Paul Walker

Well, it's that time of the new year where every sinlge person in Glasgow Uni Canoe Club wants to get on a river no matter how cold it is.   For this trip, on one of the coldest days of the university year, twenty-five people signed up top go - and for anyone who knows anything about a kayaking trip, you will know that not all of them would turn up.

And guess what? Four people, including one of the drivers pulled out, meaning that others who had really wanted to go paddling missed out on the opportunity.   I am always against signing up for something until I know that I can make it.   As it turned out though, this ended up offering some comic relief on the journey there and back, as George Elderfield and I tormented Ross Henderson who had been desperate to go paddling, but had been too slow, and arrived late for the sign-up.

Once at the river, the safety paddlers had a look at the river and knew it would be a long day: the water was flowing much faster than normal and was looking slightly brown.   All the beginners were keen, and got ready in the freezing cold and we all clambered into our boats and slid onto the river.

I'm not sure exactly when it was, but within five minutes we had our first swim of the day; this was by no means the last.   Every couple of corners, as one group would start to have a rest, a boat would bob past upsidedown and paddlers would scramble to action.   As the day progressed, more people began to tire and make the little mistakes that a river running high is unforgiving about.   Fraser, slipping sideways into a hole was one of the casualties of this; then George when trying to tow a kayak....though he somehow managed to tow both kayaks into an eddy despite swimming! Pretty impressive actually, but he was slapped for the attempt at a hand roll.

Of the twenty-one people to get on the river at the top, eighteen completed the run.   The cold proved too much for some, and one person volunteered to stay with them.   It has to be said that everyone enjoyed their trip, even the ones who looked blue afterwards, and I was impressed by the groups firm commitment to pushing all the way to the end.   A great trip!   And Ross was un-impressed.