Allt a' Chaorainn - god that's hard to spell!

Again this wasn’t a club organized trip (because I didn’t organize one) but as club kit was being used, I think it’s worthy of blog space.

Sean, Ben and I met up on Sunday morning, loaded Sean’s car up with kit requested via the excellent new kit request icon on the forum which should be used by all, and headed off in search of thrills, spills and an amusing photo incorporating a pint of beer. Unfortunately we had no beer or pint glass, so thrills and spills would have to do.

We had intended to meet up with a few of Ben’s Aberdonian friends, but when we heard that they were doing the Awe we went to the Etive instead. The Etive looked rather large and manly so due to my woeful performance on it the week before in low water, we decided on the Allt a’Chaoruinn which I’d wanted to do ever since I saw a photo of it before coming to Glasgow. After a walk in through a holly bush, we were ready to hit the water (and quite a few rocks as well).

The first rapid, Speed, did exactly what it said on the tin, just with a rather rapid deceleration at the bottom as you ploughed into the opposite wall. Sean even went for a bit of aerial action, pulling off a barrel roll onto his head.

Next up was Ecstasy which went without a hitch other than a couple of circuits of the tea cup eddy half way down on my part.


Pinball was next which Ben and Sean decided to give a miss leaving me to deliberate whether to go for the conventional right hand line or the left hand line which had opened up due to the high flow. I decided on left. I then changed my mind and decided on right. The lead in to the rapid was surprisingly tricky with some fairly sticky bits, a good warm up for an awesome rapid. I pulled right as I came off the first drop, then right again to round the pinball rock before hanging off a high brace as I came off the final chute practically horizontal but just about upright. This was followed by some over excited wooping before we dropped through ‘Chasm’, which is possibly the most fun thing you can do with your clothes on (or at least with seventeen layers of neoprene on).

We finished the trip with a bit of bridge jumping, because that’s what they do on all the best kayaking videos, followed by a nice chat with some friendly fishermen.

Tom.