River trips

2.95 metres ........ 20 January 2007

Although it was down a bit on last week, it was not really all that different.

The level was actually a bit of a surprise, and it showed up a problem with the SEPA website, in that data used to be only updated once per day. When I looked at the SEPA site in the morning, it showed a level of around 2.45 metres. By the time I got on the river in the afternoon, it had risen by around 400 millimetres / 16 inches. Raking around in the SEPA website next day revealed that this rise was caused by a belt of rain sometime late on Friday. The Braan, the Lyon, the Tilt, and the Ericht all show a big surge in level which peaked around 08:00 to 09:00 on Saturday morning. The Isla had a big peak around 11:00 - it climbed from 0.6 metres to 1.4 metres in around 11 hours. These peaks ( apart from the Tilt ) fed into the Tay, and arrived at Balathie, just up from the Linn, at about 15:00 on Saturday afternoon. A few hours later, it had dropped back down to around 2.5 metres.

PS - the SEPA website has been completely changed since then, and now shows more up-to-date levels.

Linn

At this level the main channel and the next one on the right are one big river - the rocks between them are well covered, and I have no idea if there is a route down.

The third channel might be runnable - sitting at the bottom looking across the stopper, there was a lot of heavy white water below the drop, but I think it was more puff than power. I don`t think there is anything that is really going to hang on to you on the way down, I think it would spit you out quite quickly. I couldn`t see where the best run would be. If I had to paddle down the Linn at this level, I think it would be this channel I would choose.

The fourth channel has a very large and meaty stopper over most of its width. It looked horrible when sitting beside it, looking along it. However from the top of the rocks on the river right, it appeared that there are two routes down it. The first one is hard river left, and is actually a slightly rocky chicken run, which would be very easy, if you can get on to it. Just above it there is a strong diagonal left to right current, which is washing you into the stopper. The other possible route is right down the centre into the stopper - right in the middle there is a seam in the stopper which is flowing downstream. If you get the line exactly right, within half a metre, then you would get through the stopper. However the river may make a bit of a meal of you on the way through.

Linn bypass

The Linn bypass is a good run, but requires a fair bit of route picking to avoid trees, so maybe grade 3 and a bit. The first exit is quite straightforward, but a bit rough at the bottom end and needs some route picking through the bigger lumps of water.

However unlike at lower levels, the second exit is probably more fun - there is just enough water for you to go round the trees that cause problems at lower levels, and then it is quite straightforward, but route picking is required. There is a nice eddy on the right behind some rocks, and from it you can jump onto a wave, however it was a bit too flat to surf.

Wall

No wall and not much of the island either.

Wave right hand side of wall

River left was washed out, in the middle there was a hole, and there was little else of note.

Weir

The weir requires a lot of care - there is a green wave below the main chute - however it is dangerous. It is much shorter than at lower levels, and there is a strong left to right current which will take you straight into the stopper river right. The only safe route is to go down to the left of the green wave, heading diagonally left. Reading the water quickly and correctly is an essential skill here.

If you don`t have the skills for this route, there is a chicken run hard river left, right against the wall. This is a grade 2/3 bouncy route down.

Rapid down to Hell Hole corner

Coming down the centre presented few problems. There are some odd bits and pieces river left which may be playable.

Hell Hole corner

The chicken run hard river right would be quite easy, just as before. At the hole which stretches out across the river from the right hand bank, just 1 metre out from the bank, there is a fast green chute. Below that, the water is actually rougher than it is at higher levels, but shouldn`t be too much of a problem.

I ran down the centre, the waves and haystacks were much bigger than they looked when viewed from up on the right bank.

Viewed from the river right bank, there was a substantial green wave in amongst the rather confused water over on the river left side of Hell Hole corner.

Thistlebrig

Thistlebrig is fairly washed out at this level, but is quite rough - there are significant waves river left with good play potential. As before, the easiest run down is to stay right of centre down past the white water on each side of you, then just past the whitewater on your right, cut out right into the giant eddy on your right.

I went across river left to look at the wave on the left, and as I was heading down towards the wave river right below Thistlebrig, heading down through a classic looking wave train, the water grabbed the back end of my boat and spun me round a full 360 degrees - it was quite alarming, and I had seen nothing in the water flow that would cause it. Weird !

Wave below Thistlebrig

It didn`t look particularily fast, but the green portion was too fast and too washed out for my kayak for surfing. The foam pile on the right side of the wave may have been good for play boating.

There was actually 4 or 5 waves in succession, but they tended to change shape. The second wave was not defined enough for me, but I did get some brief surfing on the third wave.

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