My Clydach
Harvey Lyons
Everyone has rivers that hold a special place in their mind. Special moments of pleasure, pain, fear or happiness that come flooding back just at the mention of the name. For me this is Clydach.
Now there are several Clydach’s in South Wales but the one that has singled me out to lodge itself deep in my cerebral cortex (I’m sure many would doubt if I have one) is the last paddleball tributary of the Usk, joining that river from the West some 5 miles below Crickhowell.
Brief description: Small creek 10-15 ft wide at about grade 4. In close proximity to roads and housing but still maintains a quiet and peaceful feel. Needs some water to make it navigable but with significant gradient things soon hot up in higher flows with few break out opportunities. Initially there are lovely water carved features (visible at low levels) over a series of steps giving continued interest for quite some time. Then a flatter section leads to a 20 ft fall, marking the entrance to a gorge. This section leads down to a tunnel under the cannel, which is immediately followed by a series of drops that require prior inspection. A pair of broken weirs then follows by side of old mills before lumpy water leads down to the Usk and the get out at the first road bridge.
I first paddled it with Fred Willerup and Steve Venton in March 2000. We made pleasant progress down to the big drop. With water levels low this was not do-able as the flow passed through a small channel on river right. After portaging, to check the landing pool depth for future trips, I probed the foaming water with my paddles only to have them disappear from sight never to be seen again. My conclusion being that the pool was a least 10 ft deep and probably under cut behind the fall. As I walked back to the car the others continued to the end, completing a very enjoyable day out on a lovely sunny day.
Inspected with the club at Christmas 2002 but not paddled due to the mixed ability nature of the group, although the easier alternative choice proved too much for Lisa.
The next trip took place with Rich Gunton in Nov 2003 after receiving an urgent phone call from him saying “I’m up at Cribb’s, and it’s lashing down, I’ll pick you up in a couple of hours”. The water level was high and the big drop was run-able but after an exciting run down to it I didn’t fancy it, as I was in Rich’s Ego (my Spud being on loan). More fast and fun water down the tunnel to our second portage as prior inspection had revealed trees in the following drops. Re-launching after a none too easy portage, lead down to the broken wears, of which we ran only one and we re-learnt that you can’t see much from your boat on steep drops, as we nearly got pined behind a large bolder river right half way down the drop. Then on the bouncy section down to the Usk in the failing light, Rich suddenly stopped dead in the river. Closer inspection as I paddle past on river left, showed that Rich was hung up on barbed wire, his screaming and shouting also gave a clue to his predicament. Rich was very cool and managed to keep his Zone 240 back surfing until I could break out and rescue him, which happened with no further incident. All that remained was retrieval of his paddles that he’d left in a tree mid river, but luckily we achieved this using the barbed wire as a safety line. Retrieving the van by a cycle shuttle, we were back in Bristol only 4 hrs after leaving, a great steel.
Jan 2004 and the forecast for heavy rain gave the promise of an opportunity to run the whole thing for the first time, so I enlisted the help of John King. Eventually we left the get out, were we had left my bike. This was due to JK getting his van stuck but we were lucky enough to have a local stop and tow us out. Then we inspected the gorge after the tunnel that proved to be clear of trees. Inspection of the big drop showed the level was higher than I’d done it with Rich and the power of the water was sowing the seed of doubt in my mind as this time I’d brought the spud so had no excuses. JK’s “White as sheet” face uttered the words “That’s a hard hydraulic, I’ve never seen anyone do anything like that” did nothing to reassure me. At the get in, the river was raging and breakouts were obviously going to be few and far between. We got on the river and moved off. Luckily a breakout could be made after 2 small drops. JK was very please to have come to rest (this was his first river of the year) as the prospect of furious roller coaster was proving too much and his dry suit was beginning to fill up with bodily discharge. We therefore agreed to defer as discretion is the better part of valour, which was just as well, as we had made a late start and the light was already fading.
So after 4 years I’ve never managed to get down the whole thing. If my mind starts to wonder often the thoughts of the dappled sun shine and beauty of the first attempted come to mind, only to be replaced by the fear and trepidation of the 20ft drop. Maybe some day…….
Harvey