Staying Home Sucks, home
Low Dam alongside the River Washburn
River Washburn. Photo: Martin Dawes, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

River Washburn

Kayak spot · UK

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

57Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: Wind 10 kn gusting 19, Air 10 °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 · 56 out of 100

Wind
9 kn
Gusts
17kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0.9 mm

Wed 4 · 59 out of 100

Wind
10 kn
Gusts
19kn
Air
10°C
Rain
0 mm

Thu 5 · 56 out of 100

Wind
11 kn
Gusts
19kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0.9 mm

Fri 6 · 58 out of 100

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

Sat 7 · 57 out of 100

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

Sun 8 · 55 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
7kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0.6 mm

Mon 9 · 51 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
9kn
Air
5°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 356, fair
  3. Wed 459, fair
  4. Thu 556, fair
  5. Fri 658, fair
  6. Sat 757, fair
  7. Sun 855, fair
  8. Mon 951, fair
  9. Tue 1054, fair
  10. Wed 1159, fair

The spot in four facts

  • Grade IIat its hardest
  • Moving waterthe water
  • 2.6 kmthe section
  • Best Jul–Aug7 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Wind and weather forecast and score for each day at River Washburn
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov55, fair12 kn21kn9°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov56, fair9 kn17kn9°C0.9 mm
Wed 4Nov59, fair10 kn19kn10°C0 mm
Thu 5Nov56, fair11 kn19kn9°C0.9 mm
Fri 6Nov58, fair8 kn14kn9°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov57, fair8 kn14kn9°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov55, fair3 kn7kn8°C0.6 mm
Mon 9Nov51, fair4 kn9kn5°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov54, fair3 kn11kn7°C0.6 mm
Wed 11Nov59, fair3 kn9kn10°C0 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 Jul–Aug

Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for expert 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. May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
  6. Jun6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
  7. Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
  8. Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
  9. Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
  10. Oct3of 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 River Washburn

Thruscross Reservoir Dam and spillway
Photo: Martin Dawes, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The put-on for the Washburn release
Photo: Andy Waddington, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Low Dam
Near River Washburn. Photo: Chris Heaton, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About River Washburn

A river section on the River Washburn, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade II, on the international scale. It runs 2.6 km along the river. Suits new paddlers and up, by its grade. None within 10 km, the nearest 12 km away. For expert paddlers the best months are usually July and August, with about 7 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Pateley Bridge. Within 5 km we also list 1 kayak spot.

  • River River Washburn
  • Grade Grade II, on the international scale.
  • Length 2.6 km along the river.
  • Who it suits Suits new paddlers and up, by its grade.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire None within 10 km, the nearest 12 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$1,300–US$2,450 each

about US$1,300–US$2,450 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to LBA, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$436–US$906
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$40–US$67
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$322–US$543
Food7 days eating outabout US$315–US$584
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$188–US$349
Totalabout US$1,300–US$2,450

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Pateley Bridge

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

Closest

Pateley Bridge

about 15 min by car · 21 places to stay

about US$121/nightcountry average

See 21 places to stay in Pateley Bridge · Booking.com

About Pateley Bridge 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 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 16h 05m

About 16h 05m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → LBA, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 40 min 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

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

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