Upper Conwy and A5 section

This river rises and drops quickly. A gauge reading on rainchasers(cwmlanerch) of 1.5 to 1.6 will provide a level of between 5 and 6 on the gauge next to the bridge on the A5. The water station for this river is located well below this section and the levels there also include water from the Llugwy and the Lledr. You will only know for sure what the levels are like by looking over the bridge! When I first paddled this river we had to dial a telephone line and a computer read out strange four figure numbers. This could then be interpreted to provide a river level. Things have changed for the better!

It is now possible to start this run without fear of abuse from the easy to pronounce village of Ysbyty Ifan. A large car park is available and a sign showing a paddler carrying a boat signifies where to get on. A green tick under the bridge indicates the level is appropriate. A gauge reading of 4.5 will get the green tick for the upper section. A gauge reading of 3 will probably give a green tick for the A5 section.

The upper section is grade 2/3, great fun and should not be underestimated. Inspect horizon lines and look out for trees. There is one grade 3 called Hargreaves Folly and this needs safety set up both sides of the river and a branch needs cutting out river left. We ran the left shoot and this can be seen on footage posted by loz. Both myself and loz found ourselves perched on a submerged rock and thank Dave for rescuing us. Check out Laurence Bache Conwy 2014 on youtube.

The run down to Bryn Bras falls is still good fun and there are now some steps river right helping the paddlers on their way. A classic stretch of water. Well done Dave and Loz for tackling Bryn Bras.

• This topic was modified 10 years ago by Tim.