before we met for a briefing with Stuart outside. The rain Gods had been again and low force was too big for all of us to run, so we set off to run a section of the Tees between Barnard Castle and Winston Bridge (made famous when Ray Hanna flew a spitfire underneath it at 250mph for a TV programme – woah!). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf3UtmHLKUU The water was quite fast flowing, wide and bouncy with lots of features – again quite like the sunshine run in the Alps! The autumnal colours of the trees were lovely as we paddled down in groups of five, chatting away. The first feature was a weir, which everybody sailed over, and next came Abbey Rapids. As our group was first, we got out to have a recce. Fiona and I decided to portage, joining at the bottom to be ready to catch anybody if needed! John came down first, followed by Stuart and Sarah and then everyone else one by one, all picking quite different but equally successful lines down the two drops. The first swimmer of the day was John, when he slipped off a rock whilst pointing out the line – Sarah was quick to the rescue with her paddle shaft! When everyone was through the feature safely, we carried on in our groups until we reached another weir type feature with a larger drop. We went over one by one, the trick is to keep straight, at right angles with the edge of the weir and to […]

Festive Paddle (Conway Estuary) – Coordinator Kirk Williams & Brian Green Click here for more information and to book…. Sunday, 15 December ’19   10am – 3pm  Beacons Car Park LL32 8GN Festive Paddle (Conway Estuary) – Coordinator Kirk Williams & Brian Green The plan is to take the tide up the Conway Estuary from Beacons Car Park LL32 8GN – Meet at 10:00am. The Conway Estuary paddle is suitable for all types of craft (Sea Kayaks, Open Boats, SUPs, General Purpose Kayaks) so no excuses for not joining us. Questions to  Kirk Williams….. Expect 4 hours on the water with 8-10km with the tide pushing us both ways. Please ensure that you have adequate clothing to protect from the conditions. Previous photos and information The Club compound will be open at 8:00am and an hour after the finish of the meal to collect and return any borrowed boats. Please reserve them using the booking form on the website….. LOCATION Beacons Car Park LL32 8GN

Festive Christmas Meal – Coordinator Kirk Williams & Brian Green Click here for more information and to book…. Sunday, 15 December ’19   4pm – 7pm St Georges Hotel, St George’s Pl, The Promenade, Llandudno, LL30 2LG, Phone: 01492 877544 Hi folks it’s THAT TIME of year again and the 11th Annual Liverpool Canoe Club Christmas Meal is taking place on Sunday 15th December 2019. We seem to get more and more people each year, with nearly 50 of us sitting down last year. The price for the superb three course festive lunch is just £22.00 Following on from the very positive feedback received following all the previous post paddle Christmas Meal at St Georges Hotel in Llandudno I have made a booking for Sunday 15th December for 4.00pm in our own private function room, which will be the Menai Suite again. The food, the venue and the service are always really good with everyone thoroughly enjoying the day. In order to work up a good appetite the plan is to take the tide up the Conway Estuary from Beacons Car Park LL32 8GN – 10:00am. Please book onto this using the separate bookwhen form so that we have an exact register for attendance on the paddle and can send you any last minute information. The Estuary paddle is suitable for all types of craft, so no excuses for not joining us. Maybe even some ‘hardcore’ SUP folks may join us? (4 hours on the water expect 8-10km) We are booked in for 4.00pm which will give us plenty of time to sort out boats, kit and cars. For the three-course festive lunch the price this year is just £22.00 Booking and payment to be made via the club website booking page. The tides on this day are very favourable with local HW at […]

How not to break out of an eddy – by Craig Ford The theory of breaking out of an eddy is relatively easy to remember … When exiting the eddy, paddle upstream with good hard strokes and as the bow of the kayak begins to cross the eddy line, begin to shift your weight and lift your upstream knee, thereby tilting the upstream edge of the boat up.  Continue to paddle forward until you have passed over the eddy line allowing the water to turn the bow of the boat downstream. Don’t do what I did and paddle at 90 degrees to the eddy line, with no edging at all to, or even worse shift your weight onto your upstream knee, thereby dipping the upstream edge in to the river. Here’s a short video showing what happens when you get it wrong. https://youtu.be/0YoI0P71Tso Craig Ford

