WWPF Feedback

[james fleming]

2009 WWPF, been there got the t-shirt.

Any feedback from the weekend would be grateful. Good, bad or indifferent. What you liked, did not like or things that could have went better?

[SwamP]

Ban alcohol!

[jriddell]

Event was great, we had an excellent time.

Website could do with times for socials & shuttle busses and locations for parking. Better signs pointing to socials and parking would be welcome too, there were no signs coming to Fort William from the north and we only just spotted the ones when we turned round and entered from the south.

Website could do with a link to Ettive River Race site.

[Kevster]

Hi Everyone, I certainly thought this year's event was a cracker, along with all the guys who were with me. We all met some very cool people there, Had a great time on the rivers, Was also great to get the chance of meeting up with some of our friends from south of the border from last year too!!
I do have one query though, after speaking to Chris pedley today he told me that a box containing Bridgette Thomas's dvd's had gone missing, If anyone has picked them up by mistake, can you please get in touch with Chris. And he will get them on to Bridgette. If you need his number you can get it from me on , 07979 782142.
Once again, what a great event!!! Great work by everyone involved, Hope to see you all next year!! Kevin, Harvey, Ali, Simon, 70's throw back graham who was indeed the hole master!!!

[David Martin]

I had a great time, was another superb weekend so thanks to all those who were involved in the organisation, driving buses, giving out tickets and t-shirts, etc etc!

I thought the venue was much better than last year and although it was very full, you could still move about and talk to different people. It was certainly in a good location for me and the rest of the guys I was up with.

The shuttle system appeared to work well on the Garry but I was thinking about how it could be improved for the Moriston. I may be wrong but it appeared that the buses were not in a set pattern but just going wherever the people asked for. Because of the 2 sections and the car park in the middle, people seemed to want to go different places towards the end of the afternoon. Some were trying to get back to the car for food while others were heading to the lower. My thoughts were: 1 bus running top, car park, top while the another runs lower, car park, lower; or both buses doing long loops and stopping everywhere (ie top, car park, lower, car park, top) so people could get on and off as required and hopefully not have to wait too long for a lift.

I was also wondering about the Moriston releasing earlier on the Sunday so that the lower section was going from early morning giving people the chance to run the lower first then the upper. This could then reduce the numbers on the sections at one time. I heard of and saw a few people pile into each other on the rapids. I think this is down to different abilities and knowledge of the river and people not willing to queue up above rapids till they know it is clear. The event being so popular and becoming more so each year is good for the banter but does cause safety issues on the water with such short sections and so many boaters. I'd be interested to know roughly how many people went to the Awe as there seemed to be more people on the Moriston than there was on the Garry?

I hope this is taken as constructive because I really enjoy the weekend and will certainly be back next year. I appreciate all the effort that goes into running the event. Thanks again!

Dave

ps what about a Leven release to add to the mix?!

[jen_n]

This was my first WWPF and will certainly not be the last! I thought it was fantastic :) Was really impressed with how well everything went, thought the shuttle services were fantastic! Really liked the venue too, was certainly easy to find a spot to stumble home to at the end of the night :)

Thanks very much to everyone who organised it and ran the shuttles, was very much appreciated :)

[jriddell]

Nice to see lots of photographers by the main rapids, will the photos be published on the website?

[Harvey.Anderson]

Dave,

There was probably about 40 people (max) at the Awe on Sunday. People arrived at different times and some groups run the
river more than once.

I think a lot of people went to watch the potential carnage on the Morriston rather than paddle on the Sunday.

Regards

Harvey

[Seedy Paddler]

Hope you all had a great weekend - but how about your knowledge or understanding of alternative rivers and runs, how aware are you of them, the access points, the legal rights etc.. Don't wish to take anything away from this thread but if you could also look at :

http://www.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=55022

Please respond let SNH/Paths for All know what we as paddlers would like, perhaps we should recommend UKRGB as a model for future use..

