Feast or Famine in the Lakes

Nick, Howard, Wendy and I were meeting up for a weekend in the Lakes, so we decided to take the boats along, to do a trip on the Sunday. In true Lake District form, it poured all Friday night and into Saturday. To say it was rain was a bit of an understatement, it was more like water with bits of air in it. Everything was flooded, with all the becks in spate and rivers running across fields. We had thought of doing the Greta, so we went to have a look - it was monstrous!? Whilst it would have been an exciting trip, the consequences of a swim were a bit dire to say the least, so we ran away.

One little river which gets a good write up in the guidebook is the Rothay, which runs from Grasmere and Rydal Water into Windermere. It's only a grade 2, with a few easy rapids. It didn't look too big on Sunday so off we went. We couldn't park at the top so we put in where the river enters Rydal Water. A nice leisurely paddle across the lake was followed by a quickening of the pace as the river went back between banks out of the lake.

From there on, we had fast, clear water, with few breakouts, and a lot of overhanging trees. The trees made for interesting manoeuvring, and a lot of reverse ferry glide practice. There were one or two little play waves, the best of which was where a set of stepping stones cross the river. According to the guidebook, these are a useful gauge of river level, and if they are covered, it is classed as high. All along the banks, there were signs that the river had been two or three feet higher the previous day, the stones were still about a foot under water!

As it nears Windermere, the river banks are built up to prevent flooding. This made for bank to bank fast water with tiny eddies behind trees growing in the banks. The river finally slowed down as it entered the lake, and it was possible to take shortcuts across flooded fields, to shorten the last few hundred metres.

It is an interesting little river, perhaps not worth making a special trip for, but well worth doing. The only problem was that the water was running so fast that it was a only a short trip, but there wasn't enough time to do it again.

By contrast, the following week Andy, Anne, Neil and I met at Bowes for a trip to the lakes. Plenty of water - let's go for Great Langdale Beck. We stopped at Elterwater to look at Pillar Falls, the hardest bit on the river at grade 4. There wasn't even enough water to get through the lead in to the rapid, let alone get down it! After a quick discussion, we settled on another trip to the Greta.

The shuttle sorted out, we kitted up at the put in - all except Watto that is, because he hadn't got his spraydeck. Well, at least both cars would be at the end. Three of us on to the river, in water level like summer. Bit of a rock bash most of the way.

There were one or two play spots, the most notable being under a bridge near the end, where Anne and I showed Neil how to get stuck in a stopper, I showed how I can roll in one, and Neil generally showed how much a better paddler than us he is!

In Keswick, all that was left to do was wait by the cars in paddling kit, until Watto had finished his Christmas shopping and came with the keys.

As a trip it was OK, but not what I would class as particularly memorable.

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	Swaledale Outdoor Club

Feast or Famine in the Lakes

Pete Bridgstock