Shuttles

[tomdryden]

How do you do this when there is just one car? It can't just be me that goes boating with 2 of us in one car! It's seems a waste for two of us to drive 100+ miles just to do a 4 mile shuttle.

Any ideas would be appreciated
Tom

[mosspod]

Take a bicycle and stash it at the take out.

[chrisjacks]

Personally I drive to the bottom then cycle up to the top of the river, so I can get changed and have the car at the bottom and collect the bike on the way up. Instead of paddling then having to cycle while damp etc.

[Chris_Eastabrook]

I have empirical evidence that suggests that hitch hiking, over a week, is quicker than 2 cars.

For example if the drive takes 20mins, that's 40mins before you get the water, in which time people can lose focus or start to freak out. Then it's a further 40mins when you finish. 1 hour 20mins.
If you hitch hike, it's 0mins at the start and then at the finish it has to be 20mins to drive the car down river so as long as it takes less than 1hr to hitch a 20min journey, you are saving time!

[Ken]

Call a taxi! Far cheaper than taking a second car. Make sure you're not dripping wet though, obviously.

[Mark Gawler]

I understand the non-paddling partners was invented for this purpose.

[Bod]

I have empirical evidence that suggests that hitch hiking, over a week, is quicker than 2 cars.

For example if the drive takes 20mins, that's 40mins before you get the water, in which time people can lose focus or start to freak out. Then it's a further 40mins when you finish. 1 hour 20mins.
If you hitch hike, it's 0mins at the start and then at the finish it has to be 20mins to drive the car down river so as long as it takes less than 1hr to hitch a 20min journey, you are saving time!

I reckon Chris is on the money. Upper Dart, my average wait for a lift must be no more than 10 minutes. OK many rivers are more remote but if you look dry-ish it is surprising who will pick you up. I am always careful to make sure I offer paddlers a lift, spread the love and all that.

[Bryn_420]

Depends, if you're paddling something like the loop where there is a lot of traffic over the hill back to the start try and hitch. I did a few weeks ago, got a lift with the first car!

If not Take a bike with you (ours was ratcheted on top of the boats) and drive down to the take out and then cycle back to the put in. It doesn't tire you that much (depending on what you're doing) and is a good way to see what you've let yourself in for.

[Adrian Cooper]

For example if the drive takes 20mins, that's 40mins before you get the water, in which time people can lose focus or start to freak out. Then it's a further 40mins when you finish. 1 hour 20mins.

That applies if you are not passing either end anyway. For example, if you are heading up a valley to your get-it, you drop one car at the bottom, continue upstream and get on. Then when you finish your trip you have the 40min shuttle. Your timescale works if you need to drive down the valley to leave a car at the bottom.

[Aber Neil]

Take advantage of the situation. You have to walk anyway so go paddle a river that you may not normally consider because it has a 2 hour walk in! That way you both have to suffer the walk and you get to go explore something off the beaten track.

[Tom_Laws]

Picking up hitchers is also excellent sport. I normally have a mattock or chainsaw in the boot - good for unsettling them and they normally have great stories. This time last year I gave a couple of German dudes a lift to Bangor as I was going that way, they had hitched the whole way over about 4 days and were off to Dublin for St Patrick's Day.

Kayakers also get a lift, normally if they want a lift round here they have an epic tale to tell!

[Jim]

Paddle a river that starts and ends at the same place (or pretty close to) - Dart Loop and Wye at Symonds Yat are good examples although the height you have gain to walk the shuttle is often an issue, and in the latter case more of an impasse. The Tees barrage works well in this respect.

Find a bald, toothless hick with a banjo and pay him to drive the car to the takeout for you. He and his mates will then provide the rest of your excitement for free, but make sure the river is about to be dammed so the bodies will never be found. Hmm, maybe films are not a great a source of inspiration?

[LiamMtb]

folding micro scooter in the back of my creeker, untried taking it on the river but the shuttle is much quicker with some form of wheeled transport

[Bod]

Picking up hitchers is also excellent sport. I normally have a mattock or chainsaw in the boot - good for unsettling them and they normally have great stories. This time last year I gave a couple of German dudes a lift to Bangor as I was going that way, they had hitched the whole way over about 4 days and were off to Dublin for St Patrick's Day.

