Rain! At last; water in something other than solid form. Paul's shifts and my frustration demanded a cheeky days leave and some paddling action. Sorted.
Meeting in Keswick for a pre-paddle brew, it was clear that there was water about; the Greta was well up on the bottom step at Fitz Park so we decided to haul over to the Newlands valley and get on the beck at Little Town.
What a blast, not at all complicated by a missing spray deck, open drysuit zip, dodged strainers, upside down moments and the usual antics of an early season splash. No cobwebs left on either of us by the time we arrived at the Adventure Centre and hopped off the water, much to the amusement of some elderly walkers. Happy that they were happy!
Once off and changed, we drove up over Newlands Pass; I'd seen the b&w photo (below) on a photography site and wanted a closer look at the lower part of the beck it captured - Sail Beck. The photo shows the upper part of the beck which runs down past the top of the Pass; my thinking was that it would be feasible to drive to the top of the Pass, hoof boats cross-country down to the beck and run it to Buttermere.
Upper Sail Beck (from the 'net)
From what we could see of it, much of the beck falls steeply through open fellside with a couple of steeper drops / small falls. Certainly tight, twisty and technical, it will need some heavy rain to bring it up to anything other than plastic grinder level. It eventually disappears into a wooded steep sided valley, verging on a ravine. At least one steep, twisting slot / drop could be seen through the trees and deadwood strainers are most likely to be a problem. Definitely interesting but needs a half day with boots and bowsaws before a full on paddle methinks...
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