Owner: Rockratrobinson URL:http://rockratrobinson.blogspot.com Join Date: Thu, 08 Feb 2007 13:32:34 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: The blog of a young kayaker from the North-West of England. Follow me, Iain Robinson, on my constant search for water, in the hope of discovering a truely unique paddling experience whilst trying to escape the challenges of everyday life. Site statistics:Click here
Set Sail 2007-09-04 04:01:00 Sailing out from Tamaris' beach.12th July 9:31pmI went sailing today for the first time in my life. Tamaris has had a change in leadership when it comes down to the instructor side of things. In my opinion it is for the better. The new Chief Instructor can actually be seen to lift a finger where as I was unsure who the old Chief Instructor was. Anyway the new guy has implemented water sports training on a Tuesday and Thursday evening. I jumped at the chance to get some sailing experience, maybe even enough to work as an instructor by the end of my contract.The sailing session lasted for two hours and I partnered a Bogger (PGL Tamaris slang for site workers) in a Feva. We didn't do much apart from sail back and forth, back and forth. It was good but I didn't get the same feeling about it as when I started paddling nearly four years back. Don't get me wrong I'll carry on training, but paddling will always be number one.Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...Iai Read more:Set Sail
A Small World 2007-09-04 03:53:00 The surf rolling down the canal.9th July 5:37pmI was on SOK sessions this morning and this afternoon with a school form Bolton; home of Peter 'Garlic Bread' Kay and Bolton Wanderers FC. Bolton is also just a short jaunt down the M61 from Preston. This school was the closest I've been to home since I arrived on the Mediterranean coast just over two weeks ago.The strangest thing was that whilst on session talking to the teacher our lives almost seemed connected. When he was at college he went to the college I just finished at. Whilst there he was taught by the same Geography teacher as me. He also sold his house to the same guy. His brother now works at the college I attended only a couple of weeks ago and he also knows the chap that should be teaching me at the University of Cumbria in 2008.The morning session went well as did the first half of the afternoon session. However we had to cancel the second half due to the strong winds. This meant the kids had to abandon their boa Read more:Small
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, Small World
DOFO 2007-09-04 03:46:00 Looking over to Le Grau-d'Agde.4th July 10:02amI'm not sure what it stands for. It's just another PGL acronym like ENTs, BA, SOKs, MOPs and SSOPs and even PGL. What I do know is that DOFO means you've either got half a day or all of the day off. Today I have just the morning off, allowing me to get some washing done and tomorrow I've got the whole day off. I may go to Le Grau-d'Agde, known as 'Port' to us PGLers, which is just a short walk along the beach front from Tamaris.Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...Iain
A long time 2007-11-05 10:01:00 Looking out of the plane window on the way to Exeter.12th October 7:45pmIt's been a long time since my last blog post, not because I've not been doing anything: I've been doing that much I've not had time to stop, sit down and collect my thoughts so I can jot some stuff down on paper.Centre life has got better and better and it felt much more like home quicker than Tamaris when I was out there just over a month ago. I have been really busy at work working six days a week instructing in well over ten activities, but that was like France. What isn't like France is the out of work life. There is still the drinking, but not too the same proportions and there's much more which is consistent through out PGL never mind the country. However in Scotland you actually do things on your day off like going paddling (River Tay) or climbing (Dundee Climbing Wall or the local crag which is a £2 taxi ride away). That is what has made my Dalguise experience so amazing. It's just a shame it
A river for once 2007-11-05 04:47:00 One of the many flat sections of the Tay.Grandtully Rapids which is the main point of interest on the section of the Tay which is close to centre.24th September 8:03pmI've just this minute got off the river and got changed in my room. The river was the Tay and me and a guy I worked with at Tamaris and now Dalguise decided we would put on at the Loch and then paddle down to where the river if five minutes from the centre. Doesn't sound bad? What about if I say it's a twenty mile trip? No? We started at 3pm? Not the best of ideas but its the only time we could get the boats and ourselves to the Loch. That in itself was interesting especially when both Roger and the other bat decided to dismount the car slightly early when we were still driving.The river was alright. It was mainly flat water with a couple of grade two ripples and Grandtully which may have pushed three. However it was nice to be back out on a river especially as the last river experience I had was back before t
An Evening Paddle 2007-11-04 13:11:00 Looking down the Loch from where we run our kayaking sessions towards the Crannog Centre. Looking up the Loch from where we run our kayaking sessions.20th September 11:28amLast night when I had finished work at 5pm me and numerous other members of staff headed for an early tea and then a road trip to Loch Tay for an evening paddle. I managed to find space for Alistair which meant I did not have to use one of the PGL boats stored on the Loch side. Even though it was flat water paddling and not some raging Scottish Burn I had an amazing time cartwheeling and generally prating around. It was also a good way to bond with some of the PGL staff.Today I am a Groupie, which is a fairly easy job that allows you to have two three hour breaks; hence the post at mid-day. However the only downside is that you don't finish work till 9pm and you have to eat your meals with primary school kids.Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...IainPS. I eventually feel comfortable rolling Alist
