Sustainability Committee
Inquiry into access to inland water in Wales
Dear Sir, Madam,I believe the closing date in support of ‘Right to Paddle’, open access to all rivers and inland waterways in Wales, is tomorrow the 19th of September 2009.
I wish to add my voice in support of the campaign mentioned above.
The British Government has over the past few years become concerned about obesity in young children and adults. Canoeist cover a wide age range, from children aged about 8 years to senior citizens of 80plus years and all ages in between. The sport is taken up by girls and boys, woman and men, even teenage girls (one of the most difficult groups to motivate to take up exercise), paddle regularly.
Although canoeing and fresh air does not in itself “cure” asthma, it strengthens the lungs, and once our son started canoeing, greatly reduced the amount of chest infections/asthma attacks, he regularly suffered before.
Unfortunately the lack of access limits the variation of ‘water’ the skilled paddler needs to progress and extend him/her. This leads to some “honey-pots” such as Llangollen being at times over subscribed with paddlers, while on other rivers there is not a canoe to be seen. There are many rivers in Wales and an open access policy would spread the use, thereby lessening the “over use” of some stretches of river which antagonizes other river users such as the fishermen.
Some elements of the canoeing sport, is an Olympic discipline, our young paddlers now need to come from South Wales to North Wales to paddle for their training and competitions (majority are in N Wales). The river Treweryn and the Dee at Llangollen again become over subscribed, or closed to other paddlers or rafters, while competitions are in progress.
To further their training all white water paddlers have to go abroad to experience “bigger” water, while there are many rivers/ experiences to be found in Wales which are “closed” to them due to lack of access This makes canoeing at competition level an expensive hobby/sport.
Canoeing Clubs often loose their experienced paddlers due to lack of variety of available rivers, adults travel to Scotland, leaving the junior members to paddle the Dee or the Treweryn yet again. This is the stage where youngsters are lost to the sport, if they are not competitive but enjoy being on the water with their friends, there is nowhere new for them to go. In S Wales there are one or two rivers with “white water” where there is access, the same in the north, forcing people to travel long distances if they do not live near either of them.
The open access to rivers works well in Scotland and has not led to undue difficulties between canoeists and fishermen. Scotland is the place to go Fly-fishing in Britain and is also one of the best canoeing places in the UK.
Conservation and canoeing are not diametrically opposed to each other, if the reliance on so few rivers is reduced, by having open access to all, the need of large groups congregating at a few spots (play boating) is greatly reduced. Most paddlers enjoy being out in the countryside, seeing the wildlife and enjoying the fresh air, and do not wish to damage nature.
In Bala and Llangollen canoeing has brought lots of business to the shopkeepers, hotels, B&B’s, campsites in the towns. This financial gain need not be limited to these few places, with “open access” this financial gain can be spread al over Wales.
Wales is known in he UK and abroad for its mountains, castles and spectacular coast line.
Why not add its beautiful “accessible” rivers to the list.
Wishing you al the best in your decisions,
Yours sincerely,
G. Stephenson.
