09 March 2019
Introduction to White Water Matlock River Trip
On the River Derwent from Darley Dale to Artists Corner
The day started with a 9am meet at a very Damp cold and windy Artist Corner carpark, we all got kitted up sorted the paper work and somehow or other managed to get all 16 of us and our boats up to Darley Dale for a 10.30ish get on, leaving all but 2 cars at Artists Corner!
After a nice introduction to the day a run through of expectations, safety and the overall plan Fraser got us all paired up in a very convenient novice/improver with a competent/leader peer and so we set off in our pairs to launch and get some confidence on the fairly fast moving and high River Derwent.
Everyone had previously been on moving water before so the day was really all about learning and improving some key skills with breaking in and out of eddies, S turns and ferry gliding.
We picked our way down the river as a group playing in the fast-moving water with us all getting to grips with the river benefitting from some superb one on one guidance.
I think I was the first to get caught out with a bit of bubbly current and found myself upside down! First Combat roll completed and a big smile on my face and I didn’t look back!
We split up into two teams after a short while (still in our pairs) just to try and create a bit more space on the river and this worked well, when we came upon our first sizable feature Fraser got us all to eddy in and talk through the best route and method of us all moving on.
Fraser asked us all as pairs to break in and then break out at the eddy just above the feature so as pairs we could review the line we propose to take and then break in and run the feature. This is how we proceeded for the rest of the trip. It was a really good experience for us, with the guidance of our peers, to be considering our own decision making on the water.
At the next feature, Fraser and Tyler went ahead to review letting Tyler choose the best route for us all. Within a few moments both Denise and Mark were stretching their legs, great self-rescue from Denise while Mark reviewed the mud situation! 😉 This gave the rest of us a good opportunity to play on the small wave ferry gliding across from eddy to eddy, I was growing in confidence and really enjoying myself.
Just after this we found a place to get out and stop for a bite to eat and drink, this also gave a good opportunity for a few to find a nice little seal launch!
With the wind and rain still biting we moved on, again in our pairs, working our way down the river. We then came upon the first of three bridges, as before we eddied in and stopped to talk through our route and again in our pairs, we ran the feature and eddied in below. We spent some time playing on the waves which for most of us were at a great level to play and learn with confidence, Tyler took a little dip although was basically up with his second hand-roll of the day!
We carried on down the river with a couple more bridges each creating different features and more playtime for everyone. There were some quieter sections where you could have been confused with a picture from the lake!
By the time we made it back to Artists Corner I was spent so it was time to get out, while a few others continued playing on the nice waves.
As my second white water trip this had been an awesome day with great company and fantastic support from all, the numbers on this trip show how enjoyable it is not just for the beginner’s like me but also for the more experienced. If you get the chance to go on future trips to Matlock, I would recommend it to anyone!
A massive thanks to Fraser for organising and running such a great trip but also to all the other more experienced paddlers who gave up their day to help us all have such a great trip!