ThePADDLER
WAVE-BOATING HOTSPOT It ’ s definitely not for the medieval village , the cosy pubs or fans of Midsomer Murders . As the long summer gives way and the autumn rains begin from around October to April each year , the Thames Valley weirs spring to action . The gates open up , unleashing the waves and delivering the goods . The Thames Valley has become the wave-boating hotspot of the UK . And its jewel in the crown is Hurley .
Turn left and meander down the lane from the car park between the big country houses and the priory walls , and the intrepid freestyle kayaker will be greeted with a stretch of the River Thames so revered as to be almost sacred .
Hurley Weir comprises four main gates , each creating a different experience for paddlers . One gate is a great venue for beginners to learn the basics of surfing , even providing some good eddying in and out training , but the wave can be flushy , and tricks are hard to stick .
THREE GATES Two gates create a nice fun wave next to the wall on the surfer ’ s left and a small hole in gate two . Most wave moves are possible at this level , and the hole gate provides some fun where most hole moves go . But it ’ s on three gates that Hurley comes into its own .
On three gates , gate one remains closed , and gates two , three and four open to create a consistent , stable wave in the central gate , which is flanked by two wellformed shoulders giving the surfer clearly defined surfable boundaries and plenty of air to take off for blunts , which is usually the first trick most paddlers will learn at Hurley due to the ease of throwing them , thanks to those shoulders . At prime levels , the wave becomes steeper and greener with enough foam pile to be retentive . At this stage , the wave feels loose and flows effortlessly from one to the other .
Hurley is incredibly fast for a wave of its size . Just a front surf feels exhilarating to those unfamiliar with Hurley : there is nothing like it .
The wave train and eddy lines below can be tricky for novice paddlers to manage , but with an eddy , the size of a small continent , rescues downstream are easy with a set of steps on the river ’ s left bank if you drift down that far . Readers should note that there is no access to the weir without paddling across to it , and spectators can only see it from some distance upstream . The left river bank is privately owned , and climbing on the weir structure is forbidden .
FOUR GATES At four gates , Hurley becomes a more powerful hole . While it can still be fun , there are usually better