Wye worry?
1st Trevor Scout Leader Vicky Bolton and Mynydd Isa Assistant Explorer Scout Leader Gavin Scott on Symond's Yat rapids
Despite a week of heavy rain which caused the River Wye to flood, the annual Scouts Wales Wye canoe cruise, now in its 29th year went ahead as planned.
The event, which sees paddlers of all ages and abilities canoe and kayak 32 miles from just outside Hereford to Monmouth over three days, had to be reorganised due to flooded campsites.
The Scouts usually camp at three sites travelling along the river as they go, but the first two fields were underwater when the organisers checked conditions so all three nights were spent at the Biblins in the Forest of Dean. The paddlers were ferried to the start and finish point every day by vehicles to ensure they could still cover the course. With 170 young people and adults on the water and a 30 strong support team this was a logistical nightmare, but it didn't stop the Scouts.
Event organiser Eryl Williams said, 'Two months ago we were expecting very low river levels due to the drought and contemplating having to carry the boats. However in the end the rain made the river 2 foot higher than usual.'
'We took extra precautions with modern communications methods between the bank support team and the river leaders, and deployed more team members to supervise the people on the water. In truth though the river didn't pose any greater risk than normal, in fact some sections of the river were notably easier than usual.'
'All the hard work was worth it though when you see 200 happy faces at the bottom of Symond's Yat rapids.'
The Wye cruise is just one of a variety of water activities put on by the Scouts Wales water activity team made up of keen paddlers and sailors who volunteer their time to give hundreds of young people great adventures every year. They also hold two basic canoe training weekends, a cruise down the River Severn, and more extreme Frostbite whitewater weekend for more experienced Scouts and many sailing weekends.
James Reynolds, aged 14 from Saltney Ferry Explorer Scout Unit in Flintshire is one of the youngest members of the team and a keen kayaker. James said, 'A very good weekend was had by all. I was actually more excited by the river levels than anything and it made the weekend that bit more enjoyable on the water. The floods made it a bit more tricky in places due to trees but we made sure everyone got round these OK.'
1st Trevor Scout Leader Vicky Bolton and Mynydd Isa Assistant Explorer Scout Leader Gavin Scott on Symond's Yat rapids
Despite a week of heavy rain which caused the River Wye to flood, the annual Scouts Wales Wye canoe cruise, now in its 29th year went ahead as planned.
The event, which sees paddlers of all ages and abilities canoe and kayak 32 miles from just outside Hereford to Monmouth over three days, had to be reorganised due to flooded campsites.
The Scouts usually camp at three sites travelling along the river as they go, but the first two fields were underwater when the organisers checked conditions so all three nights were spent at the Biblins in the Forest of Dean. The paddlers were ferried to the start and finish point every day by vehicles to ensure they could still cover the course. With 170 young people and adults on the water and a 30 strong support team this was a logistical nightmare, but it didn't stop the Scouts.
Event organiser Eryl Williams said, 'Two months ago we were expecting very low river levels due to the drought and contemplating having to carry the boats. However in the end the rain made the river 2 foot higher than usual.'
'We took extra precautions with modern communications methods between the bank support team and the river leaders, and deployed more team members to supervise the people on the water. In truth though the river didn't pose any greater risk than normal, in fact some sections of the river were notably easier than usual.'
'All the hard work was worth it though when you see 200 happy faces at the bottom of Symond's Yat rapids.'
The Wye cruise is just one of a variety of water activities put on by the Scouts Wales water activity team made up of keen paddlers and sailors who volunteer their time to give hundreds of young people great adventures every year. They also hold two basic canoe training weekends, a cruise down the River Severn, and more extreme Frostbite whitewater weekend for more experienced Scouts and many sailing weekends.
James Reynolds, aged 14 from Saltney Ferry Explorer Scout Unit in Flintshire is one of the youngest members of the team and a keen kayaker. James said, 'A very good weekend was had by all. I was actually more excited by the river levels than anything and it made the weekend that bit more enjoyable on the water. The floods made it a bit more tricky in places due to trees but we made sure everyone got round these OK.'