Regards

CD

[Neptune]

James,

The whole weekend was 'BONZA'. A big thank you to all the Recreational Rivers Committee of the Scottish Canoe Association that were involved in the hard work and effort before hand to make it happen and work so well. The venue for the party Friday and Saturday was much better than last year, much more room and easy to walk to for those of us staying in Fort William.

We had no problem with the shuttles and thought that they worked well. However it is a shame that more people did not take note of your prior request not to 'block-up' the car park at the Lower Moriston on Sunday, it was full of paddlers vehicles when I got down there on the shuttle mid afternoon?

Looking forward to three things now:

1) The 'camera loving' footatge of Joanne (Pingu) and I on Saturday morning at the Garry with the Big Dog Drop Zone getting ready to go and the 'camera loving' footage of us both on Sunday morning just before boarding the shuttle at the Gun Club for the Upper Moriston appearing on Planet Paddler/Paw Paw Productions in this years video of the WWPF 2009 (fame at last).

2) Winning the Etive River Race on Saturday, ha, ha.

3) Next years WWPF.

See you at the weekend.

Peter

[Rivergord]

It was my first to a wet west fest and a first to paddle Scotlands rivers, WELL DONE to all a fantastic event and well organised. I had a magic weekend and met so many genuine people especially the Scots, I will be back every year.
PS will there be any photo's from the play hole on the Garry, as their was a photographer there all day.

[SwamP]

BIG UP!..to the one shop who made it there to supply us with loads of nice shiny gear!

Super friendly guys that could party too...what I like to see when I hand my money over to folk! :o)

[Dug]

Yeah James, def the best paddle fest yet.
Having it in Fort Bill both nights and at a venue big enough but not too big was far better than in years gone by. Being able to stay in a bunk house made up for the hungover paddling!

[m-watson]

Yep, the best paddle Fest for me too, much better venue more space, but not to big to mingle.

Also agree with Ryan P with the guys from Desperate measures which were as Ryan said there for the banter,paddling not just the the sales..but that will follow, im sure as people buy from people..great guys also Thanks for trying to sell my Riot Orbit 47 at only £280 (plug, still for sale)

Great to see everbody having great fun from all all over the UK on both rivers,and at night!! am in training to pull some big ass breakdancing moves for next year:)
Also thought Max was a absolute star,last minute entry but I also think set the mood for night, on Saturday night..How can I still buy one of his DVDs??anyone??

Thanks to all the people how made possible again this year.

Great to see old faces and meet new.from as far as Devon..hats of
Would not change a thing..

Mark (Team Borders)

[Myles]

This was the first year I have made it to the WWPF and despite the long drive from London it was an excellent weekend. Thanks to all the volunteers and I'll definitely be back next year.

I thought the venue worked well. I think a larger amplifier for next year would be handy as it was pretty hard to hear the KayakNam guys especially once the T-shirts turned up as well. Perhaps they should have been on a little earlier before the place got too noisy, but appreciate it's tricky as people will arrive at different times due to the journey.

Saturday was a great night. People seemed a little quieter during Max's presentation. Only issue was again the amplifier and the video going through some PC speakers rather than the sound system. Dance off was briliant to watch from what I can vaguely remember.

Moriston was great despite the hangover. Not sure what the situation was with the shuttle bus from the Upper get in back to the main car park but we waited for a while and then decided to paddle down. The Upper section was pretty much empty by then and the paddle down to the main car park was much quicker than expected (around 15mins) so definitely a good choice.

Great weekend.

[jonnyhawkins1]

Hi james,

Was a quality weekend, all the guys had an amazing time. So thanks to you, SCA and all the other organisers and voluteers.

see you next year

St Andrews Uni Canoe Club

[johnthehappyguy]

hi,
I quite fancied going to the WWPF, but being new to paddling, did not know much about it.

Tried various websites, but even the "official website" was of limited use, unless you already knew all the details!

