River Lune - Beck Foot to Rawthey Confluence

[Mark R]

Read full River Guide

[Jim Pullen]

Ran this with the club on 25/10/08.

Unfortunately, the river rose very quickly whilst we were on it, forcing us to get everyone off in a hurry at the strid.

We were accosted by a very irate farmer (owner of Luneside?) as we were headed to the footpath at this point. After politely explaining the reasons for us being on his land and a discussion of access in general he calmed down a lot and allowed us to go through his yard to get to the path, even apologising for his initial temper!

His main gripe was that some paddlers had crossed his land a few weeks before and left all the gates open and thereby causing his sheep to wander off, so no wander he was annoyed! Interestingly, even though there is a BCU access agreement for this river (yes, we were paddling outside of it), the farmer claimed he had never been asked permission from any canoeists or the BCU for river-access.

[faster4_tec]

Interesting reading! Sounds like a resonable response from the farmer though! If your resonable to them they are often much more accomodating after a few initial minutes.

[Jim Pullen]

Please could you post a message on your web page and ask people to spread
the word.

A close friend of mine was tragically killed on the New Killington Bridge
section of the Lune at the start of the month. The river level was running
at just above medium and the group were paddling open boats. One Open boat
capsized and both paddlers took a big swim just before the killington gorge.

One person made it to the bank but the other disappeared under the water and
the boat got pined.

[No trees were projecting the surface but there was a small wave just near
the narrowest part of the gorge. The paddlers took this to be a rock on the
day of the accident, on returning to the spot in lower water, it was clear
that the small wave had been formed by the highest part of the tree trunk
sticking up] After nemours rescue attempts the boat was unpinned, but the
body of paddler was not found until the next day.

Please please could you warn people about the dangers of taking a swim down
this section when the rivers is running a good medium level. At this level
the section looks straight forward with large amounts of flowing bubbly
water, There is vary little surface indication of what is underneath. I
hope this information helps save a life.

Tragic. I hate to bring this up again, but this was in the backlog. Can anyone confirm that the tree is still present here?

[greg bartlett]

The majority of the tree under question has been removed (thanks to whoever is responsible) leaving just the main stump now. It is clean, and poses no strainer or entrapment issues, but is still an obstacle in mid flow to be avoided. Could pose potential upset to the unweary, but most will simply paddle past it with care.

[RichA]

I paddled this on Sunday, at about the lowest level you'd ever want to. All but one bedrock rapids had a clean line down them but the shingle rapids were scrapey. Just thought I'd let people know that if they're desperate for a paddle then this will go, but take care on some of the narrower sections if you have beginners with you, especially the mini-gorge around 1m wide with a mid-stream rock about 1km above the weirs. Definitely worth a look before paddling that rapid.

I *think* the mini-gorge I'm talking about is between the A684 bridge and B6256 bridge, but closer to the first bridge.

[lambo]

We paddled the lune as well on Sunday, was a completely different river to normal at this low low level. I think the miny gorge is the constriction, our other main concern was a tree which has come down in the section below this, during the continuous grade three. There was about a 2m pass down the left in low water, but in higher water this could be harder to make, be careful!

[Agent Nomad]

What is left of the tree this is in low water and taken from down stream

[MattBibbings]

Can anyone update the level please for Monday 23rd?

Thanks

Matt

[Tom W]

Hi Matt, it looked a 'normal' level at Devil's Bridge yesterday. Not sure on new tree hazards though.

[Rockrat]

Ran the classic section of the Lune on Saturday at a high-medium level. Everything went fine and we came across no tree hazards. Obviously don't take this as gosspel as I'm sure stuff can change quite quickly in these weather conditions

[MattBibbings]

Paddled Beck Foot bridge to Killington today and came across a low water tree stump hazard in 'the strid' Just below Lincoln's Inn Bridge. I paddled the same stretch with only six inches more water in it Last Sunday and I am pretty sure it wasn't there then.

