- Strava
- The Rothay
- Rydal to Ambleside
A sizable group made up of Paul, Colin, Alan, Steve-o, Steve, Darren, Rhi, Joe, Thomas, Alec, Simon & I plus John as a bank based addition headed up to the Rothay. After some considerable parking faff (and an excellent exhibition of how to reverse a van back along a country lane by Simon) we put on at Rydal water. The river was on a low but there were plenty of eddys for people to make the river as simple or challenging as they wished and some great opportunities to practice ferry glides. A Weir provided a great (but slightly grabby) surfing spot for people to try the skills and Gibbi to take some photos of the action.
The next wave we came across offered more fun…until King of the Wave ended in both Steve and Simon high bracing for survival as they were washed off the wave. Steve was successful in saving himself from a capsize whereas Simon wasn’t. He quickly rolled in the chilly water and then had a mini sulk that he’d gotten his hair wet. Joe successfully hand paddled onto the wave and styled it for a few minutes until his hands became too cold! We finished the journey at the Rugby Club in Ambleside. Alan provided us with some much appreciated and very festive Christmas Cake whilst we checked on River levels to see if a cheeky run of the Brathay was possible. After deciding it was a smidge too low, we finished the day in Hawkshead Brewery (much to many people’s delight!) A successful day with no swims and great company. Merry Christmas and hopefully see everyone out next week🎄🥂