The team
Bridget, Carole, Chris, Fi, Martin and Richard with guest appearance
from Tiffany, Steve and family.
The B&B
We stayed at a B&B in Dulverton called Town Mills www.townmillsdulverton.co.uk.
The accommodation is very spacious but without any communal rooms. Breakfast
is served in your bedroom. I think we did not endear ourselves to the
landlady.
The Trip
When we arrived on Friday evening the river was very low, about 15
cm below the bottom of the ramp. Fortunately it started raining hard
and
we spent the evening in the pub feeling more optimistic.
By Saturday
morning the rain had stopped but the level was up to the bottom of the
ramp so we headed for Tarr Steps. Steve was looking after
the children so we did not need to organise a shuttle. Even so we didn’t
get on the water until after 11.00. Some of the team took advantage
of the low level to practise limbo under the stepping stones.
The major
hazards on the river were rocks hiding just under the surface and horses
(huntsmen) paddling across the river. Chris kindly located
every rock in the river and that made it easier for those following
to avoid some of them. Carole performed a spectacular breakout and
ended
up hugging a rock but Fi was there to provide comfort and help. Bridget
and Tiffany also managed to find a few rocks but without major incident.
Whilst most of us had lunch watching the huntsmen go back and forth
Fi and Martin performed for us on a conveniently placed wave. Steve
was
waiting patiently as we arrived in Dulverton – it seemed a long
way and took us about 4½ hours all together.
The Expedition
No more rain so we decided to mount an expedition to the
source of the Barle. The explorers set off from Tarr Steps and forced
a passage
along
wide leafy paths as far as Withypool. There we stopped for refreshment
before scaling Withypool hill (398m) using only our legs. Martin’s
kite provide lots of entertainment with Bridget standing by in the
danger area to launch it for everyone.
R.S. 05.12.06
All images ©2006 CSCC. Pictures by Richard S/Carole M, Chris S,
Martin S.
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