Hurley Weir
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Hurley Weir is a weir on the River Thames at Hurley in the English county of Berkshire, not far from Marlow and just downstream from Henley-on-Thames.
Hurley is the centre of a very active freestyle kayaking scene in the South-east of England, because of the favourable size and shape of the wave at Hurley Weir. A standing wave is generated by the gates (those which are opened) in the middle of on the wier. This attracts kayakers from a considerable distance, in fact kayakers can be seen at the weir at pretty much any time provided conditions are favourable, and at weekends they will form long queues waiting to have a go on the wave. Hurley also hosts an annual rodeo competition, the Hurley Classic.
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[edit] Access
The weir can be accessed on foot via the free car park, which is at the end of Hurley high street. Two paths, one on either side of the car park lead to the river. As of the 25th May 2006, both access paths are open again after building works were completed.
Kayakers can put-in on a flat stretch immediatly as they arrive at the river, from the car park side of the river. To reach the wave they must paddle upstream (left) and the weir will appear on the right. Ignore the first weir you reach, this is un-runable. Hurley Weir's steps can be run, but will wear your hull, it is preferable to get out on the island where the weir steps start and put in at the shingle "beach" below.
[edit] Gates
The weir consists of 4 main gates which are opened and closed to control the river levels. The number of opened gates will also govern the nature of the wave/waves, and the suitability/difficulty level for kayakers:
- 1 Gate - Medium sized wave, normally on weir river right. Best for longer, faster boats.
- 2 Gates - Big wave accompanied by a large hole.
- 3 Gates - Optimum level. When the 3 gates opened on river left, classic conditions apply: a big central wave with two holes either side. Doesn't normally stay on 3 for long, and during peak periods you can expect queues of 40+ people.
- 4 Gates - A powerful set of linked holes. The furthest hole away from the eddy sometimes referred to as "The Dark Side", as it is the furthest away from the only eddy. Still relatively safe, but retentive at certain levels. Capsizing results in a flush the vast majority of the time.
Note: at certain levels, the wave train often "goes left" and turns the eddy in a large spinning mass. This has the effect of constantly pushing people queuing in the eddy, into the main current.
[edit] Water levels
In general more rainfall means more gates will be open, however this can also depend upon the levels at weirs upstream and downstream, and as such it can be difficult to predict.
For the weir to form a good wave for kayakers, it generally needs to be late autumn, winter or early spring. Hurley is known to work during the summer, but for short periods of time. 9 months is the average consistent period of use. The 2005/2006 winter season, however, has been a comparatively bad year with the weir languishing on 1 or no gates for a significant period of time.
During the winter, a vague rule of thumb is 10 mm of rain is needed to open a gate. In the summer 15 mm maybe required, persistent rain is needed to keep levels up, due to ground levels of water being lower.
[edit] See also
- Weirs on the River Thames
- River Thames
- Boulter's Weir - Another weir popular with kayakers on the River Thames.
[edit] External links
For more information see Kayakojacko.com, which will have up to date level information (number of gates open)
Previously, thamesweirproject by James Farquharson and friends had the levels information, a messageboard and recent paddling stories, this was handed over to Kayakojacko on 11 August 2006.
