A Tryweryn Trip

Chapter 1 - The day before

There were bad omens right from the start. Stuart had agreed to meet Rich and Becky to paddle on the Friday evening at Jackfield. Not a great spot, but at this time of year there were usually two waves on which it is possible to spin and even blunt occasionally, but not on this occasion. The river was high and a kind of melted-in-the-sun chocolate brown.

The rapid was virtually washed out, but the arrangement had been made so there was no going back. Stuart waited for some time, and eventually Becky arrived, radiant at the bent steel gate. Rich turned up some time later muttering something about poor directions. The signs of a hard day at the office were clearly evident on his face. They went to look at the disappointing water, anticipation slowly ebbing away. Still they had come there to paddle, and so paddle they would.

Following the customary changing ritual they walked slowly up the sadly eroded path to the put in point. The water oozed pass as uninviting as a long walk home alone. Rich's mood was not helped by his having to paddle Stuart's old Diabolo, not a boat to bring joy to the heart. Still, one by one they got onto the water and paddled down the rapid to the bottom, feeling all the excitement of a meeting with an ex-wife.

In desperation they tried the spot were a surf wave once but with no success. But then they made a discovery that could possibly save a rapidly failing situation. Where once was a rock pushing the water manfully across to from the wave, was now a threatening looking pour-over. This allowed Rich, despondent in his old school boat, to start pulling of the old school moves. Soon the stress was forgotten as the Diabolo started popping out like the toast from an overly springy toaster, and far more often.

Meanwhile Becky was wrapped in a shroud of uncertainty. Watching the others plunge into the coco depths then fly forth into the unrestricting air, she longed to join in, but was it possible? Could she do it? In the end, attraction overcoming doubts, she also plunged forwards. It took several tries before the unaiding water obliged, but then the moves started to flow. But as in all situations giving pleasure, catastrophe is never far away. So it was here, as, paddle hopelessly vertical, she tried to roll. She gasped for life giving air but was unremittingly returned to the murky depths. The others saw this and raced to rescue and fortunately in the end no harm was done. Showing all of her true joi-de-vivre she continued to paddle. So they continued for some time. The session ended in jubilant mood with Rich flying skyward from the water, arms thrown forth in exultation.

Such was the mood of cheerfulness on finishing that the inescapable rules of physics were temporarily forgotten. Becky had parked her car on a slope and left her boat on the roof whilst changing. Yet with all the inevitability of an inappropriate love affair the boat began to fall forward. It accelerated down the unresisting windscreen and then scratched it's way down the bonnet, leaving gauges like the attack of some wild cat, claws extended.

Happy with the session they left; Becky back to her own home and Rich and Stuart back to Stuart's. In anticipation of the weekend's activity Rich and Stuart stopped at the supermarket on the way back. After the immense time that men always spend finding every special offer in the shop they had bought what they wanted. It mostly consisted of alcohol. After this they continued back.

Back at Stuarts house none of the expected people had yet arrived. But they had only just decided to start eating when a car pulled into the drive. Outside Martin had arrived bringing Dan with him. They had the haggard look of those who have spent too long in motorway transport.
'We have been following a flying Giraffe,' commented Martin to break the ice. This seemed to work.

More food was found and they all settled down to dinner with a great appetite. Afterwards they sat and talked, often of paddling but also of the other topics such as the civil service and the purchase of legal wigs. They were perfectly happy. Shortly after this other cars began to arrive. First Dave arrived bringing Jon and Tom Day. Dave was a large man and with simple desires, he immediately began a search for beer. Jon and Tom soon followed. But not before the others had all passed comment on Jon's newly attached status as single men do, justifying their own independence. Then Tim and Crobbie arrived bringing Jon S. They where closely followed by Conrad, being driven by his Girlfriends Dad, almost a beacon of stability in these days of relationship flux. They also had with them Tom Evans and the German Jan. The party was now complete. They sat around for some time longer catching up on old news and laughing about it. There was the happy atmosphere of people who have got where they are going and have nothing to do.

Eventually they decided it was time to sleep so all the necessities where collected and space found. Everyone had reached the end of the day. But Stuart had one upsetting incident left. On opening the door he saw Tom Day walking through the door to the room where his little sister was sleeping. Unheeding of the whispered warnings Tom carried on. In the end he got the message and retreated. No harm was done, but the motive for the visit was never established. But by this time the only real action to be taken was to go to sleep and face any consequences along with the many activities already planned for the next day.

