River Dee Progression to White Water 14th Dec 24

We had two groups out on Saturday to paddle the River Dee from Llangollen Town to Ty Mawr Country Park. The river was on a good medium level and provided for some interesting waves. The recent floods had left debris and stranded tree trunks high on the bank. Most notably, two very large trees were now blocking the middle and left arch of the town falls bridge in Llangollen. Hopefully, these will be cut away by the council as they could damage the bridge in future floods. The right-hand side arch was still clear so town falls were still padderable.

The river begins in Llangollen, flowing fast with Grade I rapids, transitioning to Grade II drops. It’s a mix of easier rapids with occasional challenges depending on the water level. At the remains of an old suspension bridge is an S bend with a small playwave on the river right. The main flow now funnels the unwary paddler into some overhanging trees, although recent floods had washed some of these branches away.

Around 3 miles downstream, you encounter a wall with a concrete fishing dyke at the end. Shortly after you see the village of Trevor with houses on the left bank and a right-hand bend marking Trevor Rocks. This site is historically significant as the location of the first UK canoe slalom competition in 1939.