River Walkham - Bedford bridge to Tavy Confluence

[morsey]

Good work peeps, thanks :-)

[jam bo]

I think that tree is back in the exit to the slot again.

[Green.media]

any chance of some photo's please?
might be a little technical to remove it out of season with land owners but will see what happens

[jam bo]

A team effort as you can see!!!

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R82RO43daw4/T ... 140137.JPG

lick the link to see the pic!

Same place as the tree is in that photo, partially blocking the channel. Not sure if it's the same one but it's a fair size.

[jam bo]

Gone. Not sure where but looking at the tide line Thursday's rain must have swept it on downstream.

[Green.media]

good stuff, lets just hope it isn't stuck somewhere else :)

[geordiepaddler]

There is a huge tree completely blocking the river about half a mile below the small stone bridge with the no swimming sign.

it is just after a bend on the run in to a rapid.Running in to it in high water would be catastophic

Looks like it came down over saturday night. Gunna need a chainsaw to get rid of this one !!!

cheers

[Mark Gawler]

Which section is this in?

Upper section:
River Walkham - Huckworthy to Bedford Bridge
or:
River Walkham - Bedford bridge to Tavy Confluence

[geordiepaddler]

The lower section in to the tavy

[jam bo]

There is a huge tree completely blocking the river about half a mile below the small stone bridge with the no swimming sign.

it is just after a bend on the run in to a rapid.Running in to it in high water would be catastophic

Looks like it came down over saturday night. Gunna need a chainsaw to get rid of this one !!!

cheers

The guy who lives in the house river right is normally pretty quick at clearing up fallen trees

[jam bo]

Just rode from grenofen bridge to the slot.

Mostly clear except the one massive tree about halfway down and about 500yds above the slot.

It's not going to move on its own and will need some heavy lifting gear to drag out of the river.

It's an easy portage but on a slight bend so visibility of it isn't great. It's starting to snag other flotsam so you really wouldn't want to go under it at a decent level.

[gavkellyuk]

Big tree Down about 500m above the slot
see here for a picture http://www.facebook.com/ibexoutdoor?ref=hl

[jam bo]

Couple of big trees well wedged in about 15yds downstream of the slot today.

Shame as it was looking a lovely level and they are going to be a pig to move.

[mountain_bikerider]

Hi all we paddled the Walkham yesterday including the slot. There were at least three big trees across the river and a couple needed portaging. All could be spotted from a distance but would need extra care in bigger flows.
We pulled two big branches out of the slot drop and it ran with care. There is a still a big branch river left of the second part of the slot rapid that as long as you kept river right could be sneaked past. It will need a chainsaw and some muscles to get it out which we didn't have yesterday!!!

Enjoy and paddle safe.

[Mark Dixon]

Hs anyone got an update on the tree situation on the Walkham? Want to take a group down next saturday but want to spend a bit of time at he slot drop.
Mark

[mountain_bikerider]

This is our video from the Slot a couple of weeks back. The whole river floated but I think it would be classed as a low level? It shows the tree in the second part of the slot. If you have chainsaws you could take and want to spend time there it could be cut out !?!?!

[janet brown]

Friend has just replied on FB with the following:

Small tree/branch down just after slot....would cause a problem in higher levels....we went under it :-). But it is riddled with trees...think we had to portage 3 times due to trees....

Janet

[jam bo]

Another big tree down across the river. About 400yds below grenofen bridge and 100yds above the river wide ledge/wier.

[superman]

Are you talking about the weir on the lower Tavy? If not, I`m not quite sure where you mean. Where is Grenofen Bridge, is it a small one on the Walkham?

[jam bo]

It's the first bridge after you get on at Bedford/magpie bridge.

Then you have the big house on the right and its 3-400 yds after that.

The wier is a natural one. River wide rock ledge that normally channels down river left.

Tree looked pretty rotten so will probably wash away mostly the next time the levels come up.

[superman]

Thanks. Just trying to place the location. Is it easy enough to see/avoid? Did you do it today. Take it, it was low. Was it paddleable? Any other trees to avoid . One past the slot doesn`t look a problem.
D

[jam bo]

Wasn't kayaking. Way too low. Was on the bike.

Slot was clear, big tree not going anywhere 500yds above the slot. Been discussed here loads.

[jam bo]

Paddled this earlier this afternoon. tracked it with GPS too..

http://app.strava.com/activities/35142099

Two portages. first one just after the new gem bridge viaduct although it could probably have been slalomed through.

The other is the big honker of a tree above the slot. easy enough to spot from the river and get about above.

Point to note is at the denham bridge forestry car park get out, on the lower side of the S bend there is a big tree across 2/3rd of the flow. we got out just above it and were glad once we saw what was below.

[donbarr]

1.11.2013 Quite a lot of trees / debris in the river but all negotiable at low flow and the nice rapids are all clear. BUT a big tree trunk is wedged in just below the SLOT. This is backing up the pool so the slot isn't as deep as usual but you definitely would not want to take a swim here as the tree trunk below is probably making a strainer / syphon. If you were upright you could paddle through the gap at this level (0.42 at Horrabridge) but not worth the risk.

[jam bo]

The tree in the slot is the one that was blocking river wide upstream for ages.

It looks well lodged and will take some effort to shift.

[Zool]

Just Paddled the Walkham, about 200m down the river from Bedford bridge there is a tree blocking the river, if levels are low you might be able to squeeze past on the left (and i mean squeeze).
The river is also still totally blocked at Magpie bridge (also known as Gem bridge), no exit right due to barbed wire, easy portage left.
The weir on the Tavy (Dentist Weir) has totally collapsed, there are a lot of obsticals in the water including metal bars. The EA are working there and it should be clear in the next few days, portage left if not clear.

[paddle_like_krazy]

Large blockage across the river below the cycle/foot bridge SX4953 7050 - portage at all levels, although in high levels there is a sneak rout on river left.

[moorpaddler]

Ran the Walkham on Saturday 28 November. Level was 0.41m on Horrabridge guage, which was a bit scrappy but paddleable.

Couple of hazards of note:

1. River wide tree down just after high cycle/foot bridge (SX4953 7050). River flow is slow enough for a leisurely on water inspection and can be ducked under at this level. At a much higher level and you may want to get out at the bridge and portage as there are few eddies and not an easy exit to bank between the bridge and tree.
   
2. Not far after this river flows to the right around a tree/shallow bank and as a result has eroded the bank on the river right. This has resulted in a barbed wire fence now dangling over the main river flow. It can be avoided by positioning yourself to paddle away from it, but with less experienced paddlers you may wish to portage. Note, the photo is looking back up river (flow is from top right of this photo down to bank on left)
   

Otherwise trees are down in a few places but no others are blocking whole river and all easily negotiated. Also worth nothing, blockage noted in previous posting has now been cleared.

[superman]

Also worth noting that if continuing onto the Lower Tavy the large weir that was removed a couple of years ago has been rebuilt and looks particularly manky and unpleasantly done.