Organisers:- try reading the website again, this time imagining that you have never been before, don't know what is happening, or where things are.

e.g I quite fancied going up on Sunday and trying the Moriston. the shuttle bus Was "hopefully" going to be from the gun club. ( no name) It took me a good 10 minutes of internet searching to find out where the (unnamed) gun club was.

When I did locate it, I had no idea when the shuttle buses would be running - was it worthwhile going in the morning, or was it just an afternoon session. ?

Looking at the geography on google maps, It was less than convenient going somewhere else first ( to register ?) could I register at the gun club ? where should I have registered/joined on the Sunday ( as it seemed to be that I needed to buy SCA uinsurance to take part) ?

There seemed to be a few sponsors, as the paddling was going to be set out on rivers a few tens of miles apart, where would I go to see any sponsors stalls - in fact were there any stalls to see/kit to buy ?

The lack of information resulted in me thinking it was a bit cliquey - or by invitation only, and not welcoming.
Hence I did not go.

edit: have just found the electronic WWPF booklet, which answers some of the above points, but it wasn't mentioned on the WWPF website :-(

2nd edit - have just seen a few other entries on this board which would have helped - but I did a lot of searching on the Saturday night - starting off on the SCA website, not here, and could not find the information. links from the official website/news links from the SCa website would have been a big help.

Regards, John

[james fleming]

Thanks for all the feedback, so far. Anymore for anymore?

We’ll be arranging a wash-up meeting to discuss the WWPF and feedback points, so any more points are welcomed.

[David Martin]

However it is a shame that more people did not take note of your prior request not to 'block-up' the car park at the Lower Moriston on Sunday, it was full of paddlers vehicles when I got down there on the shuttle mid afternoon?

In defence of those that moved their cars down to the bottom car park, there was this year (and in previous years) loads of people still paddling when the shuttle buses finished running. I understand that the buses can't be kept going all evening until the very last person has got off the lower. It is a couple miles back up to the gun club and unlike the upper section, you can't just paddle down the flat bit till you get back to your wheels. Obviously not every car will fit in the bottom car park and enough room needs to be left for the shuttle buses to turn. If people park sensibly and are willing to drive stranded paddlers back up to the gun club then surely it helps get everyone home quicker at the end of the weekend.

I'm not sure what the best solution for this would be unless there was a field near Invermoriston that could be opened up for everyone to park in and run the shuttles from there? Of course if the weather was really crap then there could be cars stuck in the field at the end of the day and I don't think any farmer would appreciate the volume of rubbish that was dropped in the shinty club field being left in their field. Did anyone else spot this litter, or was it just me?

Still, a great weekend and I'll be back for more!

Dave

[neilfarmer]

However it is a shame that more people did not take note of your prior request not to 'block-up' the car park at the Lower Moriston on Sunday, it was full of paddlers vehicles when I got down there on the shuttle mid afternoon?

In defence of those that moved their cars down to the bottom car park, there was this year (and in previous years) loads of people still paddling when the shuttle buses finished running.........and enough room needs to be left for the shuttle buses to turn........If people park sensibly and are willing to drive stranded paddlers back up to the gun club then surely it helps get everyone home quicker at the end of the weekend.

........unless there was a field near Invermoriston that could be opened up for everyone to park in and run the shuttles from there?..........volume of rubbish that was dropped in the shinty club field being left in their field. Did anyone else spot this litter, or was it just me?

Hi Dave, Not wanting to generate debate here, as this is a "feedback thread" and all comments made are appreciated! Thanks to everyone for their time!

