GUIDE TO THE ALLT GLAS DHOIRE
NAME OF RIVER: Allt Glas Dhoire.
WHERE IS IT?: Glen Roy. It joins the Roy just below the end of the Roy Gorge and after the lower Roy put-in. Map.
PUT-INS/ TAKE-OUTS: Put in on the lower Roy and paddle around the first corner..you'll see the Allt Glas Dhoire coming in from the left.
Now the tough bit. Carry your boats up the river left slope above the treeline and through some bracken. You will think you've done it, but you haven't. Carry on carrying, about twice as far uphill again, until you reach a track on the moor. Note that the SCA guide somewhat understates this tough carry - 200 feet of vertical ascent.
It isn't over...now carry for just over 2 km up the track until it drops down and crosses the river by a bridge. Rest and recover!
The takeout is the same takeout as for the lower Roy, which you'll have to paddle afterwards.
APPROX LENGTH: 2 km.
TIME NEEDED: 2 hours+ including the walk-in.
ACCESS HASSLES: You're out in the middle of nowhere, but this is someone's land - act responsibly. This river is NOT suitable for large groups.
WATER LEVEL INDICATORS: This needs plenty of rain. If it looks scrapey, don't bother. It should look bank full, just off flood and be covering most the rocks. But if it looks in full flood, hmmm.
GRADING: 4+, maybe 5.
Jihn Heaton (November 2005)...'The SCA guide made the walk in sound like a lovely woodland stroll or something. And our eyes were out on stalks on the river so 4+ is probably fair'.
MAJOR HAZARDS/ FALLS: Quite narrow. Trees (see access section). Siphons.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: A gnarly ditch! Reminiscent of a steeper narrower Lyn Gorge. The SCA grading of '4' for this section is on the mild side...it's continuous 4+ in low paddleable levels. With a high flow this could reach continuous 5 in the final kilometre.
From the bridge, it's pretty rocky. If the first few hundred metres are all well covered, things are going to be pretty tough downstream!
The first fall is obvious, a serious of ledges leading into a narrow gap.
More falls build up the tension, and become more and more continuous, until...
...you are stuck in a steep sided gorge! Eddies are scarce and there is no room for more than a few paddlers. A steep, non stop 5 star boulder garden, in full flood it would be nail biting! The drops are literally back to back with a really steep gradient. Great stuff. The gorge needs care, we saw several siphons and trees jammed just below the waterline. Be particularly careful on the last couple of significant drops.
Before you know it the river eases to Grade 3 and spews you back into the lower Roy.
The take out is at Roy bridge, don't panic, if you can get down the Allt Glas Dhoire, the lower Roy will hopefully be 'up' and only take a few minutes!
Pictures of the Allt Glas Dhoire
OTHER NOTES: Well worth the effort involved in reaching it, but you'll question this on that climb...
CONTRIBUTED BY: Mark Rainsley and John Heaton.