Chapter 2 - The Morning

At eight the next morning the air in the house was rent with the undistinguished call of alarm clocks. Despite all the good intentions of the night before no one was happy at this event. Yet duty, that unwitting saviour of the loveless relationship, prevailed, and sleepy heads where slowly dragged from sleepy pillows. In the strange calm that accompanies the early morning everyone slowly congregated in the kitchen for breakfast. Everyone was much more subdued than the night before, but then waking up is always just a toned down hangover. Eventually breakfast was eaten and people began packing kit into cars. Stuart was packing more than most, having not packed anything previously he was thankful of a large car to just pile kit into, or so he thought. On trying to throw in kit he discovered that there was nowhere near as much room as there should have been. Jon, distressingly keep and astoundingly awake, had already moved his kit in to the car in order that he should be able to paddle straight away. It then transpired that Rich did not wish to drive and that Dan needed a lift so more kit appeared. By the time all of the kit had been packed the estate was so full that rear visibility was just a faint memory of happier times.

Gina's dad's car was the first to leave. He was not a little terrified at the coming encounter with the water and had, as a consequence, decided to paddle at eddylines first to clam his nerves. Next Tim, Crobbie and Jon S, having no real interest with water, departed to find a small hill. Martin decided to follow, having been out of practice he felt that the risk of personally embarrassment was too great, and the wounded ego is to some the worst wound of all. Dave left soon after with the intention of buying beer on the way. The idea was a sound one but after a particularly unscenic tour of the town they failed to find the much sought supermarket. After a short while the will to paddle overcame the more distant, yet ultimately greater, need for beer and they headed off, planning to stop on the way if they could. Stuart left last, taking Dan and Rich. He had first phoned Becky who had been horrified to learn that it was only nine 'o'clock and that people where already leaving.

It was not long before Stuart had caught up with Tim and Martin who where heading in the same direction. However it was only just past Witchchurch when there was a flashing of break lights and Tim, followed by Martin, flung themselves unrelentingly into a side road. Stuart swerved round them and carried on passing comment with the others in the car about inconsiderate driving. They continued on for some way with nothing-eventful happening. They saw Conrad in Llangollen, pointlessly inspecting the out of bounds town falls. They stopped for Rich to get cash then carried on for some distance. After some time they encountered a queue of traffic waiting to park for the Welsh rally and decided that they would take an alternative route. After that there was a lot more driving with no real excitement. Indeed the trip was rather like an unfortunate, but all to common, love life, with long periods of no real excitement interspersed with such dreary action that it might as well not have happened in the first place. But a journey has an advantage over a love life in that it always ends in a desired goal. So it was that they eventually reached the Tryweryn.

It was raining when they arrived. They got out of the car and walked over to the centre. They looked out towards the river but in the rain it was as uninspirational as a fifty-year all for show loveless marriage. It so happened that the café afforded the best views of the river, and so this was where they had ended up. No one else was here yet and were not likely to be for some time. A bacon roll was universally agreed on as the best course of action. So Rich, king of subtlety and master of seduction, walked up to the counter to order. They took a table at the window. This was to see the river, not in any great sense because they were interested, but so that they could pass comments on those paddling the river thus impressing the other people in the café. In this way they could radiate a sophisticated air of nonchalance underlined with extreme knowledge and skill. It made them feel better about themselves. The bacon rolls arrived and talking lapsed into the concentrated silence of eating. But, as with all good things in life, hardly had they started when there was nothing left. So they continued to sit and discuss all the reasons why the café was a much better venue for the day's entertainment than the river

After a while Rich, like a dog left outside a restaurant whilst its owners eat a fantastic meal, began to show signs of impatience for some action. But these soon subsided as the merits of the café came home to him. The others where both thinking similar thoughts but were both relieved when Rich mentioned it first so they need not seem keen and could thus preserve their attitude of distinguished indifference. So in was that they continued to sit.

Eventually the shout
'Hullo Boy's' was heard across the café. It was Dave. Jon followed, with Tom Day's tracksters not far behind. Jon was still keen; coming into the café he scoffed at the small party by the window, not understanding how they could be wasting such an opportunity on the water. Somehow though the arrival of others rejuvenated the desire of those at the table to stay and sit. Where moments before they had been thinking that a little activity may not be a bad thing, now someone really wanted to do something the merits of sitting at the table were increased almost beyond limit.