Regarding the parking for the lower Moriston, we will look again at the timing for the shuttles, especially returning from the lower section, certainly something needs to be done regarding that. However, paddlers just have to realise that if we ask them not to park there, there are good reasons. If we ran the Moriston on a Saturday, and the carpark was as full as it was this year, mid-afternoon (2-3pm when shuttles were running fine and for a long while after that!!), the event would not run again, the locals would just not be onside. This year, someone parked a minibus and trailer in the middle of the carpark, along with other cars (some non paddlers, as they could not park anywhere else) that prevented the minibus and trailer turning. That held shuttles up significantly and caused a lot of hassle. We all have to realise that for the event to continue, we have to make the shuttles work and not park our cars at the top/bottom, even for convenience!

There is no real convenient field in the area, the gun club is the best option!

Regarding the rubbish, I agree, it is a real shame that we cannot tidy up after ourselves! One of the several reasons that there is such opposition to a 'tented village' for the event. However, those that slept at the BA club cleaned up after themselves perfectly!

[neilfarmer]

I was also wondering about the Moriston releasing earlier on the Sunday so that the lower section was going from early morning giving people the chance to run the lower first then the upper.

I'd be interested to know roughly how many people went to the Awe as there seemed to be more people on the Moriston than there was on the Garry?

I hope this is taken as constructive because I really enjoy the weekend and will certainly be back next year. I appreciate all the effort that goes into running the event. Thanks again!

ps what about a Leven release to add to the mix?!

All feedback is good! Since I can, I'll answer a couple of the points.....
Leven - very unlikely, it generates for Alcan and the national grid (I think), so any release would cost them money.
Awe - I believe about 25-30 cars.
Release times on the Moriston - yes, we will look at that, but a big thanks this year to the guy at SEPA who deals with this, and noticed the discrepancy in release times/event times and changed them to suit us on the Friday!

[Phil@kukc]

Awesome event.

Only improvement I would suggest would be to make sure necessary gear for videos is in place and there is a hook up or speakers available for the videos. The USSR vid looked great and really interesting, but not being able to hear it wasn't good. People seemed to drift of to their own things part way through and that made it even more difficult to hear.

BA club was a good location, for the party and also for getting to places.

Good times.

:)

[Rivergord]

Are there any photo's anywhere from the Photographer on the banks of the Garry at the play hole.

[jriddell]

Nice to see the Etive Race getting national press coverage with a centrefold in the Scotsman this week.

[AGS]

Great weekend, Great atmosphere, Great river! There's a lot of feedback asking for photo's, so how about official photographers next year, you could put the pictures on line and sell them for a nominal fee afterwards, as they do at other events.

[neilfarmer]

so how about official photographers next year

If someone was interested in offering that service, just approach the organisers!

[SwamP]

so how about official photographers next year

If someone was interested in offering that service, just approach the organisers!

so how about official photographers next year

If someone was interested in offering that service, just approach the organisers!

I'm not volunteering my services but if I may suggest a possible solution.

Everyone is a photographer these days, some with 4 years of qualification and tens years of experience like someone I know, and some with great kit, a great eye for it and good editing skills...an enthusiastic hobbist if you like.

It may be a solution instead of volunteering one person who will struggle to get all the best shots from the best area. You instead welcome photographers, us, everyone, to bring their cameras along, sign up to a list of folk wanting on one site, a site that will be put together for everyone's photographs to appear.

That way these people get the best places to stand, other only have to go to one place to see ALL photos and it helps build a sense of team work and community within those watching.

Just my tuppence. Please don't shoot me down, be gentle...

[Kevster]

Thats a great idea mate, well done. I think everyone will go for that!!!

[DaveSt]

Apologies for the delay in uploading photographs from the weekend (wish I hadn't taken so many!). Surprised there haven't been more here already, as there were folk with cameras all over the place.

Neil Farmer has started up a new topic/thread to keep the photos locations easier to find:
http://www.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=55628

Hope you enjoy this amateur's attempts to capture the moment - Neil has put links to them in the above thread. Still more to sort out from the Moriston... though I reckon Saturday's on the Garry are better. Judge for yourselves!

...Dave Stewart...

[daibhidh]

Awesome pictures as ever, Dave!!