Bala Rowing Weekend

[nggallery id=4]Weekend Rowing On Llyn-Tegid (near Bala)

To the south west of the town of Bala, between the Berwyn, Aran and Arenig mountains lies Llyn Tegid, or you may have heard it referred to as Bala Lake. At 4 miles long and up to ¾ of a mile wide it is Wales’ largest natural lake. It is owned and managed by the Snowdonia National Park Authority as a recreational resource, who also protects the lake and its special biodiversity. It is a totally stunning place to practice rowing

http://www.eryri-npa.gov.uk/visiting/things-to-do/llyn-tegid

As a training weekend, ahead of the Celtic Challenge, 12 novice rowers arrived at 08.30 hours on Saturday for the first rowing shift. Camping and launching our Pembroke Longboat at http://www.glanllyn.com  we rowed down the lake and back again (65-80 mins rowing), changing over crews at the campsite. And on we went….the boat staying on the water for 14 hours or so into the night.

It was a great opportunity to practice the change overs for the Celtic Challenge and bond the team together. It certainly sorted the men (Christophe sleeping in a rucksack as he forgot his sleeping bag) out from the boys (sleeping in a camper van). Cracking weekend away.

Planning notes for future rowing sessions

• Permission to launch a boat is required from Snowdonia National Park. Contact the warden for advice. Powerboats are usually  not allowed, but we received permission, on a one off basis, as a safety boat because we were rowing at night
• Wardens contact details http://www.eryri-npa.gov.uk/visiting/things-to-do/llyn-tegid/lake-wardens
• On arrival, inform the river warden if you see him
• If rowing at night, inform the local police
• Avoid the protected habitats at the South End of the lake
• We camped at http://www.glanllyn.com and found them to be very rower friendly and happy for us to have a fire, if using a fire basket