It is exactley where the guy in the Orange Cag and Yellow Pyranha is in the Picture in the UKRGB Guide. So its low water river right in the twisting narrow Strid below the Lincoln's Inn Bridge. At Medium/High water it would not presnt any more hazard than the bedrock but at Low water it blocks the main line in this Strid. It is well wedged in and may take some effort to shift. Defo a big saw job.

[Agent Nomad]

Photos of the tree stump in the strid rapid.

[nick 16]

We went on a paddle on the lune last sunday the 7th of feb and the river was a scrape the stump is obviously still there but we tried shifting it and managed to unhook a branch from the bedrock but its definately wedged in there, it defo needs a chainsaw as its a hefy beast. There were four of us 2 in water 2 on a line but to no result.

[mole]

Got out of the Lune at the footpath below the Rawthey confluence on Saturday and noticed that paddlers accessing/egressing the river are knackering up the farmers fence next to the locked gate in the woods. Yes its a pain that the gate is locked but it is totally uneccessary to destroy someones property by dragging boats over the top of the wire and breaking it down. The fence is obviously recent from the condition of the wire yet its been badly damaged. We cannot take the moral highground with landowners when issues like this happen, also damaging a fence whilst trespassing (which you are, if not acessing / egressing on the footpath) means you are committing aggravated tresspass which is a criminal offence.

Bit of common sense eh, please.

Neill

Ps log was still in the strid.

[callwild]

Absolutely no need to use this egress for the Lune at all.
Continue a few hundred meters down the river past the confluence to exit onto a public footpath in the woods. This leads to a track up to the main road and a large layby which is much better parking and avoids tresspassing accross the farmers fields.
This egress is well documented in W.W.L.D.

[mole]

Thats the path I'm talking about. People are paddling down to this bit of river but getting out too high up in the woods, walking to the footpath and knackering the fence before heading up to the road.

Neill

[callwild]

Ah ha. Has this just started to be locked recently as It never has been before. I think the path to the gate is suppposed to be public so shouldn't have a locked gate on it.

[mole]

The path / track from the road to the river is public but this is not the issue, any paths in the woods upstream are not shown on the OS map. I think its just groups find it difficult to judge the get off and end up in the woods too far upstream, strike out for the footpath / track and cant be bothered to lift over the gate. There are some faint paths in the woods but think these are fishing access and are not public.

[callwild]

Yes many do get out before the track. But I've been using this egress for 20 years and never seen a locked gate. Possibly the landowner is trying to put people off.

[El Pres]

Paddled the Lune on Sat 10th July. There is a large tree stuck sideways across the river about 200 meters above the STRID its about 50 meters below the last surf wave on the rapid where the standing waves form. At present it shouldnt cause any problems and can be passed on either side at the medium level it was on Sat eve. However if we get a flood it could move downstream and cause problems.

Chris

[Jim Pullen]

Sounds like there's still tree issues with the strid:
http://www.deathbeforeportage.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=853

[Mike M]

Just completed evening run down starting on Borrow beck to Killington bridge. A Medium/high level, all falls running very nicely & no trees anywhere.

[box2k2]

Subtantial tree in the Lune, early on in what I think is the killington gorge. Certainly after the strid.

We got off at the New Killington Bridge.

No photos I'm afraid, we were rushing to beat the light.

Take care.

[woodsy]

Could any one give me a heads up on levels with view to boating thu/fri/sat?
I know that all except usual suspects (lune,kent&leven) will be too low.
Any help on levels of the above would be great thanks
Woodsy

[Mike M]

Lune is actually up at the moment (as are the Clough & Rawthey after heavy overnight rain) Reckon Lune will still be up on Thurs, but unless it rains again the other two will have dropped off

Cheers
Mike

[woodsy]

Cheers

[woodsy]

Paddled lune today having found the rawthey & clough dissapointingly low.
It was lowish reasonable level with no scrapping
It will remain fine for anyone wanting a trip on Sunday
Hope this is helpful
Woodsy

[Ricks-Freestyle-Mind]

Any tree issues woodsy?

[woodsy]

no trees