26 km on the River Wye 09/02/19
First day out on the water in mid-Wales after gale force winds and lashing rain all night. There was plenty of water, but the first job was to “suit up!” and dig Craig’s van 
out of the bottom field.
We paddled the Wye from Rhayader to Builth Wells – 26 km of grade 2 to 3. In the swollen river a new grading system was invented: Silky smooth, Fluffy, Stubbly, Goatie & Full on beardy. We had 14 paddlers running the river in one group. With small suspension bridges overhead and tributaries coming in 
from the side, the river was wide and bouncy and full of wave trains – and was renamed the “mid-Wales Sun Koshi” by Keith.
After a cheeky roll from Alexander, a surprisingly bouncy grade 2 caught Andy off guard. To warm up we had a bite to eat on the bank. That was the fluffy section completed.
The next section was silky smooth with a surf wave here and there. The brown water of the river Irthon joined from the right – the merging water reminding Keith of the Sun Koshi. We then had another bite and leg stretch on the bank before tackling the 2 “stubbly” rapids before reaching the get out. That evening the rain fell again and Kirk arrived just in time for a cheese butty at the not so nearby pub that doesn’t serve dinner so late. It was big water was on the forecast again for day 2. Did Keith mention it was just like the Sun Koshi?…
