1 . River Dart
The Upper Dart . Photo by Andy Walker of paddlers Laura Wynne and Daniel Smith PADDLER 43
First time on the Upper – picture at the get out ! Photo : Tom Clare
1 . River Dart
The river Dart is the one river I wish I could paddle more ! Dartmoor is a fair distance from Nottingham , ruling it out as a regular day trip , but when we do get the chance to go down – boy , is it worth it ! There is a reason why many Dart locals choose to stay in Dartmoor for most of their paddling !
I owe my love of the Dart to my lovely friend and white water coach , Matt Brook . He took me down my first lap of the Upper Dart , and I couldn ’ t believe what a fantastic river it was . It starts with a series of smaller grade 3 rapids but quickly builds to continuous grade 4 rapids known as the ‘ mad mile ’. At lower levels , this is fun and technical , although at higher levels , it gets pretty rowdy . Paddling your first laps of the Upper with someone who knows the Dart well is recommended . A couple of distinct rapids are definitely worth knowing the line for .
The lovely thing about the Dart is the get-out for the Upper Dart is also the get-on for the Dart Loop . I have enjoyed many laps of the Dart Loop , a fun little grade 2-3 section . When the Dart gets huge , many of the UK ’ s best paddlers enjoy themselves on the Loop instead . It is good fun and a good day out in medium and high water .
The Upper Dart . Photo by Andy Walker of paddlers Laura Wynne and Daniel Smith PADDLER 43