LIFT & CARRY A CANOE (PICS & VIDS) Carrying / Lifting a canoe As we all know, open canoes can be quite heavy. Therefore, it is important to lift and carry them correctly. Low level carry 2 person An easy carry over shortish distances is for 2 people to go to either end, bend legs, and then following an agreed command to lift with a straight back. To ease the load on your wrist, you can support the weight by utilising a sling over your shoulder. 3 or 4 or more person To ease the load on two people, if there are more of you then simply ask more people to help carry. Again, communication is key to lifting the boat cleanly. This eases the load on the people carrying, but it is slow and carrying through confined spaces or uneven ground can be difficult. High level carry For carrying solo, or on longer distances, it is often easier to carry a canoe up high. HOWEVER, it is very important that we lift the boats properly (otherwise your back will go twang and you wont be paddling that day!). Below are a selection of videos that show how to lift a boat for a high level carry. My favourite, whether carrying solo or double, is to lift / lower with two people 2 person lift & carry – my favourite, whether carrying as a pair or using the centre yoke. These two vids show 2 person lift and a 1 or 2 person carry.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ2j9oeoY2c&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2_MEM6HtYs7vuqDo-1pt_oAI9-tlc1DUCTxU1HSFVX15jLTVCPfCa7sWI  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTHGZ9j46_Q 1 person curl and carry – VERY IMPORTANT TO BE SMOOTH!!! NB, note how you can reduce the weight by resting one end on the floor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZq-nh6kdTM 1 person lift and carry – a great way to lift that puts less risk to your body. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfTrmLTU7Ek (Thanks to Ray Goodwin for […]

River Tees Trip – by Sarah Gille After a foggy drive we arrived at Langdon Beck Youth Hostel in Teesdale and swiftly diverted to the local pub to book a table for 19 for the Saturday night. We then settled in at the hostel with a huge portion of homemade lasagna and a delicious brownie that Hannah had baked. We awoke on Saturday to a surprise from the river gods of an unexpected deluge, filling the rivers up to high levels. As a result, plans where swiftly tweaked and we were ready at 9.00 am to set off to the river. Not too far a dive, the shuttle was organised swiftly and we split into groups to start the racecourse section of the river tees. This was a river most had never done due to low levels the past few years. Craig Ford warmed up on a play wave and tested his roll not far from the get in and we set off down a wide fast flowing river with big bouncy wave trains. If you squinted your eyes and ignored your numb fingers and toes, it was much like the bouncy waves of the sunshine run in the South of France. We passed a dead cow that had somehow met its demise and swiftly paddled by in case it exploded. After a lunch stop and wee break we set back off and where reminded of our geography days in the meandering sections of a river. As we progressed more features developed, and Hannah was eaten by a hole. The team worked swiftly and well to ‘pokey pokey’ her boat to the side and she was soon back in her boat. Further on we entered a gorge like section with a few more waves to manoeuvre, some of which curling […]

Having sorted a shuttle so that we could make the trip to Scotland in one car, Ruth and I loaded the canoes onto the trailer and headed north. It was time to go to the Spey again – one of the best multiday canoe trips in the UK. We had done this trip before, but with all the recent rain the river was considerably higher and flowing far faster than last time. With some initial trepidation as to what the camping sites would be like (waterlogged?), we loaded the boats with food, camping kit, spare clothes for the shuttle and launched into the ultimate relaxation escape. With the higher water level, we noted that the river sped by with far greater ease than last time. Although we were in the shadows of the high Cairngorms, this was one of the flatter sections in which we enjoyed the autumnal sunshine and marvelled at the turning of the woodland leaves. Despite not being quiet, straight away we started seeing fabulous wildlife including several raptors and otters. Even more amazing, no midge, and for paddlers raised on the rivers of Wales, we had only friendly waves from the riverbank! The first day was a great shake down as we haven’t paddled loaded boats for some time, but all too soon it was time to look for a suitable place to set camp. We spied a location that was perfect, so we landed and set up for a night under the stars – perfect, I do love a good wild camp. Zzzzzzzzzz Zzzzzzzzz, “Oi, stop snoring!” Morning brought a heavy mist / fog which provided a readily taken excuse for a lazy start – our reckoning was that we couldn’t see far enough ahead to read the river (Any excuse for another brew). Eventually […]

After another wet week the Dee was full and flowing. Once a minimal faff car shuttle was complete everyone safely launched round the trees from the bottom of the car park and 4 groups paddled off down the river. There were not many eddies as the water levels seemed quite high on the banks, but plenty of grade 2 bouncy bits to keep people on their toes. A play wave on one bend with 2 big eddies either side enabled everyone to regroup and enjoy the odd burst of sun while a tennis balls was thrown around. A great spot to practice surfing and ferry gliding. Next stop was lunch in a field beside the river to refuel before the main rapid of the day – Trevor Rocks! They were fast and bouncy, but no problem for the LCC – 100% success. Round the bend the country park came into view. The autumn colours in the valley and a perfect view of the aqueduct made for great end to the introductory river trip. Or was that the trip to the pub afterwards? Report by Jenny Brown More Photos……..

