Canoeing videos from old VHS tapes

Spain and France, 1993

Quentin took this video during the club trip in summer 1993. We spent a week at an international kayaking festival in Spain at a town called Sort, in the Pyrenees, on the river Noguera Pallaresa. We then went on to France (Briançon area) for another week of paddling in the Alps.

This trip took place at the end of July / beginning of August, so the river levels in France were very low compared with the levels commonly experienced in more recent trips (typically in June). We went back to Sort for another trip in 1998(?), but then the festival concentrated mostly on play-boating.

This was the first time that the club stayed in Camping la Cabane at St Crépin. This campsite has gone on to become the club's choice for many years.

Rivers: Spain: Noguera Pallaresa. France: Durance (Rabioux wave); Guil; Guisane; Ubaye ex-infranchisibles and racecource; Gyronde.

Paddlers: Quentin Nichols, Martyn Green, Conor O'Neill, Lisa Gunton, Tom Scott, Phil Millener, Penney Jamieson, Steve Lee, and others?

Scotland, Easter 1994 (Tayside)

Rivers: North Esk; Upper Spean; Orchy; Findhorn; Upper Roy; Garbh Gaur (off Rannoch Moor).

Paddlers: Quentin Nichols, Tim Johnson, Mark Aplin, Mike Millington, Lisa Gunton, Andy Feint, Horace.

Austria 1994 (Landeck)

Trip to Austria, via Augsburg (near Munich).

Rivers: Augsburg Eis Kanal (including Andy Feint hand-surfing); "The Wave" (the Inn?) (very steamed up video); Bog-door surfing on the Sanna next to the campsite; Sanna (low water); More bog-door surfing; Rosanna (very low); Upper Inn (Schuls Gorge?); Lower Oetz (big water); Middle Oetz (not paddled!); Upper Inn (Giarsun Gorge).

Paddlers: Quentin Nichols, Mark Aplin, Andy Feint, Darren Courtnage.

Lake District New Year 1995

Random bunch of Bristol Canoe Club paddlers in the Lake District for new Year 1995.

Rivers: Great Langdale Beck (low); Duddon; Great Langdale Beck; Sprint; Rawthey; Lune.

Paddlers: Quentin Nichols, Mark Aplin, Conor O'Neill, Lisa Gunton, Tim Johnson, Martyn Green, Andy Green, Janet Adcock, Tim Bracey.

Scotland Easter 1995 (Inverness)

We stayed in a luxury wood cabin just outside Inverness.

Rivers: Lower Findhorn (low water); Blackwater & Averon (low); Carron & Falls on Shin; Garry; Fechlin; Spean Gorge (low); Livet / Avon / Spey; Tummel.

Paddlers: Quentin Nichols, Tim Johnson, Mark Aplin, Conor O'Neill, Lisa Gunton, Mark Gillett, Simon Reid.

See some other bits in the short videos section below.

Norway 1996

A load of us went to Norway! The write-up from the club magazine is here.

Rivers: Sjoa; Lora; Atna; Jori; Sjoa; Sjoa canyon.

Paddlers: Quentin Nichols, Martyn Green, Conor O'Neill, Lisa Gunton, Mark Aplin, Kath Cotton, Mark Gillett, Nathan Scott, Justin Sims, Janet Adcock, Jan Prior, Jon Stranks, Phil Millener, Andy Millener, Crispin Waddy.

Teifi Tour, 1996

Part of the Teifi Tour weekend; October 1996. This video wasn't taken by Quentin.

Rivers: Just the Cenarth Falls on the River Teifi West Wales.

Most of the paddlers (and swimmers) shown are not Bristol Canoe Club members. From about 15 minutes in, we start seeing some club members: Nathan Scott(?), Justin Sims, Mark Aplin, Simon Reid (2 swims!), Kath Cotton (Aplin) (and a swim), Quentin Nichols, Mark Gillett.

Scotland 1997 (Forter Castle)

We stayed at Forter Castle, near Perth, which was a grand building rented out as a holiday home.

Rivers: Blackwater; North Esk (very low); Findhorn; Etive; Upper Roy; Tummel (snowing).

Paddlers: Quentin Nichols, Mark Aplin, Kath Cotton, Nathan Scott, Janet Adcock, Conor O'Neill, Lisa Gunton, Mark Gillett, Mike Millington, plus two non club paddlers: Ian Bates, Keith.

Austria 1997

Big water trip to Austria, summer 1997. The video says it was taken by Andy Green and Quentin Nichols.

Rivers: EisKanal (Augsburg); ImsterShluss (Inn, Imst to Haiming(?)); Trisanna; Bog door surfing; Sanna (?) (high); Upper Inn (Schuls Gorge?); a swim from Nathan (which river section?); Inn (Landeck gorge); Inn (Tosens section); A big portage, not sure which river; Sanna; and more...

Paddlers: Quentin Nichols, Martyn Green, Andy Green, Nathan Scott, Justin Sims, Janet Adock, plus some non-club paddlers: Allan Ellard(?), John Ellard, Jeff(?).