Dave was the first to crack under the supreme air of cool radiating from the table. Jon and Tom both resisted for some time, going to the lengths of standing in the rain watching the river before they were finally broken. More bacon rolls were called for. After a while Conrad's cheerful visage appeared in the café, along with the rest of his entourage, displaying varying degrees of confidence. They had decided not the paddle at eddylines due to low water and had come straight on the Tryweryn, to the consternation of Gina's dad. Impressively they were even more keen to paddle than Jon, and after a few pleasantries they disappeared to change and pay. Jon, who had always been a little uncomfortable with spending so much time in the café, soon joined them. Tom followed. The small group round the table, happy in their social roles, continued to sit, using the convenient excuse that it would be rude not to wait for Becky since she was due to arrive at any time. So they waited some more.

Stuart wandered outside a short time later with the vague aim of finding his BCU number to make things cheaper, but in keeping with the mood of the morning ended up meandering for a bit before returning under the magnetic pull of the café. On his return however the small group had moved into the entrance hall and had found Becky. Thus, with no more reasons left to sit in the café, they had decided that some paddling probably had to be done. But before this could happen people still had to pay. This should have been a simple matter, but Dan and Rich also wanted to hire boats, some of the group wanted to pay with plastic, some with cash, some had discounts. Indeed, as with love, nothing is ever that simple. Still Rich allowed his full charm to come to the fore waiting for the boat hire forms, chatting amiable with the woman at reception, and eventually got what he wanted.

In the end everyone had tickets, boats, and even managed to get changed with all their kit. Stuart walked out to get his boat from his car and was amazed to find that Dave and all those in his car wanted to drive their boats to the top of the river. They where equally amazed that Stuart saw no point in this
'It's over a mile,' they protested.
Stuart was unremitting and delared that his car would remain at the bottom and that he would walk to the top. Dave declared that he would drive and so they parted. Stuart met with Rich and Dan collecting their hired boats. Rich had, after all the effort he had put in at the reception, selected a boat that he could not get in to so had had to go and choose another. Even this was resolved in the end and the three of them began to walk up the river.

Chapter 3 - Paddling

And so it was that the paddling was reached. There was no more preamble, all the precursors where finished. The build up was done. This was the main event. They all felt it. Something welled up inside each of them, an anticipatory explosion of a coming sensory incapability.

They got onto the water and immediately began to empathise with it. Water, boat and body moving a symbiotic harmony. Stroking the water forcefully Jon pulled onto the top wave but it was too much, and he backed of. Rich followed allowing all his masculinity rise to the fore as he tried to take charge, but it was still not to be. Stuart and Tom also tried but neither reached the summit of success. This was, however, only the beginning and, caressed gently by the water, they moved on.

Further down Rich could no longer hold himself back and leapt into the new hole with an amazing intensity of concentration. At first he got nowhere but slowly he began to achieve. Little by little he began to take control. Successes ebbed and flowed but each time always reaching forward, striving towards ultimate success.

Stuart was also going for it and though smaller, his familiarity with his equipment paid off, and he had soon reached new heights of achievement. He stopped after this knowing full well that anything more would be an anticlimax. At this point Dan, restrained until now, threw himself into action. But having managed to hold back for so long, when the time finally came he launched himself into the act far too rapidly. He immediately went all out to impress, and was violently rejected.

Now they all got onto the water, sliding into closely fitting craft and launching into it's unremitting grasp. It all started slowly with gentle movements and careful responses. But it was not long before things started getting rough. Control was everything. The water tugged and they replied, every action a finely tuned respose destined to bring about the ultimate unity. The whole body was thrown about and every muscle used to direct it.

Wave followed after wave, a seeming eternity of terrified pleasure always building, every controlled stroke coming closer to the ultimate destination. Sometimes they would pause, taking some small area and exploiting its unique ability to please before continuing the definitive journey. Then all to soon came the final rush, the exaltation to the end. Dropping into mighty chapel depths the then returning to blast forth, lying back, fully vertically, looking skywards and revelling in the inescapable, overwhelming power, such was the climax. It was insurmountable.

Sitting back on the water aterwards the emotion slowly ebbed away, each little ripple now a calming gesture. After all the power has been released there is a harmonious gentleness. The tranquillity that follows great excitement is always the most touching to the sole. So it was now. A happy glow pervaded their entire beings. There was nothing to do now, except go and do it all again.

***

Epilogue

That was by no means the end of the trip and I had intended to catalogue many more of the events. But how could I have followed such a description. There where to have been tales of poncy dips in the rain, of route marches into town for dinner, of drinking games par-excellence, of how some people find 'Tamsin' the most comic word in the world, of tequila slammers from the bottle, of the consequences there of, of the next morning's consequences there of, of the next days sociability off the water and paddling on, and much more, but it would almost certainly have seemed little and shallow after the above. Anyway some things are better left just as a happy memory...

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