White Water Kayaking Devon Destinations

Dart The most famous kayaking river in Devon, if not England is the River Dart, here you have something for every one. Easy introductory white water in its lower reaches up to grade 4 white water on the Upper sections with high flows challenging the most skillful paddlers.

Triple Falls on the Dart Loop

Easy access and regular good flows make this a top destination. At the weekend the car park at Newbridge is always full of boaters having fun. If its piece and quite you are after we suggest you go else where!

Upper Dart: Dartmeet to Newbridge:

Access: The car park is right by the river. Put on here. Finish at Newbridge car park about 7kms down stream.

Parking is free but please park considerately and not in the front row. This is reserved for the general public, NPA and emergency services.

The hardest part of the Dart that is regularly run. Although there is no longer an official agreement between land owners and the BCU or Canoe England there are paddling guidelines with respect to when you can paddle. The general consensus is that paddling may occur between Nov 1st and March 15th. If the river is low use commonsense to decide whether paddling your canoe or kayak may damage Salmon spawning reds.

There is no longer a ticket system in place for this stretch of river (at time of writing).

Check our water levels pages for recent updates on river conditions or access changes.

After about two miles the action really hots up and the rapids get steeper with more slide type rapids and boulder fields. Not long after reaching a small but sticky ledge there is an island to go around; either side goes as both feed into a narrowish slot with a stopper at the bottom. The “Mad Mile” is coming up. About a miles worth of solid grade 4 rapids usually of a ledge drop or slide style with names such as Broad ledges, a river wide set of three slides, all with very sticky holes and some must make lines in high water, Euthanasia Falls, worryingly named but not too hard at its grade has a few routes down.  “Surprise Surprise” or as it appears on the map, Sharrah pool is a tricky rapid with multiple routes, some more successful than others. Look out for the siphon in the middle of the river. This rapid marks the end of the harder stuff but there is one or two left which can still catch a tired paddler out.

After a high cliff wall the river flattens out and its a grade 3 paddle back to Newbridge, except for a few ledge rapids near the car park which can also provide some action!

The Loop.

Newbridge to River Dart Country Park or Buckfastleigh.

Access:

The put in is right by the car park above the bridge.

The take out has changed. You can take out on river left above Holne weir via the BCU owned land. There is only room for two cars here so please park considerately

The guide lines for use are the same as the Upper Dart sections, with the time slightly extended to 1st Oct to the 15th March.

At the weekends you can use the River Dart Country Park as a base. They have changing facilities and showers. Entrance is £5.00 per car per day. If you don’t wish to get out at Holne weir (just after Holne Bridge, the old take out, or paddle all the way to Buckfastleigh then this is your only option.

Guide:

The Loop is called so because of the line the river cuts through the fantastic National Park. Yup, a big loop.

Just below the put in a great wave can appear, Top Wave  (we have lots of top wave pics to link) is one of the best play spots for the energetic kayaker in the South West. At very high levels this is really good producing a large green wave up to 6ft high.

Below this are lots of smaller waves and rapids with long pools in between to pick up swimmers. Soon you reach Spitchwick common, a great place for practicing your stern squirts.

A few more rapids bring you to the confluence with the Webburn. A small stream that often puts a lot more water in to the Dart, your trip may spice up a bit here!

Below here are the best rapids on this stretch including The Washing Machine, drop in  the centre of the river for a full spincycle or go river left next to the island for a safer passage.

Lovers leap is a longer grade three rapid with a large cliff at the bottom, the more skilled amongst you can use the water hitting the cliff for a “splat”. A large eddy here makes for a nice stopping point.

Get on down stream through waves and small stoppers to get to Triple Drop. Yes, there’s three parts to this rapid the top ledge, Triple 1 has a sticky hole in the middle, a great “boof” practice spot in middle right or an easier shoot on the left.

Triple 2 is a ledge drop with a nice diagonal making a big vee shape with an easy to reach eddy. In high water there is a big fast wave here. An underrated play spot.

Triple 3 comes up fast and these two parts are usually run in one go. A few stoppers mid stream and a fast breaking wave on the bottom see lots of people swimming. Apart from “Spin Dryer” with is big fast circulating eddy on river right most of the loop is done. Yehaa! Tea and medals! Is this the best grade 3 run in the UK?

Don’t forget Holne wier though, this man made obstruction is dangerous at anything other than low flows but there is usually a safe passage on the far left.

From here down is usually known as the Lower Dart.

Lower Dart, Waterworks Bridge (RDCP) to Buckfastleigh. (park in the big laybys across the road from the restaurant).

Access:

Put in at the River Dart Country Park nr Ashburton or further up at Newbridge (taking in the grade 3 section).

Take out just after the Bridge in Buckfastleigh on river left.

Guide:

This section has lots offer the aspiring white water paddler and is a very popular open canoe trip (link to open canoes).

Lots of grade 2 rapids with plenty of room and no major hazards.

When Buckfastleigh Abbey becomes visible be on the look out for a horizon line and Furzleigh weir. This man made hazard needs inspecting and possibly portaging. The wier is badly damaged inplaces and the fish steps on the left should not be run as they are undercut.

Mellower water takes you to the get out.