Scotland 1998 (Roy Bridge)

We stayed at two adjacent holiday cottages in Roy Bridge. This is known as the "Idiot video" because Nathan was going through an idiotic phase :-).

Rivers: Middle Roy (low); Orchy; Abhainn Chia-aig (waterfall near the Arkaig) - Pyranha plastic demonstration; Garry; Gloy; Upper Roy (low); Arkaig.

Paddlers: Quentin Nichols, Nathan Scott, Conor O'Neill (first appearance of his RPM), Lisa Gunton, Harvey Lyons, Gary Sweet, Janet Adcock, Paul Coyne, Andy Millener.

Scotland 2000 (Fort William)

Easter 2000. I (Conor) had recently dislocated my shoulder, so I wasn't paddling; therefore I became the video cameraman, using Richard Gunton's camera. I think that this was the first year that we stayed at the "Braveheart" house, but the house is never actually shown in the video.

Rivers: Garry (25 mins, plus bridge jumping); Upper Roy (low water).

Paddlers: Lisa Gunton, Mark Gillett, Mike Millington, Ben Whittle, Chris Ashcroft, Pete Carter, Jenny Jewell, Paul Niblett (Nobby), Clive Weston, Melissa. Conor O'Neill not paddling.

Scotland 2002

Easter 2002. I'm not sure where we stayed this time; perhaps the "Braveheart" house again. I (Conor O'Neill) was obviously on the trip (I'm taking the video), but I don't appear in any paddling. Trip write-up is on the Bristol Canoe Club website here.

Rivers: Etive; Fechlin (very low - tight and technical).

Paddlers: Tony Barrass, Richard Gunton, Lisa Gunton, Chris Ashcroft(?), Jim Ratcliffe, Jenny Jewell. Conor O'Neill (not on video).

France 2002

This video is from Justin Sims. It wasn't one of the old VHS tapes, but it seems worth adding into this set. It has the advantage of a music soundtrack instead of the steady hiss of whitewater river white-noise. Trip write-up is on the Bristol Canoe Club website here.

Rivers: Embrun wave (Lower Durance); Middle Guil (big water); Gyronde(?); Ubaye Racecourse.

Paddlers: Justin Sims, John Leopold, Tony Barrass, Conor O'Neill, Lisa Gunton, Dominic Morgan.

Norway 2003

We went back to Norway. Trip write up and other photos here. This video is from Richard Gunton.

Rivers (on video): Sjoa playing (about 20 minutes); Ula falls; Jori; Ula Slides; Upper Driva; Raundelsaelva.

Paddlers: Richard Gunton, Tony Barrass, John Leopold, Conor O'Neill, Lisa Gunton, Dominic Morgan, Lisa Fitzsimons, Baldrick, Steve Ramsden, Matt, Gwen.

BCC on the Dart, very ancient

It looks like this cine film is from a Bristol Canoe Club trip to the Dart Loop in high water, 1980-ish. You can recognise the bottom of triple drop around half-way through. All paddled in glass fibre boats. No audio.

Quentin Nichols is visible, in the white-ish boat.

Lyn (high water), 1995

Lyn weekend. As per usual, it rained a lot.

Paddlers: Quentin Nichols, Tim Johnson, Mark Aplin, Mike Millington, Simon Reid.

Dart (high-ish water), 1995

Lyn weekend. As per usual, it rained a lot.

Paddlers: Quentin Nichols, Tim Johnson, Mark Aplin, Mike Millington, Simon Reid, Justin Sims. Lisa Gunton makes a brief swimming appearance then walks out.

Erme 1995

Paddlers: Quentin Nichols, Simon Reid, Tim Johnson, Mark Aplin, Martyn Green.

Middle Tavy 1995

Low water. Also some views of the river Plym at the end of this video (no paddling).

Paddlers: Quentin Nichols, Tim Johnson, Mark Aplin, Martyn Green, Conor O'Neill, Justin Sims, Crispin Waddy.

Afon Gamlan (Wales), 1995(?)

Low water. Video taken by Quentin on the river Gamlan, circa 1995. Naration in Quentin's inimitable style. Video found and reformatted by Nathan in October 2021.

Paddlers: Nathan Scott, Justin Sims.

Plym, 1996

Very low water. I got a bit confused by this; some of this was labelled as the Lyn. Please tell me if you know which.

Paddlers: Quentin Nichols, Nathan Scott.

Lyn, 1996

Low water.

Paddlers: Quentin Nichols, Nathan Scott, Justin Sims.

Nedd Fechan, 2000-ish

This seems to have been on Richard Gunton's camera. This is The Nedd Fechan on the edge of the Brecon Beacons in South Wales. The boat styles match 2000 - 2002 ish.

Rivers: Nedd Fechan.

Paddlers: Unknown.

Silly stuff

This seems to be a 'You've been framed' -style vide which Quentin copied from somewhere; mostly water-based mishaps. Nothing to do with Bristol Canoe Club!