Canolfan Tryweryn

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Approach to Stone Bridge

Stone Bridge aka Miss Davis

Café Wave

Fingers

Beside Tyn Cornel Campsite

Canolfan Tryweryn (grid reference SH890401) is the National White Water Centre for Wales, and is based near Bala in North Wales. It developed the first commercial white water rafting operation in the UK in 1986, and since then has grown to become the largest and most well-respected rafting organisation in the UK. The centre also run a number coaching courses for canoeing, kayaking, play-boating, safety and rescue as well as running BCU/WCA Star Awards with coaching and assessment.

1 The River Tryweryn
2 See also
3 External links

[edit] The River Tryweryn

Main article: Afon Tryweryn

The Tryweryn is a river in north Wales. It starts from Llyn Tryweryn in the Snowdonia National Park and after 19 km joins the river Dee at Bala. It is one of the main tributaries of the Dee and has been dammed to form Llyn Celyn. Water is stored in winter when flows are high, and released over the summer to maintain the flow in the Dee, meaning that the river often has suitable water levels for kayakers and rafters at time of year when natural rivers throughout Wales may be too low. Usually between 9 and 12 m³/s are released by the dam.

The whitewater rapids have been modified by placing boulders in strategic points along the course of the river to create eddys, drops and play spots.

The centre charges a fee for canoeists (BCU or WCA membership grants a 50% discount) and issues a day ticket to be displayed whilst on the water.

There river is generally split into three sections: Top Site, Centre Section and the Lower Tryweryn.

[edit] Top Site

This constitutes the section of river leading from the setting basin below the Llyn Celyn dam along to the chipper (a metal fish trap, so called because it resembles a chip-slicer). The chipper is actually a fish-trap. This section is a nice Grade II coming onto III, with a good play-hole (the "Top-Hole") and a playful weir. The section is often used for safety and rescue courses, as well as kayaking freestyle competitions. Officially there is no raft or canoe access to this top section.

[edit] The Centre Section

This section (commonly known as the "Upper Tryweryn") is the main part of the Tryweryn, it runs for approximately 2km from the chipper down to the Tyn Cornel camping site, and is a good Grade III. It contains most of the main features of the river (in order of occurrence):

The Graveyard
The Ski Jump
Fedwr Gog Falls (aka Miss Davis' Bridge, or 'Stone' bridge),
Café Wave
Fingers
NRA (National Rivers Authority) Bridge
Chapel Falls

[edit] The Lower Tryweryn

Running the 4km from the Tyn Cornel campsite down to Bala, this is a good Grade II bordering on Grade III section which finishes spectacularly at Bala Mill Falls (an easily portaged Grade IV rapid). This section is not managed like the upper Tryweryn, although the centre has been known to remove fallen trees and other obstructions/hazards quickly.