RIVER TEIGN (A382 Bridge to Steps Bridge)

[Mark R]

Guide.

[Mark R]

Calire Lake ... 'I paddled the Teign in Feb 07 after some fairly wet weather. At the weir above Fingle Bridge we found a tree across the shoot on river left, totally blocking any use of it.'

[Mark R]

Pics from Colin Greaves ...
http://picasaweb.google.com/chgreaves/RiverTeign#

[CraigRockliffe]

Photos of the 10 foot weir on this section, GR 722896, Showing the river left line at a medium level.

[andywalker]

Mountain biked along it today and there's a tree all the way across the river just before the weir just above Fingle Bridge.

Would probably be able to get over it at more paddleable levels...but it may collect all sorts of other debris.

Also there's a new footbridge, just above the big weir near the start of the run.

[daydoe]

Paddled this on Sunday, there is no tree in the weir now so we were all able to run it with no problems.

Small issue of meeting a member of the Local fishing club at the Fingle Brodge pub, who asked us if we had access permission to do the run. He was nice enough but does anyone know what the access agreement is for this river?

[Denys]

We were confronted by the fishing club back in February, trying to park in the land by the A382 bridge. To avoid any unpleasantness we left them to it and went and parked at Fingle Bridge instead, then walked back up and got on anyway! When I got home I sent an email to the National Trust, who own most of the land on either side of that stretch, their response is below. So, if you park considerately there should be no problem and if anyone from the fishing club confronts you, tell Adrian Colston about it.
Incidentally, the access permission I requested was to use the 2m strip of land to get from the public footpath onto the river, not to be on the river, obviously he wasn't going to grant that but it was worth a try!!

THE NATIONAL TRUST
for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
DARTMOOR ∙ HOME FARM PARKE, BOVEY TRACEY ∙ NEWTON ABBOT, DEVON TQ13 9JQ
Telephone 01626 834748 ∙ Fax 01626 834749 ∙ Email adrian.colston@nationaltrust.org.uk ∙ Website http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Dear Denys
I am replying to your email of the 23rd February about the situation you faced on the River Teign at Dogmarsh Bridge regarding kayaking. I am the Property Manager for Dartmoor within the National Trust and I am responsible for the land and section of the River Teign in question. I am sorry for the delay in replying but unfortunately your email was not forwarded to me immediately as it was inadvertently sent to other colleagues within the National Trust who are not responsible for the Teign Valley.

I was very sorry to hear about the confrontation you had with members of the Upper Teign Fishing Association. We do indeed lease the fishing along our stretch of the Teign to that fishing club but we have not asked them to challenge kayakers and they should not have done so. I have asked them not to do so again in the future. My sincere apologies.

Issues regarding kayaking on this section of the Teign have been problematic for a number of years. In principle the National Trust is keen to set up an access agreement regarding kayaking, however there have been a number of issues which have arisen which have prevented this from occurring. The one that currently appears intractable regards parking. The Dartmoor National Park Authority, the highway authority and local community have major concerns about the road parking next to Dogmarsh Bridge. Parking is limited and can cause a pinch point on a busy road with poor sight lines. We have in the past suggested providing an additional area of parking in the field where you parked initially but this has been rejected as it is too close to the blind bend on the bridge.

In the past I have been in correspondence with Adam Box, Regional Access Officer of the British Canoe Union regarding these issues on the Teign. As a result of your correspondence I will contact him again and arrange a meeting to see if a way forwards can be found. I will also invite the DNPA to attend this meeting. I really do want to try and solve this ‘problem’.

As you discovered during your visit in February some other river users do not welcome kayaks on the river and as an organisation we need to take their views into account, our national policies are clear though ‘Where fishing rights are in hand there should not be an automatic presumption in favour of fishing as opposed to canoeing’. We try to seek a balance so that all users can enjoy our properties.

I am sorry I am currently not in a position to grant you the access permission you requested at the moment but I will work with the BCU to try and agree something by next October.

Yours sincerely,

[Jon_Brown]

From the web cam at Fringle Bridge there appears to be something like a small tree trunk across the centre arch. http://www.finglebridgeinn.com/upper_teign/live.php it's a bit clearer if you check the gauge image.

