A Paddlefest in the not so wet West…

Hello all

This weekend Matt Tidy and myself, along with a crowd of assorted heroes and villains of the padling world headed up to Fort William for the annual Wet West Paddlefest. Despite the dry weather, dam releases had been organized on both the Garry and Moriston Rivers, as well as a big saturday night party, and fter a truly epic drive up, we arrived in the small hours of saturday morning in time to get our heads down for a few hours before the fun began…

We awoke on Saturday to news that the Falls of Lora were running, so headed over to Loch Etive for a spot of playboating. The Falls of Lora is a tidal rapid that forms of on a falling tide as the water flows out to sea, creating a series of large and varied waves with potential for spectacular playboating. Having seen photos of the waves, but never been before, I was excited to find out if they lived up to their reputation, and I was not to be disappointed.

Loch Etive from the bridge.

Having come prepared for a weekend of river paddling Mat and I were not armed with playboats, however Mat’s new Axiom proved more than a match for the falls, and taking turns in this cartwheeling and surfing speed machine provided enough fun for both of us. There are some meaty whirlpools downstream of the main wave, and  after seeing a few dizzy beatings, the extra volume of the Axiom over a full on playboat was secretly quite reassuring when negotiating them.

Matt tidy carving it p on the green…

And Cartwheelin’ in the foam.

As the tide began to drop and the waves slowly shrank, we decided that it was time to head over to the Garry for an afternoon blast, before grabbing a bite to eat and gearing up for the party. After a talk from Max Bilbow about his recent trip to Russia the party kicked off in earnest, with funky tunes laid down, and grooves being fully busted long into the Night. The Morning after arrived far too early as always, and brought with it the promise of a hearty release from the Moriston Dam.

As a Moriston virgin, I was excited to see what was in store, and despite having heard many stories of big downtime and the odd gnarly beatdown, I put my trust in Mat and Luke, blindly following their tails over the first horizon…

The first drop; Go left, then sit at the bottom and watch the wide eyes as those who went down the middle eventually resurface.

Charge left, and grind that shelf; Luke Farrington shows us how…

The upper sction of the Moriston is short and sweet, making it a classic spot for doing a few laps, and the huge number of people on the river made for crowded eddies and brilliant spectator sport…

The longest continuous section, with plenty of spots for potential carnage.

Matt Tidy brings the Axiom in for a perfect landing.

After several laps of the Moriston we headed back to the car for cake and medals, and to embark on the long drive south. This was my first trip up to Scotland for a few years now, and every time I go I tell myself that I should spend more time there. Matt’s staying up in the highlands for next weekend’s Etive race and I’m off back down south for some warm autumn weather and smooth dartmoor granite, but there are still many trips left to cross off on my Scotland list so watch this space…

I look forward to seeing the more southern bit of the paddling community in a week or two at the South West Canoe Show. If you’re interested go here:  http://www.swcanoeshow.co.uk/

Cheers,

Nick