GUIDE TO THE RIVER NOE
(Bagshaw Bridge to Hope)
NAME OF RIVER: Noe.
WHERE IS IT?: Edale valley in the peak district. Running from Upper Booth to Hope.
PUT-INS/ TAKE-OUTS: Bagshaw bridge GR: sk161 862. Get out in Hope on station road, near laneside campsite. GR sk175 833.
APPROX LENGTH: 3km. However you could start higher up or continue the trip to join the Derwent (bad weir near Brough).
TIME NEEDED: Anything up to an hour.
ACCESS HASSLES: Never had any problems, but would expect some in the future! I have always been quick and discreet!
WATER LEVEL INDICATORS: It needs to look high and brown! This is a spate run that drops quickly. Best place to look is at townhead bridge, on the way up to the get on, if the shingle rapid below the bridge looks paddleable then its doable.
GRADING: Mainly 2 with with one grade 3 rapid in a gorge.
MAJOR HAZARDS/ FALLS: Trees! Not many at the moment, just the odd overhanging branch. If you do the bit above this section then there is loads of fences and trees down, making it very difficult and slow going.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: A good spate run, starts of with some nice gritstone steps (grade 2) with a good rapid which can make a nice hole on the first bend (grade 2+/3). Then it becomes a gorge with a nice grade 3 drop which feels commiting. Then things quieten down until a long tunnel, right hand one is best! This is a very long tunnel which has to be run blind! Fairly straightforwards with a small drop out of the end. From here to Hope it's maily flat/grade 1 rapids until Hope, with one more rapid near the cheshire cheese pub. One tree down on this section but is easy to portage.
OTHER NOTES: I have done the section from Upper Booth down, not reccommened as there are loads of trees and fences, lots of portaging and flat sections. The only things worth doing on this section is a good broken weir at about grade 3. The section above Upper Booth from Jacobs Ladder is on my to do list, anyone done this? Also Grindsbrook might be do able, anyone done this?
CONTRIBUTED BY: Andy Waring.
