GUIDE TO THE RIVER THAMES
(Hurley Weir)
NOTE: This guide was originally written with English
Whitewater in mind, hence the different format.
Name
Hurley Weir, River Thames
Location
Hurley is located 25 miles west of Central London, in the heart of the Thames
Valley, between Henley and Marlow. The village is situated on the southern side
of the river.
Characteristics
The main weir consists of 4 radial gates that generate a series of steep retentative,
breaking, play waves/ holes.
Introduction
Hurley is arguably the UK's premier play boating venue. Its attractions include
its convenient location, the power and consistency of the Hurley wave and the
fact that the weir is freely available 7 day a week for up to 9 months a year.
Water levels required
Normal Winter water levels will usually produce 2-4 gates from October/ November
through to May/ June. The Thames is an intensively managed river and levels
usually only vary by 1-3 ft even though the total volume of water flowing through
all the weirs at Hurley can range from little more than 10 cumecs in Summer
to 200 cumecs in Winter flood.
Gauge and levels information
Paddlers either rely on a visual inspection to see how many gates are open or
check which gates are open via the Internet. Information is available daily
at www.thamesweirproject.co.uk,
www.kayakojacko.com
and www.playboating.com.
The message board at www.thamesweirproject.co.uk
is particularly recommended- this is where you will find the latest up to the
minute news and gossip, and the site's current manager, James Farquharson, happens
to work at SAS, right next to the weir.
Directions and parking
From the M4- exit at junction 8/9 and head north on the A404 (M), following
the signs for High Wycombe. Turn off after 4 miles, onto the A423, following
the signs for Henley and Hurley. After another mile, turn right into the village
of Hurley. Continue to the end of the road, where you will find a car park,
to the left.
From the M40- exit at junction 4 and head south on the A404, following the
signs for Maidenhead. Turn off after 5 miles, following the signs for Henley,
heading west on the A423 for 1 mile until you turn into Hurley Village.
From the car park, carry your boat northwards on the path to the river- for
100 yds- and put in either side of the foot bridge. Then paddle upstream (left)
until the main (furthest upstream) weir comes into view, below you. Please note
you are NOT allowed to shoot the radial gates themselves- most paddlers shoot
the concrete shelving before they reach the main weir.
Description
There are in fact 3 weirs at Hurley, which link islands immediately north of
the lock and lock cut. The downstream weir, the 'buck gates', nearest to the
lock consists of radial gates but this should not be confused with the main
weir- whilst rodeo competitions have been held here, the weir is extremely dangerous.
This is because the weir pool is heavily eroded, causing a retentive stopper
to form between the concrete stanchions between the gates. The next (middle)
weir upstream consists of vertical sluices, which are not usually of interest.
The main attraction is the furthest, most upstream weir. This consists of 4
radial style gates, situated between concrete shelving. Flow over the northern
most shelving is controlled by a row of small radials- and the gate nearest
to the radials is usually left shut to protect the eddy. The southern shelving
extends downstream of the gates by about 10 ft, boxing in the weir at one end.
The river level drops by just under 4 ft at Hurley- one of the smallest drops
of any Thames weir- however, with a shallow weir pool, the result is a shallow
angled flow of water that produces a wave with a smooth green trough and white,
breaking peak, about 3 ft high. The gates, with concrete stanchions in between,
create a unique series of waves/ holes.
More gates are opened as the river rises (the following is written looking
upstream at the weir from the weir pool- gate 1 is the gate furthest right,
running through to gate 4 which is the furthest left- the corner gate):
1 gate:
Usually, the lock keeper will leave open the left hand/ corner gate (the 4th
gate). This produces a small breaking wave immediately next to the concrete.
1 gate is generally considered to be suitable for beginners and paddlers new
to play boating- forward and backward surfing are possible and there is a good
clean eddy line for bow and tail squirts. It is possible to pull flat spins
and smears/ splats up and onto the concrete shelf, but experts will find that
the feature is of limited appeal.
2 gates:
Again, the lock keeper will usually leave the left hand gates open, next to
the concrete shelf. The produces a good cartwheel hole, gate 3, next to the
eddy, although the hole varies in retentiveness depending on the water level.
Gate 4, in the corner, is more green, with a nice shoulder to the right which
is excellent for blunts and blunt/ wheel combinations.
If two other adjacent gates are left opened instead- and it can happen either
because one of the other gates is broken or because a relief keeper is on duty-
you will find that the gates are less retentive. However, in the latest boats,
long rides featuring cartwheel and blunts are possible, especially in the left
hand gate.
3 gates:
Classic Hurley- everyone loves 3 gates. When Hurley goes from 2 to 3 gates,
the lock keeper will usually close gate 4 and open gates 1 and 2. This leaves
the right hand 3 gates open, producing a symmetrical feature, with eddies either
side, which eases eddy congestion. The side gates provide excellent cartwheel
holes and the middle gate a flatter, greener wave with shoulders that is excellent
for blunts- carved or bounced- and blunt/ wheel combinations.
If the left hand 3 gates are opened instead, then at higher water levels, the
weir can start to behave like 4 gates- more retentive and not for the faint
hearted.
Occasionally, if you are lucky, the middle gate produces a perfect 5ft high
green wave. This is rare and would appear to happen when the river is rising,
when the water level above the weir is relatively high.
4 gates:
Some paddlers prefer the adrenaline rush of 4 gates- with up to 100 cumecs racing
through the 4 gates at approaching 10 mph- but it's not for the faint hearted
at higher water levels. Whilst gate 1 can still provide a friendly cartwheel
hole at lower levels, the other gates ('The Dark Side') tend to form fast, powerful
stoppers that are for experts only and avoided by many. Expect therefore, an
adrenaline fuelled cartwheel/ full loop tumbling session- very different to
the 3 gate chilled, blunt experience.
At higher water levels, when the river comes close to breaching or breaches
the banks, upstream of the weir, the wave forms a heavy stopper, which tends
to move upstream until it forms between the concrete stations between the gates.
At these levels, you can be dragged onto the stanchions and find yourself doing
numerous 'unintendos'. Usually, however, at these levels, Shepperton or even
Mapledurham will be working.
Pictures of Hurley Weir
Further points
Be warned- Hurley is very popular and can get very busy at peak times, especially
during one weekend in March each year, traditionally the 3rd weekend, when the
annual rodeo is held.
Please change discretely and quietly, to help maintain good relations with
the villagers. Theft from cars in the car park is a regular occurrence- so be
careful. Between Easter and September, you can park in the field next to the
weir, which is accessed via the farm- turn left 100 yds before you reach the
car park in the village. Great for BBQs. However, you will pay for the privilege
and in theory you are supposed to leave before 6pm.
The village features 3 pubs and the East Arms is particularly popular with
paddlers. There is also a shop. More recently, the Red Lion, 1 mile to the east
of the village on the A423, has become popular- it's an attractive, friendly
pub with good food.
CONTRIBUTED BY: Chris Wheeler.
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