Another day paddling 2007-11-04 12:06:00 Got out paddling again today. This time it wasn't on flat water but instead on a low water Halton. This stretch of rapids are found just outside Lancaster on the River Lune. This stretch is used frequently by the people I paddle with as a place to introduce paddlers to moving and white water. It's good for that I suppose when it's low, but not good for anything else. It's much better when it is stonking down, almost bursting it's banks, where there are enormous waves, holes and eddy lines that can be frightening if your unsure of where to go. The low water made the days paddle slightly uninteresting but it was a chance to be out with my paddling mates on the river and because I took both Roger and Alistair I could swap boats to try and make it that bit more interesting.Tiger on the island in the middle of Halton.Me posing at the the top of Halton Rapids.Looking down towards the rapids.One of the small surf waves which are found at this level. Be warned just after the wave t
Back to work I go 2007-11-03 16:35:00 The main house at PGL Dalguise. This was the summer home of Beatrix Potter.13th September 11:27amI headed out from Preston four days ago so I could return to work for PGL for a further two months at their Scottish centre near Perth. However I am not there at the moment. I will be soon mind. At the moment I am sat in a top bunk after completing my first assessment at PGL's flagship centre, Boreatton Park (pronounced Bratton Park) where I am doing a Group Leader/Activity Instructor course.The course is good fun and taught by some rather cool PGL workers and one of them is going to be my Assistant Chief Instructor at Dalguise so I'm getting to know my boss already. As for the centre: I'm not keen. I think it's just too big. There are over 200 members of staff, which is considerably bigger than Tamaris and Tamaris was big enough for me. I also don't like the night life here when compared to Tamaris. Everyone stays on site and I just don't like that.However I am really lookin
Flower of Scotland 2007-11-04 02:43:00 Looking over the Tay Valley.18th September 8:05pmI eventually made it to Perthshire, Scotland
and PGL's Dalguise centre on Sunday after a 10 hour car journey from PGL's Shropshire centre, Boreatton Park. Dalguise is lovely. It is set in 58 acres of the Craigvinean Forest and our main base is an 18th century Scottish manor house, which was formerly the summer house of Beatrix Potter. On my first day on site I had a mixture of inductions and training and my second full day on site, which was today, contained four mountain biking sessions that were fun. Today a lot of staff were on day off so they headed to Loch Tay and the local rivers for some extra-curricular activities.This is what I am going to enjoy up in Scotland; my days off. In Tamaris they were rather boring, but the night life was much better there. I've got my first day off on Monday so to the rivers I will head either with staff or if I can't get a team together I may turn to the Internet for help, which could be di
Back home... Back Paddling 2007-11-03 13:55:00 Got back into Preston yesterday evening after setting off from PGL Dalguise on Thursday afternoon and straight away I'm out paddling the day after. In fact I'm paddling tomorrow as well. This means I have not had a chance to sort out blog posts from my time in Scotland, but I am sure I can start making some inroads into them tonight and over the next few days. Anyway here is a short post of today's adventures.Getting on the water at Matchell's Coppice, Coniston Water.The trip I managed to find myself on this morning was the trip for a group of paddlers from my local club who were doing their 1 Star Assessment. Needless to say I didn't join in on the assessments, but instead went for a little paddle with some other members of the club. Sitting in on an assessment would have been too much like work.We paddled up the lake to Peel Island where we had dinner.Tiger in a bush on Peel Island.The blog is going to feature Tiger a lot more as I have been given it by one of the girls I w Read more:Paddling
My Winter Season 2007-11-10 05:26:00 It's just been over a week since I arrived home from my second contract with PGL Adventure and I think I've eventually sorted out everything that has piled up since I've been away in Scotland for just over six weeks. This means I can sit down and write a proper post, with lots of pictures, about my time in Scotland and what lies ahead for me in the third stage of my Gap Year.Scotland was amazing. It was as good, maybe even better than the summer I spent in France. Why was this? On my day's off I actually got out and did something. I think it was only the last few days off on centre I actually stayed on site and did nothing and this was because my paddling and climbing kit had been sent home to Preston the weekend before. Usually on a day off I could get my washing sorted and then disappear off to the river or crag or climbing wall for a day with some of the other staff members. One day we even managed a surfing trip. This is what, I feel, made my time up in Dalguise so much Read more:Season
