Afon Tryweryn - River Guide

CT is open for recreational boating whenever there is a suitable release from the dam. A normal release of 9 cumecs makes the upper/centre section a grade 3/4 and the lower section a grade 2/3. On other releases the river can be graded as:

Release (cumecs)	Upper section	Lower section
7	3	2 / 2+
7.5 – 10	3 / 4	2 / 3
10 – 12	3+ / 4	2 / 3

To prevent environmental damage there is no boating below a 7 cumec release.

Llyn Celyn dam to Tyn Cornel (the centre section)

2 km class III (IV)

This section runs past the centre and has the luxury of three large car parks and a river-side footpath which makes for easy access and inspection.

The water from the dam flows into a stilling basin and access to the river is about 20m below this. This section is known as the top-site (from the stilling basin to the chipper), and is a sweet section of grade 2+ with a number of great features including a sticky but friendly weir and a fantastic playspot (the top-hole). These features also make it a favourite for safety and rescue courses and freestyle comps so access is not always possible – check access restrictions with the centre.

Below the chipper (actually a fish trap), the river drops to a short section of grade 2 which can be easily accessed via a large set of steps or by the raft ramp (seal launching down this may wear your hull, though!). This section has recently been transformed by the addition of some large boulders creating a great site for some easy eddy-hopping and is the perfect warm-up before entering the Graveyard – an excellent, continuous class III+/IV- rapid which has recently been improved by the introduction of some key boulders which has given the rapid a little more bite!

A short break follows before the Ski Jump is reached – a steep drop with a cheeky hole which has caught a fair few boaters off guard. Fortunately there's a large pool at the bottom allowing any swimmers to be easily picked up! Below this is International Wave – a fast green wave with an easy eddy river left and the infamous Fedwr Gog Falls (aka Miss Davis's Bridge), directly behind (if you're going for a surf make sure you've got a quick roll!). This is a meaty river wide drop and there are two schools of thought as to the easiest line; run far left and punch though the diagonal into the eddy or run hard right through the guts and into the eddy. Whichever one you opt for speed is the key!

After this there's time to catch your breath (and some more eddies) before Café Wave, which is the most popular playspot on the river. There are easy eddies on both sides with scope to pull off a good selection of waves moves and possibly even a couple of ends in the small hole river left. There's also the café patio directly above so no matter what you're doing you're guaranteed a big audience!

Fingers Rapid follows and leads to NRA wave – a new playspot that runs well at higher releases and which requires a degree of commitment and confidence to attain!

That done, easy water leads down to the last and biggest drop on the upper section; Chapel Falls. The retentive stopper on river right pushes the class of this drop towards a IV especially at releases above 10 cumecs, and it is worth inspecting (river right), if you're new to the river. A successful run of this leads to the egress river right (signed), just above Tyn Cornel camp-site. There is no egress at the camp-site without prior permission and, if you continue past this point the next egress is at the Car Park in Bala.

A footpath river right leads back to NRA bridge and across to the centre.

Tyn y Cornel to Bala car park (lower Tryweryn)

6 km grade II to III; one fall IV

The lower Tryweryn can be accessed from any point along the upper section of the Tryweryn (from the top-site to immediately upstream of Tyn Cornel camp-site). There are no agreed access/ egress points from below this point to the egress point in Bala (see below).

Accessing the river from non-agreed points could upset relations with landholders adjacent to the river and potentially threaten this extension to access on the river.

The lower Tryweryn is a classic run and is a stretch of river that every novice boater should cut their whitewater teeth on. A classic grade II+ it has a wilder feel to it than the upper section and should be run with a little caution as it is more susceptible to welsh river hazards such as fallen trees. The river is continuous class II pushing towards class III, especially during larger releases and after heavy rain but don't let its grade put you off – it's a perfect trip for whitewater novices and more experienced kayakers can practice their skills before running Bala Mill Falls. This drop is at the end of the lower section and is one of the first class IV rapids that many paddlers attempt – don't let anyone tell you it's not a class IV! There's a short technical lead in before you set up for the main drop (best run river right or the left-hand chute is a possible, easier alternative).

Below Bala Mill Falls , continue down to just below the main road bridge (A494) and egress out into the convenient car park. Below this are some small, innocuous but very dangerous weirs - don't be tempted!