Posts

Showing posts from February, 2009

Upper Barle 14 February 2009

Image
Friday 06 February 2009 and I was unfortunate enough to find myself snowbound in a Somerset pub at the foot of the Quantocks. Both Severn Bridges we closed and the village of Nether Stowey was at a standstill due to the snow. That evening in the Rose and Crown bar I received an invite to join some memebers of Exmoor Canoe Club for a paddle on the River Barle. I had never paddled a plastic boat on a river before so I thought why not. I picked up my new guide John on Saturday morning and headed off up onto Exmoor. We met up with the rest of the group at Dulverton where I was surprised to see a hive of activity and loads of other boats. Our plan was to launch 6 miles upstream at Tarr Steps and paddle back to Dulverton. The guide books refer to this little trip as the Upper Barle. The River Barle rises in Exmoor Forest and is a tributary of the River Exe. It has been designated a SSSI due to its abundant wildlife and is apparently the best example of an acidic upland river in Britain. It h