Nant Clydach, 29 November 2003
The sum total of my kayaking this season had included a swim down the “….nasty rocky shoot that you want to avoid….” at Cobdens (on the Llugwy) and a missed Dart weekend. I was keen to paddle something well within my (lack of) kayaking experience, just to get used to being back in a boat again.
On a club evening Jon was having trouble drumming up interest in the Nant Clydach, on the outskirts of Pontypridd. He drew two short straws and ended with myself and Nick for company on the Saturday.
Hungover and apprehensive, I found myself inspecting the Nant Clydach with Jon and Nick midday Saturday. The river ran through a narrow, steep sided creek and Jon pointed out the interesting drops and features with a “….you’ll end up rolling there….” or a “….you’re paddles wont fit through that slot….”!
The run started off promisingly, with a short paddle and portage around a tree blocking the river. The river quickly worked up from a “bump ‘n scrap” to more technical paddling, to avoid the various shallows and rocks. There were a couple of fairly straightforward drops, although I got stuck on one until Nick ran into the back of me. We then came to the narrow slot, which you can only negotiate with your paddles held along the side of the kayak.
I’d got fairly close to Jon and watched as he almost lost his paddles going through the slot. Following Jon into the slot my heart was in my mouth! I negotiated the small drop at the top of the slot, but as the nose of the kayak broke out of the water after the drop, it wedge under the rock forming the left wall. The tail of the kayak jammed against the right wall, leaving me pinned in a partially submerged kayak, with water pouring over my shoulders and head.
This was nasty! I’d still got hold of my paddles in one hand and, keeping my head low, I raised my other hand out of the flow of water to signal I was okay! I’d no idea how to get out of this though. However, Nick had no idea I was still there and he committed to the slot, only to find a kayak blocking his way. This proved to be an excellent rescue technique, Nick’s kayak coming up under mine and knocking me free. I lost my paddles, capsized and pulled my deck. I swam to the bank with Nick swimming alongside me for company.
I thought I’d lost my paddles and was looking forward to a short walk back to the car, not really caring at that point what happened to them. However, my paddles had successfully broken out into an eddy and were gently bobbing around, waiting to be retrieved. Bloody things, I didn’t have an excuse to stop now!
With little ceremony we got back into the kayaks, Jon running ahead to set up rescue cover on the next drop. Once Jon gave the thumbs up I headed to the drop, which pushes left into an undercut wall. I got pushed into the wall and capsized but rolled up and broke into the eddy below. Nick followed and got pushed into the wall, but stayed up right.
I started to notice that Jon’s approach to leading this section of the river, was to ensure there was little time for you to think too much and start getting worried.
The next short stretch of river fell over a small vertical drop before pouring down a short slide, with a drop at the top and centre sections. Jon ran these quickly, I followed, with Nick behind.
We approached the slide, which looked a lot bigger from the water, than it did from the bank. I took the first drop on the slide without any problems, went down the slide to the second drop and capsized. Before I could work out what had happened, I realised I’d rolled back up again and went down the second section of the slide, not only the right way up, but also pointing in the right direction. I waited with Jon at the bottom of the slide shouting with joy and watched Nick run the slide, with the biggest grin on his face.
We continued down the Nant Clydach to the Taff and negotiated the last, short sections of rapids, without difficulty.
The river was a great intermediate run at medium level, although Jon assures me it gets really meaty at higher levels. It’s just a shame about all the rubbish on the banks.
Baldrick