Last weekend a group of UHCC paddlers spent some time splashing about in Welsh rivers. I was visiting the folks in Cardiff so I hopped up to Pontrydyfen with the guys for a paddle to the beach in Aberavon. It was a super-sunny day and about 10 degrees C.
Dan hiking back up to a rapid
Pontrydyfen is a small, picturesque village nestled in the Afan valley and happens to be the birth place of Richard Burton and Rebecca Evans among other stars. This run started with a several weirs followed by a significant number of weirs and ended with a multitude of weirs. I think about 30 in all.
Will boofin' the second weir
Tom mentioned that we probably encountered every kind of weir on the run: broken weirs, sloping weirs, ledge drop weirs, giant pipe weirs. wooden weirs with spikey bits, concrete weirs, stone weirs, horseshoe weirs and so on. It was a fun run an we had plenty of boof practice with low consequence. I’d take people who are learning to boof on this river for sure. But I think with more water it could be really quite spicy as a lot of the weirs are river wide.
Will on a rapid at the start of the run
One weir reminded me of the top hole at HPP. Too bad I don’t know whats at the bottom or it’d be a great play spot.
Dave about to go down a nice weir
As with every urban run in the UK, the river decorations were plentiful. Final counts were in at: 7 shopping trolleys, 3 push-chairs, two bikes, one football and a zimmer frame (minus a granny). Levels were a bit low towards to take out as the tide was out, but it made a welcome leg-stretch- at least thats what I kept telling myself as we waded through Port Talbots finest mud flats. The surf was nice at Aberavon and the guys got some great waves at the end of the trip. I will do this run again with more water, but maybe take out at Tescos in Port T.
Who let tide out...who..who...who..who..who
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