Grade: | 2 to 3 | |||||
County: | Mayo | Date updated: | 30/08/2008 | |||
Section Length: | 1-1.5 km | Version: | 1 |
This river is a fun paddle but needs a fair bit of rain to make it worthwhile. This river is rarely run but is worthwhile if there has been a lot of rain. It combines man made weirs and natural rapids. It is short and close to the Bunhowna so the two could be done in the same evening.
From Westport or Castlebar follow the road to Achill island. About 10 minutes after going through the town of Newport you will pass a pub on the right called Nevins Newfield in. About 100metres after this you come to the bridge. This is the put in. There is room for a few cars here but there is more parking at the pub.
This river is a fun paddle but needs a fair bit of rain to make it worthwhile. After it has been raining for a few hours is the perfect time to hit it. The level can be gauged from the bridge if the first weir is flowing well then the rest of the river will be up. It is an easy walk down to inspect the first 2 weirs to get a better idea of the level.There are 4 weirs in total with the first being the biggest and in between are some rapid sections.There are no major hazards on the river maybe a couple of snagged cags on overhanging trees . The chance of pinning decreases as the water level increases
When I paddled this river first the water was just over the top of the first weir and this level is too low. It makes for a really bumpy and scrapey run.
There doesn't seem to be any access issues on this river. But be sure you Leave your car off the unpaved road so as not to piss off any farmers or locals. The blue house has a perfect layby for parking at but it really pisses of the owner. They now have a no parking sign in place.
The river level can be gauged from the bridge. It is an easy walk down to the first 2 weirs to inspect further. There needs to be a good flow over the first weir to make it worthwhile. In low water the weirs dry up and you can walk across them so 1ft of water over the concrete would be good.
No major hazards bar the chance of snagging your cag on overhanging trees. the risk of pinning decreases as the river level increases.