Kayakers also get a lift, normally if they want a lift round here they have an epic tale to tell!

I once got a lift in Bristol from someone who had a .5inch calibre Browning machine gun and ammunition in his boot.

Any paddler that you pick up, you will know through the 3/4/5 degrees of separation rule. Mrs Bod once picked up a stranger in Exeter and helped him on his journey to the Zam (she wasn't going that far herself). Of course she paddled at UWE and UWE had socials with Kingston Poly because of Andy Glass and Alex Nicks had been to Kingston, so it was only a couple of degrees apart. Presumably everybody on here has given Ted Piper a lift at some point (except me!)?

[DaveBland]

Cycling's the obvious answer. Can get a bit nippy for t'others hanging around though.
If there's room, my preference is to offer a non-paddler a day out in the hills for free, in return for a bit of bunnying.

[Rhod]

Personally, I love a run after finishing a run. Especially if the weather is hot. Make sure you have good river shoes and take off as much other kit as you can first though.

Otherwise hitch - Most random lift was from a school bus in rulal Italy!

[Pete K]

My wife and I have done some nice 1 vehicle trips in the Lakes. Just us 2, my van and 2 open boats.
Upper Derwent from the YHA down to Derwent Water. Boats at top with her, me take van to bottom and catch bus back. 30 mins.
Eamont from Pooley to Brougham (?) Castle. Same as above with a bus. Took about 1 hour.

Have to be a bit more thoughtful but plenty of trips go with bus shuttles.

[Bryn_420]

folding micro scooter in the back of my creeker, untried taking it on the river but the shuttle is much quicker with some form of wheeled transport

You absolute Champion! Scooting a 5 mile shuttle over the hills would be worth a video in itself!

[Jim]

The river Leven works well with a train shuttle between Dumbarton and Balloch. The station at Balloch is very close to the river, crossing the road wil lget you tothe trip boat pontoons but I would cross the bridge and head up river a short way to the small free slip on the other side. For the nearest station to the river in Dumbarton egress directly at Dalreoch on river right - trying to work out if there is a gap in the fence between the footpath and the station car park.... Egressing river left there are several options, if the tide is out you will want to run Levenford and see if it has play potential so any of the steps to the riverside car park are useful and Dumbarton Central is about 5-10 minutes walk depending on where you get out and if you know the way. For the full monty you can continue to the Clyde and egress at the castle leaving a slightly longer walk to Dumbarton East. If your boats are short enough just take them on the train.

A bit more appealing is the Ilanz gorge on the Vorderrhein, the car shuttle is so long that everyone does it by train instead. Just make sure you get a ticket for your boat to go in the guards van, you can get a day ticket that lets you do the trip several times in a day if you want - it is possibly the fastest 22km of grade 2(4) anywhereso 3 or possibly more runs in a day is viable if you take the train! There are bound to be others - the middle Spean would be feasible using Roybridge and Spean Bridge stations.

Another option in many parts of Britain is to use a canal to return to your start point, Burrs, Dee, some sections of the Bristol Avon should work and there are bound to be others.

[morsey]

Another option in many parts of Britain is to use a canal to return to your start point, Burrs, Dee, some sections of the Bristol Avon should work and there are bound to be others.

Usk, Exe ...

[morsey]

In the UK, I'll always volunteer to run for the car, or cycle or hitch. It is always the warmest option, compared to sitting in a car park waiting, shivering and feeling unloved and sorry for yourself.

In the Alps I love biking the shuttles.

My most and least favourite runs have been: Lynmouth to Brendon, Newbridge to Two Bridges, Aime to Bourg St Maurice, The Frya shuttle n Norway. 10km runs before or after boating on uber steep roads is pretty taxing. There is something of the Forest Gump appeal about running up over Dartmoor as the sun is setting cascading colours over the moor, or getting blasted sideways by horizontal wind and rain running along the Lyn and appreciating why all the bushes and trees are at forty five degrees. The Frya run came close to beating me, seriously underestimated that one!

[Adrian Cooper]

I suffer from an anti-run gene so I need a car.