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| | White Water Course Details
Disclaimer
 This section of the River Calder (approx
300m) is alongside our Club, in the centre of
Sowerby Bridge (directions to the club).
Play for as long as you like - and walk back up for another go!
General Description:
After many years of damage during high water levels, the white water course was
was rebuilt in August 2007, taking it back close to how it looked when it was
orginally built in the 1980's. It provides for a good introduction to white
water, play boating or slalom practice. It is used three times a year for slalom
events (Div 2, 3 and 4 slaloms) and other canoeing events.
Please note the put-in is through a resident's
land, so be respectful of their property. The launching area is prone to pebble
banks forming under the water, in particular under the bridge arch on the right
as you face up stream. From the launch area you can paddle upstream for about 1 km to warm
up and return to course. (There is also another small rapid and Puzzle weir
about 1km upstream). The Course is made up of artificial drops and pools, originally
designed around the needs of slalom, but has many other paddling uses.
Grading: Generally grade II but
in high water levels it can reach grade III falls.
Put In / Take Out: They are near to the club house through other residents land for
which we have access rights. The put in is through brown gates with sign saying
"No Public Right Of Way" over the red wooden footbridge down to cobbled launch area.
The take out is at the bottom of course up the metal steps back into the mill complex.
Access Situation: No problems providing you are respectful of other residents of the site.
Please do not leave you cars in the mill complex, drop of your kit and park your motors in the
public car park behind B&H supermarket (formerly Kwik Save), accessed via Tuel Lane, next to canal. For
visiting paddlers passing through or playing on the course there is no charge. To minimise
disruption to residents from large groups we may be able to arrange access to changing
facilities with showers. Please contact our
Chair, Mark Limmer on (
01706 812265 or email
for more information.
Regular paddlers to the course are encouraged to join
the club and contribute to club life.
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Water
Level Indicators:
The river is
paddlable in all but extreme high
water.
The
most important thing is that when water levels are high, you must be able to
beach by metal steps at the bottom of the course to get out. If not its a
long walk (about a 1km) to the next get out. More importantly the next weir down can be difficult in high water -
a wall to wall canoe-gobbler - with no possible portage. The river is subject to run
off from the local moors and river levels can rise
very quickly. As
an indicator, the club classes normal level as when the water is up
to the top of the weir at the top of the course. The course can be
paddled below this level, but the drops are a bit rocky for vertical
moves.
If
there is water going over the weir along its full length we class the level as
being high.
If
you can't see the weir it is very high ! - see the note above about
being able to get off.
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The
top weir with water going over along the full length |
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| Major Hazards / Falls: The
Weir Drop has a tow back, which can be dangerous for the
inexperienced and unwary, particularly in low water. Debris from floods, can be an occasional problem.
Once again the ability to beach at the metal steps when levels are high as mentioned above.
If it is you first visit scout the course first or meet a club member.
These notes have been updated after the
reforming of the course in August 2007, and are based on low water levels.
As soon as we have some more water, we'll update this information with
details of what the new course is like in higher levels!
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Weir
Drop
This is run river right through the break in the weir.
At
low levels this gives a sucky stopper, but it is regularly
used for many of the play boating tricks. This has the potential to be dangerous
as the strong tow back can catch out the unwary / inexperienced as it is
difficult to escape - novices
in playboats beware!
Also
at very low levels you might want to think twice about running this in a slalom
boat.
When
the water is up to a normal level (at or almost at the top of the weir)
the stopper is not so bad but still tricky!
In
higher water levels this forms a reasonable surf wave.
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Left:
The
Weir drop in low water, with a 'sucky' stopper.
Right:
Experiencing the 'sucky' stopper
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1st Drop
This
has been reformed to remove the previous steep rocky drop and give a shallow ramp into
the pool, giving strong clear eddies either side.
This
drop has now been adjusted to make it a little higher and give a bit of a wave.
It is no longer a scrape at low levels.
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The
1st drop in low water
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2nd Drop
This
has also been reformed to remove the previously steep rocky drop and give a shallow ramp into
the pool. There are good strong clear eddies either side.
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The
2nd drop in low water
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3rd Drop
This
can be run in most places, if you river right you need to avoid the
rock below on the right (on the left of the picture) - although this does
now give a nice tight breakout behind the rock. At higher levels the rock is
lurking just below the surface
Reforming
has also given an eddy on the river left below the drop.
In
most water conditions
this drop creates a lovely small surf wave.
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The
3rd drop in low water. This gives a good if small surf wave at most levels
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4th Drop
This is a small
drop, again with good crisp
eddies either side below. Since being reformed this has settled slightly so at
low levels there is a corner of rock just below the surface in the centre of the
drop - so at low levels run this either left of right of centre.
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The
4th drop in low water (closest to the camera).
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Egress
This is then followed by the run out and you need to
get out on the river left - the large metal steps are a giveaway!
Either
climb out onto the large rocks lining the riverside, or about 10m downstream of
the metal steps the river bank slopes down to a eddy on the left that can be
used.
At
high water you can paddle over the large rocks normally on the riverside and
beach by the steps - but make sure you can do this before you can get on!
Then
you can either climb the steps or follow rivers edge back to the start,
a couple of minutes walk either way.
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Looking
downstream, the metal egress steps can be seen on the river left.
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Other
Notes:
1.
If it is your first visit go through Sowerby Bridge on the A58 until you cross
the river (County) bridge, find a car parking space nearby and return to bridge
on foot. From there you will be able to see the put-in and course plus which
will help you get your bearings. Obviously it is a Club site, so anyone
interested in joining please contact us (see membership
for contacts), we do all the regular club things and warm friendly welcome will
be given.
2.
The water is not clear but is much cleaner that it used to be (honest), in fact
so much cleaner that Grayling are now occasionally caught by local fisherman.
You are reminded that this river is set in an urban area so statistically there
is a chance of Weil's Disease, although there has never been a case reported in
the Clubs history. More common are stomach bugs, so sensible precautions are
advised.
3. It is possible to
either come down the Calder from several points upstream, carry on downstream,
or make use of the nearby canal for a round trip. However there are a number of weirs
both upstream and downstream on the river that can be dangerous in certain
conditions.
Disclaimer:
Canoeing and Kayaking are "assumed risk" - "water contact
sports" that may carry carry attendant risks. participants should be aware
of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own action and
involvement.
Halifax
Canoe Club accept no responsibility for injury or loss resulting for using these
white water facilities.
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