Canoe Wales - Canw Cymru

National White Water Centre

The river is a managed facility and kayaking is available year round (from Llyn Celyn-Bala) when the dam is releasing. Please check at the centre for event details/code of conduct on the day of your paddle.
Information about releases can be found at http://www.ukrafting.co.uk/rivercoaching/releases.htm

Water Information Line 01678 520826

The Afon Tryweryn is the best of the small handful of rivers in Wales that are dam released and offers 8km of classic grade 2-4 whitewater. The dam releases are dependent on a number of factors including rainfall, local river levels and extraction needs, however, on average, the Tryweryn enjoys over 200 days of water a year, which makes it a popular destination for boaters across the country. The river is also home to the National Whitewater Centre (Canolfan Tryweryn) which manages the river and offers an excellent range of coaching and guiding services. The centre has also hosted numerous competitions and events including 3 world championships and is constantly improving the facilities for visiting river users.

Water access fees are payable by all river users and these fees are used to provide, maintain and up-grade the facilities. This means hot showers, riverside parking, an on-site café as well as outstanding rapids and playspots. The river is also used regularly for rafting – but then, if you paddle abroad, you quickly get used to this.

For the latest release and access information check out the water release page at www.rivercoaching.co.uk or call the water information line on 01678 520 826. Both of these are up-dated regularly and detail the dam releases as well as any access restrictions i.e. for competitions.

The grade of water varies according to the release, but the guidelines are a follows:

To reach the centre turn off the A4212 about 1 mile north of Frongoch – the centre is well sign-posted.

This section runs past the centre and has the luxury of three large car parks and a riverside footpath which makes for easy access and inspection.

The water from the dam flows into a stilling basin and access to the river is about 20m below this GR882398. This section is known as the top site (from the stilling basin to the chipper), and is a sweet section of grade 2+ with a number of great features including a sticky but friendly weir and a fantastic playspot (the Worlds hole). These features also make it a favourite for safety and rescue courses and freestyle competitions so access is not always possible – check access restrictions with the centre.

Below the chipper (actually a fish trap), the river drops to a short section of grade 2 which can be easily accessed via a large set of steps or by the raft ramp (seal launching down this may wear your hull out, though!). This section has recently been transformed by the addition of some large boulders creating a great site for some easy eddy-hopping. It’s the perfect warm-up before entering the Graveyard – an excellent, continuous class III+/IV- rapid which has recently been improved by the introduction of some key boulders which have given the rapid a little more bite!

A short break follows before the Ski Jump is reached – a steep drop with a cheeky hole which has caught a fair few boaters off guard. Fortunately there’s a large pool at the bottom allowing any swimmers to be easily picked up! Below this is International Wave – a fast green wave with an easy eddy river left. Immediately below is the infamous Fedwr Gog Falls (aka Miss Davis’s Bridge), so if you’re going for a surf make sure you’ve got a quick roll! This is a meaty river wide drop and there are two schools of thought as to the easiest line; run far left and punch though the diagonal into the eddy or run hard right through the guts and into the eddy. Whichever one you opt for speed is the key!

After this there’s time to catch your breath (and some more eddies) before Café Wave which is the most popular playspot on the river. There are easy eddies on both sides with scope to pull off a good selection of wave moves and possibly even a couple of ends in the small hole river left. There’s also the café patio directly above so no matter what you’re doing you’re guaranteed a big audience!

Fingers rapid follows and leads to NRA wave – a new playspot that runs best at higher releases and which requires a degree of commitment and confidence to attain!

That done, easy water leads down to the last and biggest drop on the upper section; Chapel Falls. The retentive stopper on river right pushes the class of this drop towards a IV (especially at releases above 10 cumecs) and it’s worth inspecting (river right) if you’re new to the river. A successful run of this leads to the egress river right GR894400 (signed), just above Tyn Cornel camp-site. There is no egress at the camp-site without prior permission and, if you continue past this point the next egress is at Bala Mill Falls, 6 km downstream! Don’t miss it! A footpath river right leads back to NRA bridge and across to the centre.

A recent agreement between the WCA, the Environment Agency and Canolfan Tryweryn has secured year round access to the lower section (previously it could only be paddled through the winter and on Tour Weekends), and has opened up a stretch of river that every novice boater should cut their whitewater teeth on. A classic grade II+, it has a wilder feel to it than the upper section and should be run with a little caution as it is more susceptible to Welsh river hazards such as fallen trees. The river is continuous class II pushing towards class III, especially during larger releases and after heavy rain. Don’t let the grade put you off, though: it’s a perfect trip for whitewater novices and more experienced kayakers can practice their skills before running Bala Mill Falls GR926368. This drop is at the end of the lower section and is one of the first grade IV rapids that many paddlers attempt – don’t let anyone tell you it’s not a grade IV! There’s a short technical lead in before you set up for the main drop (best run river right or the left-hand chute is a possible, easier alternative). If you don’t fancy running the falls there’s an easy portage river right (signed), well above the main drop and the falls can also be partially inspected from here.

Please follow signs on the river to portage/inspect Bala Mill Falls. Canolfan Tryweryn are working with the Landowner and Countryside Council for Wales to reopen the leat that runs parallel to the river to make portaging easier. River users are requested to co-operate with these instructions and signs. Please be considerate to our neighbours. More information is available from Canolfan Tryweryn reception.

Below Bala Mill, continue down to below the main road bridge and egress out into the convenient car park GR929362. Below this are some small, innocuous but very dangerous weirs - don’t be tempted!

Running into Llyn Celyn is the upper Tryweryn. Once graded as class III it is, in fact, in its lower parts, a full-on, class V spate paddle with at least one or two portages.