[AJC Box]

There is a very substantial tree across the full width of the River Teign approximately 1km below Fingle Bridge. At today's level (0.61 on the EA level at Clifford Bridge http://www.environment-agency.co.uk/homeandleisure/floods/riverlevels/riverstation.aspx?StationId=3214&RegionId=5&AreaId=8&CatchmentId=40 ) it would be possible to limbo under some sections of the tree, but at higher flows it would present a very serious danger. The river for several hundred metres up-stream has no significant breakout opportunities and for a relatively inexperienced group this obstruction presents a very serious threat. Please be very careful until we have confirmation that it has been removed.

Adam Box
Canoe England Regional Access Advisor.

[hedgefro]

Hi all,

Anyone know if the Teign or Tavy are likely to go tomorrow (or any other alternatives!)? Not sure how the EA river level gauges (http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/ho ... ionId=3214 and http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/ho ... ionId=3185) match up to paddle-able/unpaddle-able levels.

Cheers,

Tom

[bubbles_jonnybravo]

The Tavy will prob be to low. The lowest I think Ive paddled it is .30 pn the mary tavy gauge. Thats for the lower. The middle and upper neef alot more water.

[AJC Box]

Too late for your planned trip today, but for future reference I reckon the Teign is too rocky if the Clifford Bridge gauge is below 0.61m. Today it is 0.55m. Look at
http://www.environment-agency.co.uk/homeandleisure/floods/riverlevels/riverstation.aspx?StationId=3214&RegionId=5&AreaId=8&CatchmentId=40 for up to date heights. The webcam at http://www.farsondigitalwatercams.com/live-webcams/south/Upper-Teign/Drewsteignton/ is also useful

Adam Box

[hedgefro]

Cheers for the info guys. We guessed both would be too low so went for the Dart ... hopefully we'll get to run them when there is some rain about.

Tom

[mattn]

Paddled this section yesterday from A382 bridge to fingle bridge at a low (but not too scrapey) level - about 0.88 on the EA gauge at Clifford bridge, which made for a nice, easy and portage free trip.

However, there are currently trees down in most of the channels where the river splits into several channels, not too far past the big/main weir. It was possible to pass on the far right channel, but this did involve ducking under one tree which was about head-height - would recommend inspecting, especially in higher levels. There was also a similar situation slightly further downstream.

[Ollie5]

Paddled this section yesterday from A382 bridge to fingle bridge at a low (but not too scrapey) level - about 0.88 on the EA gauge at Clifford bridge, which made for a nice, easy and portage free trip.

However, there are currently trees down in most of the channels where the river splits into several channels, not too far past the big/main weir. It was possible to pass on the far right channel, but this did involve ducking under one tree which was about head-height - would recommend inspecting, especially in higher levels. There was also a similar situation slightly further downstream.

We done this stretch about 6 wks ago and trees were the same, its a very nice run well worth a yearly visit, I wouldnt like to do it at a higher level as the trees sneak up on you when you least expect them.

[PADWAN1]

Hello All

We paddled this section over the weekend (14-15/01/2012), in what can only be described as low levels, a few bumps and scraps but still worth the paddle. The EA Gauge at Clifford Bridge was at around the 0.65m – 0.68m marker, which was about 2-3 inches below the stepping stones mention at the confluence. It was a very pleasant paddle as it was a totally new river to us and we wanted to scout it before bringing a group down it.

It is really worth mentioning that on the section below the 10ft weir, there was a river wide tree blocking the river just below the Grd 3 as section mentioned in the guide. In low / very low water you can limbo underneath it, without too much of an issue. HOWEVER in medium to high water it would be a different situation and could be fatal if there was anything caught underneath the tree. The blockage is on a blind corner with very little eddies leading up to it; so care should be taken once you pass through.

As a reference to the water levels, if the small shingle reef (below the stanchion) on the left of the photo, is covered, you are in for a good days paddling. http://www.farsondigitalwatercams.com/live-webcams/south/Upper-Teign/Drewsteignton/

Stay safe and happy paddling