Hi Steve, That is a stunning photo of the murmuration! I wonder if you could give me permission to use it in my invitation for an eve of poetry and music in Devon? (A third of the £5 entrance fee will go to a charity for indigenous peoples, I haven't decided on which one yet) thanks look forward to...

Repeating the same argument doesn't make it true. Feathered paddle means you have one control hand. Zero means both hands are in control. Er, then why are you repeating your argument? :-) To be honest I'd forgotten that I'd already made much the same contribution to this thread - it was over four y...

My logic is that the boat, the water and most people are symmetrical. But paddling is not a symmetrical activity because there is only one control hand. That changes everything. There is no single 'neutral' angle (i.e. such that zero wrist roll required), but there a couple of general statements wh...

DaveBland wrote:I think the law dictates that in the UK they are called 'biscuits' not cookies.

Don't say that, they'll want to start charging VAT on them!

Simon wrote:As someone who has driven boats up and down the tidal Thames, from a canal boat to a Royal Navy Warship, I have some sympathy with the ban. I see it as a bit like the ban on walkers on motorways.

Good analogy Simon.

It's on youtube as well -

"William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England articulated the common law principle cuius est solum eius est usque ad coelum et ad inferos, translating from Latin as "for whoever owns the soil, it is theirs up to Heaven and down to Hell."" Trouble is, your pronouncements are always short...

I don't understand why we're getting dragged into a discussion about numbers. Way more people fish than paddle, that's obviously true. It's also completely irrelevant to any of the issues in this thread.

Let's not have a debate about how UKRGB should handle these things. It's hard enough already without other people thinking they can do better.

Er...think you might have missed the point a bit there Morsey! I don't think he's missing the point at all. You're saying you'd be willing to pay if facilities such as concrete ramps are provided. Morsey is saying they are not needed so we'd be paying for something we don't want. Morsey is obviousl...

I'd love to comment on the barriers I'd expect to see & the ones that are likely to be faced by all / just by women based on the research I've done, but won't whilst the questionnaire is live, otherwise I'm at risk of influencing individuals opinions. But you're already doing that by asking a leadi...

Most insurance companies that I've found nowadays will not cover "Sporting equipment whilst in use". That's right - it's intended to exclude things like breaking a squash racket which is fair enough since that is a normal occurrence. It's wear and tear, not accidental damage. To be honest, breaking...

Many people want to have a wider discussion and two threads have been removed now. The frustration, if I can call it that, is is entirely understandable but there will be time enough at a future date.

The golden rule seems to be to make sure your travel insurance specifically lists kayaking as being covered. This is both for the dangerous activities side of things, and to ensure that your gear is treated as sports equipment and not a "boat" in the more usual sense. Also, do check your house conte...

Wildswimmer Pete wrote:I'm sure you can use the new non-emergency no. 101 for the Welsh police. 101 has been available in Cheshire for some time now.

I believe 101 has now gone national across England and Wales - see http://www.police.uk/101

A slight hijack of the thread, I need a recommendation of a Photography book for a Christmas present. Something that is aimed at someone that already takes good well composed photos with an SLR, but never ventures beyond the "Auto" setting. Any suggestions? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-Exp...

The really good compacts like the XZ-1 also have a large advantage over any DSLR except for the very top of the range ones. The XZ-1 for example can have flash sync up to its fastest shutter speed of 1/2000th, even with external off camera flashes. A huge advantage if you want to freeze the action,...

Upper Dart is remote and committing. I'm not suggesting it's the Zanskar or Stikine, but trying to play down it's geographical context implies complacency, at best. Let's not lose sight of the context here. Only a few posts ago I was talking about whether a nervous first-timer is "committed" from t...

clarky999 wrote:^^ Not hard to get in/out river right, short walk up to a reservoir

True if you are half way down and therefore three miles from either end - but then you end up in a place where you (most likely) don't have a car.

If you are a member of the BCU then as part of the membership you already pay for a river and waterways licence. Just on a point of information - it's a British Waterways licence, which mainly covers canals. The situation with canals is completely different from rivers, because they are man-made st...

You can't just get off and walk 50 metres to the road. Once your in, your in! That's not really true. The point where you have to decide whether you have bitten off more than you can chew is (rough guess) about a mile and a half in. Up until that point it is perfectly realistic to carry/drag your b...

You can't just get off and walk 50 metres to the road. Once your in, your in! That's not really true. The point where you have to decide whether you have bitten off more than you can chew is (rough guess) about a mile and a half in. Up until that point it is perfectly realistic to carry/drag your b...

I no longer paddle the Upper Tryweryn as its hurt me too many times, but I'd gladly run the lower inc. Bala Mill Falls. Hmmm. I was going to mention that when we met, a few years ago now, you were on the Tryweryn and doing pretty well. Just the occasional swim if I recall :-) No doubt you've progre...

At this meeting, none of the Committee attended but sent a legal representative on their behalf. A notice of an injunction application was served on a number of members, seeking to prevent the members from holding this and subsequent meetings, to prevent them from forming a committee and from passi...

I've just noticed that the guide on this site (penned by me in the 90s) also had Bellpool above Euthanasia. Thankfully I didn't make this mistake in 'English White Water'. I have a feeling this mistake runs right back to Terry Storry as well... I had to check - couldn't stop myself :-) Storry has B...

I've just noticed that the guide on this site (penned by me in the 90s) also had Bellpool above Euthanasia. Thankfully I didn't make this mistake in 'English White Water'. I have a feeling this mistake runs right back to Terry Storry as well... I had to check - couldn't stop myself :-) Storry has B...

Wow, that's quite a discovery.

Bellpool island is named as it happens, though no doubt many others are not.

Mark R wrote:I am not aware of the name 'Broad Ledge', but know this spot as Broadstone (the OS seem to agree with me).

Local paddlers just call that "the ledges" - sounds like the two names have got jumbled together.

I don't know. That is, I know the printed 1:25,000 maps exist for the whole of GB (see http://www.shop.ordnancesurveyleisure.co.uk/products/paper-maps/paper-maps-ordnance-survey-great-britain/paper-maps-ordnance-survey-great-britain-os-explorer-map/ardgour-and-strontian/pid-9780319239162), but I don...

Inchree Falls is a short section that must be a similar gradient but Bing Maps doesn't seem to want to show the large scale OS map any more :-( Just for info, they're available on Ordnance Survey get-a-map once you realise they are no longer the default - you have to click 'Leisure' and zoom in far...