Give me your money... 2007-11-12 11:16:00 Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...Iain
Down to the River 2007-11-21 11:05:00 Today I went for a paddle. It was the first time I had paddled a river that needed some sort of thought and technique to see me safely through the rapids. The river was the Kent, a nice grade 3, maybe 4 in higher water, run in the south Lake District. It was nice to get back on the river after such a long time away from those types of rivers and the day was made even better just because of the company I kept whilst paddling. I was paddling with probably the person I enjoy paddling with the most. We've paddled a fair few rivers together and spent a lot of time travelling to the rivers in the area so we know each other really well. I hadn't seen them for a good while, probably before I went out to France, so it was a day's paddling made even better because of all the catching up we had to do.Sat waiting for the shuttle to be sorted.However, because there was just the two of us, and I still don't have a vehicle even though I passed my test back in June, there was a bit of waitin Read more:River
Back down to the river 2007-11-30 11:17:00 Went paddling again today. It seems that I work on a Tuesday and a Thursday and then the rest of my week is filled up with paddling activities. Not a bad life but it takes a bit out of you and maybe that is why today's activities were not as high octane as two days back. Quite frankly though I wasn't bothered: I just like to be out paddling. Yes I do prefer the harder rivers, but if that was the only thing I got out of bed for I wouldn't be doing much paddling as they aren't in condition that often. Today we headed to the Wenning, one of the tributaries of the Lune, which flows through Bentham, Wennington and many other villages that have that League of Gentleman feel.A self portrait near the beginning of the trip with the rest of the group in the background.Running one of the small drops on the river. The river is characterised by shingle rapids and this was one of the few times the river dropped over something more solid.The smaller weir, which you run with the intention t
A Personal Record 2007-11-29 10:17:00 Today I was working a shift at the local corner shop, but yesterday I went paddling and boy did we paddle. In the past I have clocked two rivers in a day. In fact I have done it on a fair few occasions, but never have I managed more than that. Well that was until yesterday where we managed three rivers all in one paddling day and it may have been the best day I have had on the water. Here is the recipe for having the perfect day of paddling:Get picked up at 8:15am and head north to Burton-in-Kendal services to meet another paddler at 9:30am.Drive to look at the Kent and decided it may be on the high side of good considering there is a tree down in the main gorge.Ring a few contacts trying to find out the level for the Greta in Keswick. Give that up as a lost cause and head to the Lower Rawthey expecting it to be a bit of a scrape.Pull up at the take-out for the Lower Rawthey to see the river flowing brown. It is going to be good so kit up, run shuttle and get on the river.Running Read more:Personal
, Record
Back on Track 2007-11-26 03:55:00 A raft on the Tryweryn when I was there on my Five Star Training.My Gap Year stalled a couple of weeks ago when I came back from Scotland where I had been working for PGL. It stalled for one main reason really and that was my financial situation. I just didn't have enough money to implement the plans I had for this three month break. I had enough money to get out to New Zealand and insure all the travelling, but i just didn't have enough money to live off whilst I was out there. The other major problem would have been the fact that i wouldn't have been able to drive whilst I was out there as their age limit is 21 and I'm only 19 :-(Now I think I have it sorted. I've found a £5.52/hour job just round the corner from where I live where I work 15 hours over two days. This then gives me plenty of free time and once I've got my transport situation sorted I can spend four days a week away paddling wherever the water is so that could be Scotland, the Lakes, Wales or Devon.As for Read more:Track
More paddling stories 2007-11-25 12:36:00 Went paddling again today. This was my first trip with the canoe club I've been a member of for the past four years and it started like most club trips: disorganised chaos in some random car park. The random car park today was the car park belonging to the services at Burton-in-Kendal on the M6. There was a fair few paddlers, about 22 in total, of varying ability so the trip was split in two. One group went and ran the Crake, which flows out the bottom of Coniston Water and the other group, the group I was a part of, went to the Upper Lune. The only problem was my transport was heading to the Crake so after a bit of boat swapping I was on my way to the river with no idea how I would make my way back to Preston.I've paddled the Upper Lune a fair few times now and I think if you go back to entries I made in February there will be a bit of waffling from me about the river ant the lines that were taken and such things. Nothing really amazing happened on the river. I made eddies,
