Staying Home Sucks, home
The River Kelvin
Kelvin. Photo: M J Richardson, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Kelvin

Kayak spot · UK

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

56Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Tue 3: Wind 4 kn gusting 8, Air 9 °C, River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 58 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
8kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 56 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
12kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

Thu 5 · 56 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
14kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 57 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0.3 mm

Sat 7 · 56 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
8kn
Air
8°C
Rain
1.2 mm

Sun 8 · 57 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
9kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

Mon 9 · 49 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
8kn
Air
4°C
Rain
0 mm

Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 255, fair
  2. Tue 358, fair
  3. Wed 456, fair
  4. Thu 556, fair
  5. Fri 657, fair
  6. Sat 756, fair
  7. Sun 857, fair
  8. Mon 949, fair
  9. Tue 1047, fair
  10. Wed 1157, fair

The spot in three facts

  • Grade IIIat its hardest
  • Moving waterthe water
  • Best in Jul7 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Wind and weather forecast and score for each day at Kelvin
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov55, fair1 kn5kn8°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov58, fair4 kn8kn9°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov56, fair6 kn12kn8°C0 mm
Thu 5Nov56, fair6 kn14kn9°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov57, fair6 kn13kn9°C0.3 mm
Sat 7Nov56, fair4 kn8kn8°C1.2 mm
Sun 8Nov57, fair3 kn9kn9°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov49, fair3 kn8kn4°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov47, fair8 kn15kn7°C5.1 mm
Wed 11Nov57, fair4 kn13kn9°C0.6 mm

Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go. More

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Best time to go

best in Jul

Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for grade III paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).

  1. Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
  5. May5of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
  6. Jun5of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
  7. Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
  8. Aug6of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
  9. Sep5of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
  10. Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov0of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
  12. Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec

Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.

Typical weather, not a forecast, and not the river's level: a month that is often good to be outside may still be low water.

Map

put-in, take-out, its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of Kelvin

River Kelvin from Forth and Clyde Canal Aqueduct
Photo: Clive Nicholson, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Forth and Clyde Canal Aqueduct over river Kelvin (geograph 4371064)
Photo: Clive Nicholson, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Forth and Clyde Canal (42)
Photo: Michael Dibb, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More kayaking near here

3 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Kelvin

A river section on the Kelvin, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade III, on the international scale. Suits grade III paddlers and up, by its grade. 1 paddling school, club or hire within 10 km, the nearest 3.9 km away. For grade III paddlers the best month is usually July, with about 7 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Glasgow. Within 5 km we also list 1 kayak spot.

  • River Kelvin
  • Grade Grade III, on the international scale.
  • Who it suits Suits grade III paddlers and up, by its grade.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire 1 paddling school, club or hire within 10 km, the nearest 3.9 km away.

Spots and rivers: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Whitewater sections © Rivermap (rivermap.org), Riverzone and Jonathan Riddell, ODbL.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,390–US$2,590 each

about US$1,390–US$2,590 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, kayak hire.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to EDI, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$422–US$884
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$141–US$234
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$322–US$543
Food7 days eating outabout US$315–US$583
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$188–US$348
Totalabout US$1,390–US$2,590

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Glasgow

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Glasgow

about 10 min by car · 210 places to stay

about US$121/nightcountry average

See 210 places to stay in Glasgow · Booking.com

About Glasgow its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$121 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 13h 10m

About 13h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → EDI, direct, then 1h 15m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

On the water

River level

River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go.

Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby

  • Pinkston Watersports Centre 3.9 km

The nearest named schools, clubs and kayak or canoe hire within 25 km, in a straight line. Listings, not a recommendation. Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits

Saved: this link opens the same trip

Email itRemind me to book

The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.