RIVER TAY

[David Martin]

Heard a rumour from someone that the middle channel (usual route) on Stanley Weir has collapsed a bit recently (October time) and there are now metal spikes sticking out the water right in the centre of the shoot. Is this true? Has anyone paddled Stanley to Thistlebrig recently and spotted these?

Cheers

Dave

[Janson]

I have paddled it a few times recently and have not seen them. We have had some big water though; so I wouldn't be surprised if it had collapsed, the right hand side was becoming pretty undercut.

[cewart]

David,

I paddled that section on 30th November. The water was medium(ish) and all was OK at the time.

[Nofia]

I dissregarded the old guidebook warning about the spikes in the right-hand channel and went to play in the hole. After the cheek-piece was nearly severed from my helmet I decided to swim to the side and pour some blood on my mates. In order to avoid being looked-at funny when you visit a filling station on the way home I suggest caution!

[stephan]

I've done this section for years and have seen spikes at the weir, but would like clarification if anyone can help, particularly on where the spikes are, how big they are, what direction they point in etc.

Along the side of the chute (and presumably everywhere), the concrete seems to be reinforced with wire mesh in a # shape as in my great diagram below... As the concrete washes away over time, bits of the mesh stick out like this = from the centre chute and you can see them as you are going down, to your right. Someone I was with once got out and bent them up and down until they snapped away. They were about 5mm thick roughly.

Are these the spikes we are talking about, or are there other ones too underneath the water? I've never been able to get a 100% solid answer, but the ones I am talking about are definitely enough to hurt! I guess if the whole weir has a metal criss-cross pattern running through it, there will be bits like this all over the place, along the bottom/front of the weir and along the chute bits in the middle, although some seem to have metal along the sides.

Diagram a) !
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[stephan]

I've spoken to a couple of other people about this.

Apparently as well as the spikes I was talking about, there are posts, sticking upright.

So it sounds like sticking to the main chute is the way to go.

[Gavers]

Hi

I was there last Sunday, larking about with a friend trying to tow on to the 'wave' on the chute left of the main (what I've always taken as the main line anyway) chute. Was paying close attention, looking out for the spikes, mainly because of this thread, but didn't see anything, and it was pretty low water then.

This chute didn't seem tooo broken down, although was rather shallow half way down, just above where the 'wave' forms. This is the place I was expecting to see spikes, or anything nasty, but saw nothing. Maybe I'm blind though. Wouldn't fancy swimming down it, but paddling down it in anything higher than low (sorry I didn't pay attention to the guage so don't know numbers) seemed to me to be 'safe'.

For clarity, to my memory there are four chutes (in low water), the far river right one I've never paddled down, the main one second from the right I usually paddle down (main chute), the second from the left (the one I've been waxing lyrical about above), and the broken down line on the left which is unpaddleable in all but biblical levels.

Gav =)

[neil.farmer]

The SCA have been informed that the carpark at the top of the Stanley section of the river Tay willbe closed from Thursday onwards. Various issues behind this, but I donor believe that it was canoeists thatwere the cause.

More details on the SCA site:
http://www.canoescotland.com/Default.aspx?tabid=242
 

[kayaking_matt]

Hey, just wondering if anyone could help with a quick bit of info on levels at the grandtully section of the tay?

Also is it Salmon fishing season now? are there any alterations to access or current access situations on this bit of the tay?

Cheers,

Matt

[Mike Dales]

Hi Matt

You can check out river levels on the Wheresthewater website. Go to: http://www.wheresthewater.com/river-levels/scotland & hold your cursor over Grandtully on the Upper Tay, or click on it to go to the relevant page on the SEPA website.

The fishing season has started again, so be aware that anglers will be on the river. If you follow the advice in the SCA's Paddlers' Access Code at: http://www.canoescotland.com/Default.aspx?tabid=663 then you should be acting responsibly & within the law.

Mike Dales
SCA Access & Environment Officer

[Mike Dales]

From mid-March to early May there will be engineering works taking place under the bridge at Dunkeld. At any time over this period there will be one archway being worked on and best avoided. For further details please visit the SCA website at: http://www.canoescotland.com/Default.aspx?PageContentID=353&tabid=680.
Mike Dales
SCA Access & Environment Officer

[neilfarmer]

Edradynate access point to the River Tay:

The SCA have become aware of concerns of the local people, regarding paddlers parking at Edradynate then going to the toilet in the local area and near to the fishing hut (just downstream from the car park).

This is not very nice for the people who use the area adjacent to the access point and not very considerate to the people who help to provide this access.

I think our advice has to be along the lines of

"aim to arrive at Edradyante having just been to the loo. It is not a public toilet! If the current issues do not resolve themselves, it is possible that this access point will be lost".

Please be considerate and pass this message to everyone that it may be applicable to.

[Solonova]

Hope everyone takes note-its bad enough to have lost the Isla Bridge point without putting this at risk.

[Scots_Charles_River]

Is this access point still open ?

Nick

[matt_outandabout]

Yes.

[Scots_Charles_River]

Ta

[jehartnett]

Paddled the Tay at Stanley on Saturday in lowish levels. The weir appears to have broken down further and there is now a chunk of concrete in the eddy between the main (middle) and far right channels that has separated itself from the weir. There are at least 3 LARGE (ie. 10 inches long) and very sharp metal spikes sticking directly up out of this. If the levels were to increase they would be lurking just below the surface and could well split a boat (or a person) if they were unlucky enough to paddle over them. They are about 3m downstream of the weir itself and are in the main eddy but closer to the right channel than the middle. I'll take my camera next time I'm out and post some photos up here.