Coe Gorge

Places | Europe | Scotland | Highlands | Coe Gorge

Category: Whitewater

Class: Class II(Class III)-Class IV

Flow:

Location: Small car park off A82

Directions: ???

Put in: Above footbridge

Access rights: Accessible

Approx length: 2 miles(depending on where you get out)

Major hazards:

Description: Get in just above the footbridge across the Coe, you can get in higher up but there are a couple of more difficult runs which I have never done. Once on obove the footbridge you almost immediatly enter the Gorge, in the gorge which is fairly deep with large verticle cliffs either side(quite impressive) you will have no chance to get out and inspect any of the run until the end of the gorge.

The gorge maintains a pretty continuous grade 2/3 for its entire length at low levels, at higher levels it can be up to grade 4. The grade can usually be determined from the footbridge at the get in, it stays fairly consistantly at that grade until after the gorge, have a good check for any trees stuck in the gorge from the footbridge before you get on. The gorge continues for about half a mile before the walls begin to drop away.

Its not over yet though, there are two more difficult parts remaining. The first is a constriction in lower water levels with a bit of an undercut on the left, it can be inspected quite easily from the left bank. The second is a bit more difficult, it drops into a wall of rock on the right and at certain levels can have a nasty stopper at the bottom. This can again be inspected from river left and doesn't always look the most inviting of drops, it is usually run on river left as the stopper is usually weakest at this point.

After this the river flattens out to a grade 1 maybe two at places, although in low levels it gets very shallow in places. Make sure you get out before Glencoe village, as there are some very dangerous falls present which you really don't want to run.