Some more paddling adventures 2007-12-07 12:26:00 It was another day off for me so naturally I headed for the river after receiving a phone call saying there was some paddling to be had. I jumped at the opportunity like usual, packed my kit up and waited for 8:30 when the transport was coming round to my house to pick me up. We headed north once again, like we have done on all the previous occasions, and met up with some other paddlers at a lay-by where some were sampling the delights of the 'Bacon Butty Van'. A plan was hatched, we kitted up, and were on the road again heading for the Greta which flows out of Ingleton. Cars were deposited at strategic locations along the river until we eventually reached the put in.To get on this river boats and kit had to be lifted over a five/six foot wall before climbing over yourself. On the other side of the wall is a rather steep hill which is hard to descend whilst carrying/dragging your boat so after finding a suitable spot I got in my boat and slid off down the hill. For one worrying
Putting back on... 2007-12-06 09:41:00 Yesterday I headed back to the river after working Tuesday. I just can't help myself really. I get a text, phone call or email asking if I want to go paddling because there is a chance to do 'X' river and I just seem to find myself saying: "Yes" to the trip and the offer of a lift. It's great really and has made my time at home, since I finished working up in Dalguise, so much better than I expected after I had to change my plans for the winter. I have done that much paddling recently that I have lost count of the miles travelled to the rivers, the miles paddled and the people I have paddled with. It's great I suppose that I am getting so involved in my paddling because it use to be all I lived for, and since I've been away I kind of lost that in my life and didn't realise I missed the paddling so much until recently.Anyway, no more of this philosophical crap. Let's get down to river talk. Yesterday, after getting picked up at 8:30 in the morning, heading north, meeting Read more:Putting
Three more rivers. That's eight in four days. 2007-12-03 11:46:00 Once again I was putting on the river. It was a bit of a mission before reaching the river because even after all this rain we are still having problems finding it in the rivers. On the way north we looked at five different rivers to see them all at their base flows so with the only real option available to us, the Upper Lune, we headed on to the get out to kit up, man up and get on the river. During all this period we were getting phone calls from two other paddlers about paddling options and we eventually met up with them at the get in for the Upper Lune, under the huge railway viaduct.The put in for the Upper Lune is down a road, which you are not allowed to drive down so normally we carry the boats down, which isn't the nicest prospect as it goes up and down regularly and it's a serious incline and decline. However, down the side of the road is a small beck, Low Gill in fact, which I have looked at in the past and pulled my nose at. Today I did not. One of the paddlers w Read more:Three
Paddling Wordsworth's River 2007-12-02 13:03:00 Got out paddling again today. It was another step down from Friday's Wenning trip, but still it was nice to get out on the river once again. In the last five days I've been out on five different rivers, and two of those day's I didn't actually leave Penwortham with a boat. It's a nice set up I've got at the moment.Anyway the river we paddled today was the Rothay, which flows down through Grasmere and then on through Rydal Water before draining into Windermere. It's an easy river, mainly flat flowing currents around meanders and through trees with the odd rapid which may border on the top end of grade two. It was a club trip so there was plenty of people on the water, 27 at one point, so we were divided into groups and I was left with the responsibility to shadow a group of four beginners, who were experiencing their first river trip. There were four swims during the day and I had a hand in each of the rescues. Not a bad day when it came down to it. Looking to get out ag Read more:Paddling
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Sold 2007-12-16 07:56:00 I've eventually managed to sell my Jackson All-Star so today I've been getting it ready for collection by the buyer tomorrow. Unfortunately I am dropping it off at Preston Train Station, which is twenty minutes walk from my house and that's what I'm doing. Walking. I've managed to rig up a carrying system with my rucksack and two roof straps. It's quite comfy so all should be good in transport. Not paddled today as the water has all dried up, which is a bit rubbish.Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...Iain
Stepping up 2007-12-10 13:59:00 Went paddling for a change today. The river we decided to head for wasn't in the Lune Valley and it wasn't in the Lake District for another change, instead it was out in the east, over into the Yorkshire Dales, Wharfedale to be precise. We decided to meet at the car park by the River Wharfe in Linton and then went to have a gander at Linton Falls - grade 5 in high levels according to the Guidebook - which was running high. It was bigger than one of the other paddlers had ever seen it. I thought it looked a goer and after our plans for the trip had been made I thought I might give it a go at the end of the trip seen as we could take out above or below it.Looking upstream on the opening flat sections of the river.The first three miles or there abouts of the trip were mainly flat water with the odd grade two rapid. This was nice, even though it was easy, no thought needed, paddling because it was cutting through the Yorkshire Dales meaning we had stunning views on either side of Read more:Stepping
