Brief River Description

Continous sections of boulder garden rapids with few flat sections and no major large drops or obstacles (except trees!).

Directions to the Put-in

To make the most of this river it is best to use the take out for the Upper Liffey as the finish. From here, drive uphill on the same bank as normal get out, turning left in the direction of Sorrel Hill. Follow the road for about 4K climbing all the time. When the surface of the road dramatically deteriorates you're nearly there. Park at the entrance to a forest track that descends down into the river valley.

Directions to the Take-out

Usual take out for Upper Liffey at Ballysmutten Bridge

River Description

Best to put on at a meander in the river to avoid going through the trees in the main flow! At this point you may be put off by the gradual gradient and apparent lack of forthcoming rapids - don\'t be fooled! After re-joining the main flow, the river quickly accelerates and starts to increase in gradient. Boulder gardens loom into view and remain continuous for the rest of the trip. There are some S-bends and blind corners that are best eddy-hopped but no need to get out and inspect (unless concerned about fallen trees).

All in all an underexplored but worthwhile run in a secluded setting. A good double whammy with the Upper Liffey as the same takeout can be used for both.

Local issues

Accessing the river is by following forest tracks and a short descent directly through the trees. If attempting a descent from higher up the valley, local permission to cross private land may be needed/advisable.

River level gauge

If Upper Liffey is running well then this should be good enough.

Author(s)

Original Author: Colm Healy

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Comments:

extra by:dilly dally	13:08 December 15, 2006.
i ran this river , nice little river but i do not thinh its a grade 3 more like grade 2 , great for some body starting , maybe there first river in wicklow ,
Extra by:jimebyrne	08:00 October 18, 2006.
very nice stretch seems to work when the upper liffey has been working at a medium to high level for a while ideal for a group breaking into grade 4 rivers due to lots of boulder gardens & the shallow nature of most of the river making swims not so serious.Can be viewed from a bridge 3/4 the way down by taking a left half way up the deteoriated road. Which will show you one of the quickest rapids.

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