Canolfan Tryweryn

Canolfan Tryweryn is the National White Water Centre for Wales and is based near Bala in North Wales.

The site is split into three sections:

Top Site
This constitutes the section of the river leading from the setting basin below the Llyn Celyn dam along with the chipper (a metal fish trap, so called because it resembles a chip-slicer). The chipper is actually a fish-trap. This section is a nice Grade II coming onto III, with a good play-hole (the “Top-Hole”) and a playful weir. The section is often used for safety and rescue courses, as well as kayaking freestyle competitions. Officially there is no raft or canoe access to this top section.
The Centre Section
This section (commonly known as the “Upper Tryweryn”) is the main part of the Tryweryn, it runs for approximately 2 km from the chipper down to the Tyn Cornel camping site, and is a good Grade III. It contains most of the main features of the river (in order of occurrence):
- The Graveyard
- The Ski Jump
- Fedwr Gog Falls (aka Miss Davis’ Bridge, or ‘Stone’ bridge),
- Café Wave
- Fingers
- NRA (National Rivers Authority) Bridge
- Chapel Falls
The Lower Tryweryn
Running the 4 km from the Tyn Cornel campsite down to Bala, this is a good Grade II bordering on Grade III section which finishes spectacularly at Bala Mill Falls (an easily portaged Grade IV rapid). This section is not managed like the upper Tryweryn, although the centre has been known to remove fallen trees and other obstructions/hazards quickly.