Hurley Weir
From Wikipaddle
| Hurley Weir | |
| Location | |
| Country | England |
| Region | South East |
| Lat | 51.551103372762388 |
| Lon | -0.8167035549146645 |
| Directions, Google earth | |
Looking Downstream
Hurley Weir is a weir on the River Thames at Hurley in the English county of Berkshire, not far from Marlow, Buckinghamshire 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 weir. 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.
For those traveling the Thames, rather than playing in it, Hurley also has camping facilities. See the lock-keeper for details
Contents |
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.
Kayakers can put-in on a flat stretch immediately 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.
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.
There are also numerous side gates, river left which affects the eddy and are opened when the upstream level is high.
As a general rule of thumb, if the level upstream is high, and the level downstream is low then the wave on Hurley will be at it's biggest.
1 gate
Medium sized wave, normally on weir river right. Best for longer, faster boats. Short boats will flush very easily and not provide much fun.
2 gates
Larger wave accompanied by a hole. Excellent level for novice playboaters. Normal playboats are best suited, and longer boats may be too fast and perl too easily.
3 gates
Classic level. When the 3 gates are opened on river left, a central wave is produced with two holes either side. Two eddys service the feature, except when the gates are opened against the right side.
Hurley may not stay on 3 for long, and during peak periods long queues often form.
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 very 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.
4 gates plus
When the flow rate of the Thames is very high or in spate, all side gates on Hurley will be open, plus Buck Weir will be opened as Hurley Weir itself does not let enough flow through alone.
At these levels Hurley is not as fun to play on and the holes can punish paddlers. At these levels other weirs such as Mapledurham Weir or Marsh Weir are better options. Buck Weir is definitely not worth going near and can be dangerous.
Water levels
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, had been a comparatively bad year with the weir languishing on 1 or no gates for a significant period of time. The 2006/2007 being the opposite and the weir was on 4 gates most of the time, with spates of 3 gates and 2 gates for several weeks at a stretch.
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.
Location
Hurley is located 25 miles west of Central London, in the heart of the Thames Valley, between Henley and Marlow. The village is situated on the southern side of the river.
See also
- River Thames
- Boulter's Weir - Another weir popular with kayakers on the River Thames.
External links
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