The River Dart, New Bridge to Holne Bridge
Published: March 2010 | Written by: Rob Fisher
A chance to run a classic English river for the bargain price of £60, I was definitely interested. Wensum Ospreys had spaces on their minibus and spare beds at the bunkhouse, so I booked a place with the promise of being pampered and chauffeured for the entire weekend, all I had to do was get to myself and kit to Fakenham on the 5th of March. We would be staying in Princetown at the Plume of Feathers Public House on Dartmoor.
I arrive in Fakenham to a warm welcome, after introducing myself to Nigel, Paul and Marcus who would be driving the minibus and the van with the trailer. We would be picking up other paddlers on route. Once my gear and kayak were loaded we set off for further pick-ups in Fakenham, Kings Lynn and Huntingdon. We arrived in Princetown a mere nine hours later after a slow but interesting journey. The bunkhouse was basic, 20 beds and 1 shower and toilet. We had the combination to the camper’s washroom and soon trebled our facilities. Bunks sorted we headed to the pub for a beer, less than a 20 metre walk away. We sampled the local brew the aptly named Jail Ale but then we were in the shadow of Dartmoor Prison.
I woke early on the Saturday morning and went for a walk around Princetown a small town with stunning views over Dartmoor. Over a full cooked breakfast the paddling groups were sorted and we headed off to the river. The plan was to set off in two groups, play on the features, meet for lunch and then run the biggest feature, Triple Drop as a large group.
We put in at New Bridge after a briefing and an equipment check. We paddled down to our first play spot the confluence with the River Webburn, dodging rocks and eddy hopping we soon arrived. The confluence at low levels forms a 6 ft long surf wave that can easily be surfed. This section we were paddling is a grade 2 with some grade 3 features, the first being Washing Machine rapid a small stopper which is easily paddle through with care. Grade 2 rapids lead to Lovers Leap another grade 3 rapid with a cliff face at the end. Turn right at the cliff face, cross the flow and this is where we would be stopping for lunch to watch other groups paddle the rapid. Sitting with a coffee in hand I watched as a paddle floated down stream, Marcus was back quickly onto the water to rescue it while I waited for the paddler and kayak to come into sight. Throw line in hand I waited but nothing appeared. I clambered over the rocks and walked 30 metres further up the river, only to find a paddler knee deep in water hanging onto a partially submerged kayak.
We secured the rope to the grab point, dragged it to the bank and started emptying it out. We then pulled the kayak 15 feet up a steep bank and walked back downstream to where the others were lunching.
After lunch we were soon back on the water and heading towards Triple Drop through more grade 2 rapids. Triple Drop as its name suggests is a series of 3 drops over 150 metres, we decided to run it in 3 sections with an inspection at each point. Nigel scouted out the first section and came back with instructions how to run it. We watched another group tackle the next 2 sections and after a good look followed their lines on both of them. Safely at the bottom we regrouped, the true river runners in the group took the safest routes the younger play boaters bounced off every rock they could find. We used this section to break in and out of the flow, eddy hop and work our way back up to the large gnarly stopper.
Play time over we moved down to the Spin Dryer, a large recirculating eddy. At lower levels you can afford to paddle into it to avoid the rocky route but at higher levels you would struggle to get back across the eddy line. The last section to Holne Bridge (the get out) was through another rocky grade 2 rapid. We had another swimmer here only the second of the trip, safely rescued we exited the river at the bridge. After a quick shuttle we changed, loaded our kayaks onto the trailer and drove back to the bunkhouse. We had been on the water for 5 hours and it was starting to get very cold.
Showered and changed we sat in the kitchen for an impromptu pop quiz. The 80’s seemed to be my era but I am a gentleman of a certain age and for once that was actually a good thing. Someone suggested running a sweep on the first swimmer of the following day. £1 in the beaker and a name out of the colander and we were set. I picked James, I had watched him paddle most of the day and realized my £1 was truly wasted. Someone else would win the princely sum of £12, not a fortune but enough to pay for an evening meal and a pint. Our meal was booked for 7pm so we headed for the bar. The meals were good quality, large portions and reasonably priced. After the meal we settled in front of a roaring fire for a few more sips of Jail Ale. The bar was filled with campers, walkers and paddlers all enjoying an evening meal and a drink in a very friendly pub.
Sunday for some got off to a slightly slower start, some blamed the Jail Ale but I was fine and raring to go. The temperature had dropped from the previous day and all the kit on the trailer had frozen overnight. After breakfast we packed up all our gear, tidied up the bunkhouse and headed again for the river. We would be running the same section again but quicker, our plan was to get finished and be travelling by early afternoon for the long drive home.
We spent less time at the play spots but still stopped at most of them, it is very difficult to resist them when you are paddling past. The grade 3 sections were run taking the same lines as the previous day. Our first swimmer was at Lovers Leap, we were in the lead group and unaware that someone had already taken a swim shortly after getting on the water. The rest of the trip was uneventful and finished far too soon.
Once off the water the trailer and minibus were loaded and we were soon on our way home. We made excellent progress coming back with the drivers taking a couple of hours each in the driving seat between toilet stops. After getting some food and dropping everyone off we were back in Fakenham by 9.30 pm and I was home by 10.30 pm.
The water levels could have been higher but it had been a good, safe and fun trip. The trip had been organised and run well over the weekend. I had met a group of very friendly strangers and I am looking forward to the next Wensum Osprey and Guests weekend away.