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TRAVEL: OAR INSPIRING ; Whitewater Rafting.. The Welsh Way

Posted on: Sunday, 5 December 2004, 15:00 CST

AS you hurtle past yet another rock in your raft in driving rain you begin to realise that many of the best attractions in North Wales owe their existence to what weathermen describe as "high precipitation".

The National Whitewater Centre, in Bala, definitely falls into this category...an Alton Towers in the raw. A dam upstream has turned the rain- swollen waters of the River Tryweryn into a mighty roar, prompting involuntary screams from everybody, still with enough breath to make a noise.

The "ride" starts gently enough but your 14ft raft, self-bailing and unsinkable, is soon thrown like a cork into the rock-strewn rapids and walls of water before finally reaching a calmer stretch below.

Hang around for a few minutes and for pounds 7 you can collect a digital photograph capturing the unadulterated terror of those who have survived one of the wildest and highest water rides in Britain.

"Can we try something a little more restful next time, like bare- footed water- skiing?" inquired my boyfriend, as his grimace turned into a smile.

The wires and poles strung across the rapids show the course has a serious purpose as a world championship venue for canoeists.

But most weekends are given over to the people who want a couple of 20- minute white-knuckle rides along stretches of the three kilometres of white water.

One raft had three generations of the same Scouse family on board, celebrating various anniversaries and joking their way through the fear as only Liverpudlians know how.

Helmets and paddles are provided but there's a small charge for compulsory wet suits and shoes (which really are wet - and cold - after being used by earlier thrill-seekers).

Thankfully, a muscular guide rides along with you, giving a safety briefing at the top of the course. Part of the kit is a buoyancy jacket, which proved useful for one woman thrown overboard. But she was never in any danger and clung to a rope on the raft, while safety kayaks stood by.

A warm shower later had never felt so good and you can bask in the glow of achievement while observing the shivering wretches waiting their turn to be taken to the top of the course. Less than 90 minutes ago, you were one of those wide-eyed innocents. But it doesn't take long to develop the cool-dude swagger of an experienced rafter.

If white water rafting is the ultimate adrenalin rush, then another water feature - man-made Lake Vyrnwy - offers a more sedate experience, with canoes and dinghies available for hire as well as fishing permits.

If Liverpool gave the world The Beatles, then this four-mile- long lake gave the city something even more precious in the 19th Century - plentiful, clean drinking water - as it spent millions building it.

The late John Peel recalled that the downstairs loo at his parent's Merseyside home was called Vyrnwy - surely no coincidence.

The village which the reservoir engulfed was rebuilt nearby, while the construction of the huge dam claimed the lives of at least ten men.

But the lasting legacy, as well as the lake, is a 24,000-acre estate, with some fantastic woodland trails. It's now owned by Severn Trent Water and managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.You can hire bikes for the 12-mile ride around the lake which is also the location for an annual half marathon in the autumn - we managed to get tangled up with some African runners storming ahead of the field.

Ten-feet long dragonflies are just some of the things you can see in the sculpture park by the lake, where artists celebrate the diversity of wildlife using predominantly local materials.

Such a location demands equally impressive accommodation and it's available at the Victorian Lake Vyrnwy Hotel (01691 870692 or www.lakevyrnwy. com). It has stupendous views and offers clay shooting, game shooting and fly fishing on the lake - a register in the comfy lounge records the daily haul (if your luck's in), dating back to 1892. Unlike Vyrnwy, Bala Lake, the largest in Wales, was sculptured during the Ice Age and the Bala Adventure and Water Sports Centre (01678 521059 or check out www. balawatersports.com) offers a wider range of sports, including, kayaking, canoeing and windsurfing.

You can kayak for an hour for pounds 10 or, not for the faint- hearted, spend five days discovering the limits of your endurance. In our case it wasn't far.

Some of the best accommodation in the area overlooks Bala Lake, such as the Pen Cefn cottages, which Ian Moss, his wife, Bev, and her twin sister, Anna, recently converted from outbuildings on an farm 1,200 feet above sea level.

Ian, a former RAF technician, did much of the work himself even putting in the windows, despite the walls being four-feet thick. "We call it Happy Valley for the simple reason that it makes everybody happy looking at it," he says. Water was diverted to create ponds and the gardens with their colourful plants dazzle, despite being constantly buffeted by the wind. Nearby are the Berwyn Mountains, home to the Rhaeadr Falls, which are higher than Niagara and tumble over an amphitheatre of rock.

Slightly further afield, near Betws-y-Coed, are the Swallow Falls, where it's possible to get so close that it feels like the thousands of tons of water will engulf you.

Shopping is also fantastic, especially for foodies. Just outside Corwen is the Rhug Estate (01490 413000 www.rhugorganic.com). Everything is organic and the Aberdeen Angus beef is terrific. Seven times a year, they host a farmers' market, the most exciting being today's Christmas special with 50 stalls selling local produce, as well as the world's largest straw Santa.

Bala has a market every Monday in summer and every other Monday at this time of year. The entire Lake Vyrnwy estate (01691 870278, www.rspb.org.uk) is organic and you buy frozen lamb at the RSPB shop.

Source: Sunday Mirror; London

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