River Wye Trip – Saturday by Aleksander Ford Day one (Rhayader to Builth Wells) Today we paddled the River Wye.  As we rearranged boats ready for shuttling it was a nice sunny day and we were all excited for the journey ahead.  It was going to be a 24 km paddle, which we found took us a surprisingly short time to paddle, due to the fast-flowing river, which had been fed by a week’s worth of rain. When we started it was very gentle with a few wave trains and further down, the river was a very bouncy part which was under a tall bridge.  Carrying on, we passed large amounts of sheep and cattle which stared at us. Eventually we came to a grade 4 minus feature (Builth Rocks) which was a drop followed by lots of boiling and bubbling water.  After that there were a few places to practise surfing. Overall the river was very gentle with a few places to have fun.  It’s a great river, longer than normal paddles, for beginners and improvers alike. Aleksander Ford More Photos……..

Wye? Because it’s there…… by Chris Murphy Wye? Because it’s there…… Day two the Upper Wye (Llangurig to Rhayader) After Hannah and Craig left us on Sunday morning 15 paddlers got on the water at Llangurig to begin our second trip on the River Wye. This time we would be finishing our paddle at the point where we started yesterday’s paddle in the middle of Rhayader below the grade four feature. (more of that later). We split into three groups of five with the “canary” group of Mark, Stuart T, Leanne, Sarah and Stuart C setting off first. Next was our group with Kirk, Chris M, Ollie, Craig F and Alexsander. Bringing up the rear was the third group of Keith, John, Chris T, Jenny and Sean. The River Wye on this section was 18k of read and run grade 2/3 however the recent persistent rainfall had resulted in the levels being higher than normal. This meant that the first part of the day was largely spent picking our way through the overhanging trees. The lengthy flat sections were interrupted every now again by the grade three drops which were pretty friendly for the most part but a couple of them did provide a few problems. The first of these involved a fallen tree that was blocking the exit to a left-hand feature. We decided safety first was the best policy and portaged. After a scramble across the bank we got back in our boats and paddled back up the tree to take a closer look. The obstruction had also collected a section of fencing complete with barbed wire which we couldn’t see from the bank. The portage was a good call after all. The other troublesome feature had a sharp drop with a hole on river right and a […]

October Introductory Course by John Fay Sunday morning alongside the General docks paddle ran this month’s Introductory Course for new members. Sadly, Elizabeth and Karen were unable to attend leaving five in the hands of Alex, Aaron, Martin and John. A good thing really because Annmarie and Gill were quite nervous. Ian, Paul and Ellen made up the rest of the group and it wasn’t long before everyone was on the water. Two hours later they had all learnt some basic paddle strokes and had tried a variety of boats including open canoes and an inflatable double kayak belonging to Ian and Gill. At the end of the session everyone had smiles on their faces and Ellen stated that the session had been very helpful. Ian and Paul both completed the capsize drill although Ian has now become quite an expert at this after attending both Rescues Session. Well done to everyone. See you again on the water soon. More Photos…….. Report by John Fay

River Dee Ponsonby to Ty Mawr by John Allerton River Dee Ponsonby to Ty Mawr Country Park Great paddle yesterday thanks all who attended River was super-fast level 1.2m at Manley gauge weather held out – good to have some canoeists with us too. More Photos…….. Report by John Allerton

Rescues Session 2 by John Fay Our second Rescues session started and ended in beautiful sunshine. Once again members new and old gathered together to learn or practice various rescue skills. Alex Peacock took charge of the several young members who attended, and it wasn’t long before screams of laughter could be heard across the water as Alex engaged them in several fun kayaking games. Others split into small groups and worked together on their skills and we could see our new members grow in confidence as each skill they attempted was successful. It was also great to see people who had never met before forging new friendships as they warmed themselves up with hot drinks and other goodies provided by our catering team of Irene Jackson and Chris Fay. Once again, the planned “two-hour session” concluded after some three and a half hours and a tired group reluctantly headed home. A massive thank you to everyone (too many to name) who turned up today and we look forward to seeing you on more dock’s sessions and paddles in the near future. More Photos…….. Report by John Fay

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