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GUIDE TO THE RIVER BLACKWATER NAME OF RIVER: Blackwater. WHERE IS IT?: North of Inverness, just off the A835 to Ullapool. The put in is either above or below the bridge where the road crosses the river about a mile north of Garve. The takeout is above Garve and is much easier to find from the river than the road, it being hidden down a forest track. PUT-INS/ TAKE-OUTS: There is a large carpark on the South side of the bridge which marks the get in. From here you travel a short distance down the main road where you will see a sign marked 'Little Garve'. Take this road and about half a mile down this road you will see a sign to the left to a picnic area. Follow this keeping left until you reach a bridge over the river and a turning area. It is probably best not to leave too many cars here as there is not a lot of room. APPROX LENGTH: 1-2 miles. TIME NEEDED: 1-2 hours depending on group confidence. It took us over half an hour just to do the first drop but the rest were run on spec. ACCESS SITUATION: Unknown. WATER LEVEL INDICATORS: Look over the old roadbridge at the put in. At the bottom of the drop on the river left there is a rock. If this is out of the water and the rapid appears blocked it is low. If the rock is apparent but not out of the water it is medium and if there is no sign of this rock it is probably high. The top fall that you can see from the road bridge is a good indicator of what is to come. GRADING: Grade 3-4 (5). MAJOR HAZARDS/ FALLS: The first and last rapids on the river are the hardest although the first fall under the bridge often looks more menacing than it really is. The final fall is under the bridge at the get out and warrants a bit of respect. At low to medium levels this runs easily to the far left. However, there is a submerged rock midstream at the base of the fall which has a tendency to throw people into a very nasty pot on river right. This should be avoided at all costs as rescue is not easy and the hole is very retentive. In higher flows a boil forms on the lip of the fall which makes the left hand route very difficult to make. GENERAL DESCRIPTION: As mentioned, the first rapid is a good indicator of what follows with about a mile and a half of ledges and rockslides. Generally, the falls are straightforward and rescue should be easy in all but very high water. The rockslide section is marked by significant midstream rock outcrops and finding the easiest route is not always obvious. If in any doubt get out and look as some of the alternative channels are unrunnable. The final fall is easily noted by the presence of an old road bridge. In medium to low flows it is possible to exit from the eddie directly above the fall. In higher water this may not be available. OTHER NOTES: NB There is another Blackwater further south in Scotland, just to confuse people? CONTRIBUTED BY: Kris Waring. |
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