Pissing off locals in one easy move

[ned]

just noticed this on ukrgb;
"Any grade 2/easy 3 in the south lakes (around Spark Bridge area) for a large group of people running this weekend? I know there hasn't been any rain so I'm guessing most stuff will be a bit of a scrape!?
Was planning on doing the Crake but apparently there's an access agreement from November and with 31 people going down (at least half of will swim...it's a freshers trip after all!) and I'm not sure I want to p*ss of too many people by having people exiting the river all over private land! Any info would be much appreciated!
_________________
Sheffield Uni Canoe Club
http://www.canoe.union.shef.ac.uk"

and we sometimes wonder why we the locals get pissed off!
As i've banned myself from ukrgb, i shall not be replying.

[chris foster]

Ned
I read the same post and thought the same as you.

Some folk have no idea makes me wonder how they even get into uni

[Poke]

Give them a break...
Having been at uni in London (i.e. you can't do sneaky day trips) I know exactly the problem they're facing.

You book the accomodation and minibusses a month in advance, shelling out quite a big of cash. Two weeks in advance you get twenty freshers signed up for their first kayaking experience. The big weekend approaches and it's looking dry. You ask for advice on a paddling forum as you don't want to "piss off the locals". Surely that's sensible. Not daft?

It may be a bit early in the season, but you can't put it off a month or your freshers will have got bored and gone to join other clubs which are more fun and actually get out doing stuff.

What would you do?

[ned]

yeah i appreciate the problem the problem - ive been involved with uni clubs myself. I realise its not the aim to wind people up, but to introduce folf to boating. Im also the first to paddle out of season and encourage others to do the same. So i guess I have to answer a 'hypocrite' charge.
Surely though there has to be some balance though. Any big group has got to figure out a way of minimising their impact. i do think its reasonable to expect people to break the groups up, do rivers generally within ability (particularly ones lined with gardens!) and at least consider that this time of year is when the fisherfolk get most excited about the fish starting to move upstream.
i guess my take on is it that if we are going to grant ourselves rights then we have to be accountable for actions. I do think that whatever other pressures there are for this group or others with similar issues, paddling the Crake with 31 people, who are expected to struggle, in super low water and at the height of the fishing season is not a good idea.
BTW the 'locals' i was referring to were the people who live on the river - not us local boaters, but I know there are a few locals who encourage all boating ;-).
Ok so being practical - take them to the washburn/teeside tryweryn - or break up the group and go on the Brathay/ Rothay/ Derwent or rock hopping at saint bees?

[callwild]

Maybe would have been best to advise them on this. as they seem to have been asking for advice.
But too late now.

[chris foster]

My thoughts on access here
http://www.deathbeforeportage.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=98

Yes your right Stuart maybe I should have posted on UKRB, and did think about it. However I didn't want to leave myself open to debate on that forum, I am " very selective" with my post's there. In hindsight I could have PM'd but it was Friday and a week at work had left me frazzled :)

hope we can close this thead and move onto something more fun/constuctive whens the next wezzit ? :D