A bit of a mission... 2007-12-09 11:23:00 on Leck Beck. Thought after yesterday's heavy showers that the Hindburn and the Roeburn would have come up for some Sunday fun however when we peered over the bridge in Wray village we were left with despondency as the river was near enough bone dry. We turned to the guidebook in our moment of despair and looked up Leck Beck, which flows out of the Easgill Caving system, and thought it might still be up as it will take a time to fill the caving system and drain out down the river bed. So we moved on to Cowan Bridge to kit up and start the mission. Walking into Leck Beck. The beck is the one centre-left in the picture lined with grey trees. This was the first time that I have had to walk into a river and it definitely added that bit more interest to the trip. The walk-in lasted about twenty minutes and I was hot by the end of it and glad to see the beck. The beck at the point we put-in was fairly wide and therefore it was shallow and bumpy for a while until it started entering
Self portraits 2007-12-08 11:26:00 As I am always the photographer it is not often I get pictures of me doing the do on the river. On the last few occasions I have been paddling I have tried my hands at self portraits from my boat. These require long arms, no skill and a bit of luck that what you capture is of quality. Let's see...Mission: Ingleton Greta and Hindburn, Friday 7th December.Mission: Duddon, Wednesday 5th December.Mission: Low Gill, Upper Lune and Kent, Monday 3rd December.Mission: Rothay, Sunday 2nd December.Mission: Wenning, Friday 30th November.Mission: Lower Rawthey, Dee and Clough, Wednesday 28th November.Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...Iain
Low Water Days... 2007-12-19 11:47:00 Not been paddling for a while so when I received an email from a friend away at University saying they were home for Christmas and looking to get out I replied: "Yeah. I'm up for a mission." A few texts later it was organised for him and today we met at 10:30am at the take-out for the Kent to implement our low water assault on the river. At the start of the river just above Scroggs Weir.It was low for sure. In fact it was the lowest I've ever seen the river and in places it was certainly bony. This made the paddling fairly easy, but ideal for a good catch up with people you've not seen for a while. Boy was it cold...Yep. It certainly was!At the bottom of Force Falls. This was the first time I had ever managed to get a picture of a paddler plugging the drop.Once the Kent mission was over me and another paddler headed on in the van to the bottom section of the Leven for a bit of a scouting mission for times when there is more water flowing out the bottom of Windermere.Me, not s
Back to work I go... 2008-02-12 03:51:00 Well I've just packed the van up ready for my drive over to Newcastle today and from there I'll be heading up to Scotland on Wednesday and then onto PGL Dalguise for three months work. In this time I've got to pop down to Wales for my Raft Guiding Training. Then it's bon voyage for me as a summer of rafting the Durance awaits if all goes well.As for the blog? I would like to keep it updated with what I'm up to in Scotland, but this may prove difficult as I don't think we have the t'internet on site. In France we do so I can update it as often as I want with all my foreign adventures.Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...Iain
No title 2008-02-09 17:22:00 For the more astute followers of this blog I am unsure whether you have noticed that many of the pictures over the previous three months, and probably going back before I left for France, have featured one person more than anyone else. I have never really talked about any of the people I paddle with in the blog before as I am unsure whether they want mentioning. I think once I let some name's slip and the person that has appeared in most of my pictures was mentioned first in that post. However, today, with only three day's left before I leave the area, I think I will break the mould and talk about one person in particular who has been with me, and I am thankful for that, on most of my paddling adventures; Tony Morgan.On the road again. Tony and me heading onto the motorway for another
Some more paddling... 2008-02-03 12:42:00 Got picked up today just after nine and headed north for some more paddling frivolities. The river was one I've done before on countless occasions, but it still hasn't lost it's touch. Today I went that bit further and carried on past the usual get out to explore another part of a river which has provided, in some way, a back bone to my paddling. Guess the river from the pictures? Answers on a post card or posted as a comment. Prizes. There are none because it's quite obvious.The group sat at the get on waiting to head off downstream.The boat starting to get airbourne as it crests a wave.Looking to break out in one of the mini-gorges.OC GB Squad member on a 'real' river for once.Walking out after doing a bit more than usual.More pictures can be found here.Good lines, stay safe and s
I got wheels... 2008-02-02 08:45:00 I've eventually got myself a set of wheels in the form of an ex-BT van. It's a Ford Escort. A proven paddling mobile on many Lake District and Lune Valley boating missions and hopefully it'll prove itself in Scotland to be just as reliable. Awaiting a roof rack, which has been on order since Thursday and having slight problems with getting some tunes sorted for the van as I can't get the radio out to get it unlocked or replace it with a CD Player. Anyone help?I leave for Scotland in a week and a bit. 12th February to be precise. I'm getting slightly excited about the prospect of having my own transport for paddling missions when I'm not working and even more excited by the fact that I'll be back at PGL for seven months this time. Love it.Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet
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