12 River Leny Whitewater Guide

Pesda Whitewater Mini-Guide

RIVER LENY

#12

WHEREVER THERE’S WATER

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The river right side of the falls of Leny | Jonathan Goldthorp

INTRODUCTION The river is fed from Loch Lubnaig and

park in the Ben Ledi car park. To ﬁnd the take-out, drive

tinuous run, with the Falls becoming a challenge demanding

Drive over the river to the public car park.

runs into the Teith at Callander. In high water it is a conrespect from the most experienced paddlers.

WATER LEVEL Medium/Wet. Although the river comes

up slowly and needs a prolonged period of rain to get to a

recommended height, it does hold its level well once the loch is high and the water is often clear.

GAUGE The river needs to look high to be good. Check

the level at the Falls of Leny, these are safest at a medium level, ie. most of the rocks will be covered. The gauge on the

upstream side of the road bridge at the Lade Inn take-out is best viewed on river right.

6 top section is low, but bottom section has play potential.

1 Falls can be paddled both sides but are scrapey.

4+ Falls and gorge below are grade 5. Last Gasp Eddy will be very tight.

0.7 on the SEPA gauge should be considered a minimum.

back towards Callander and turn oﬀ towards the Lade Inn.

DESCRIPTION The ﬁrst section starts oﬀ with easy rapids, but soon gains momentum with an excellent bouncy grade

3 rapid above the Falls. Look for the eddy on the right at

the remains of the second old railway bridge. There are two

eddies immediately above the Falls. Choose either the right

or left, depending on which side you want to paddle/portage. If all else fails, Last Gasp Eddy is immediately above the Falls

on the left! The portage on the right bank is easiest; the Falls themselves are usually tackled on the left. The short gorge below should be inspected in very high water as a huge hole

forms. Below the Falls the river continues to be interesting

with two notable grade 3/4 rapids: Wee Stinker which comes

after a right-hand bend, is followed by a bouncy stretch leading to the S-Bends. Below here some good eddy lines and a

nice playhole break up the journey to the take-out.

OTHER IMPORTANT POINTS Although the river is reg-

ACCESS From Callander drive north on the A84. Park in

ularly paddled, the Falls should be treated with respect.

for the Ben Ledi car park. Alternatively cross the river and

Contributors: Dave Walsh & Drew Milroy

the lay-by next to the river (587 095), just past the turn-oﬀ

Excerpt adapted from Scottish White Water, the SCA Guidebook ISBN 0954706110, published by Pesda Press, Caernarfon. For details of this and other books, as well as downloads of mini-guides and

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route cards in this series, visit:

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