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Wye & Usk Foundation Newsletter

Written By: Dr Stephen Marsh Smith
On Date: 5/12/2017

Canoeing on Wye and Usk in Wales: an update Wednesday 29th November, 2017 Recently, a consultation on the
management of Natural Resources included a section inviting comments on the river access and navigation to which Afonydd Cymru responded on behalf of WUF and all the Welsh rivers trusts (see here). One of the corner stones of sustainable management of our natural resources is that management or exploitation of one should not adversely impact on another.
It is a moot point as to what is the most controversial issue that the Foundation has ever had to manage, but near the top is canoeing or more correctly, navigation. The Wye has a public right of navigation below Hay meaning that there is a right to pass and re-pass up or down the river, though the right does not extend to launching and egress: you need permission to do this from the landowner or at agreed points. There is a short length of public navigation on the Usk above Newton weir, Brecon too.
Where controversy arises is in rivers without a public right of navigation. Canoeing and fishing don't mix easily in large rivers and not at all in low water and smaller streams. It is a particular problem where there has been long standing permissions (such as between Glasbury and Hay-on-Wye) and when arrangements and agreements are set aside by navigators claiming rights as yet unproven.
To meet the demands of canoeists and the expectations of anglers, WUF facilitated a series of arrangements on behalf of the owners in the upper Wye above Glasbury and upper Usk. These have the innate potential to work, provided both parties agree that river conditions never wholly suit either activity, all of the time. Essentially canoeists have the high water period of late autumn to early spring plus whenever a webcam on a gauge shows the height over a certain level (a red line). This was the arrangement that WUF originally set up in 2007 with funding from Welsh government, thanks to the owners of the rivers agreeing to the scheme and, in several cases, allowing access to the river over their land.
The arrangements on both rivers are still in operation today, details of which can be found here. In the main, there has been a very reasonable truce with the odd incursion by newcomers or extremist provocateurs. We never received any buy-in from the national canoe organisations who refused to accept anything that didn't give them 365 day access to every river, stream, lake, reservoir or ditch. Elsewhere, attempts to draw up something similar with canoe bodies have generally failed to get off the ground.
So, ten years on and we can say this is one area of Natural Resource Management where we can claim sustainability and maximisation for society's benefit now and for the future. If only this could be said for other land use issues and pollution!
Finally, despite Brexit and royal weddings, there's no escape! Christmas has not been cancelled and
One of the upper Wye gauges, where canoeing is permitted in spring, summer and early autumn if the water height is above that suitable for fishing (marked by a red line).

And in the late autumn, winter and early spring, paddling can take place on this section of river at any height.

WUF Christmas cards on sale now!
you will undoubtedly need a few cards. River scene Christmas cards can be ordered online or by calling us on 01874 711 714.
All the best from WUF.


Details of our Projects can be found here.
Click here for anglers' reports and here for monthly fishing reports.
For details of WUF's Consultations, Click here.
EA Emergency Hotline: 0800 80 70 60 NRW Emergency Hotline: 0300 65 3000
Dwr Cymru/Welsh Water Emergency Sewage Line: 0800 085 3968
Rainfall at Llanstephan 2017 to date: 28.5" ('16: 35" '15: 28", '14: 54", '13: 39", '12: 47", '11: 29")
Bookings and availability Tel: 01874 712 074
This email was sent by The Wye & Usk Foundation.

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