SUP Wales - Lake Vyrnwy
Time for another beautiful Welsh Lake, with today the turn of Lake Vyrnwy situated in heart of Powys, Mid Wales.
Lake Vyrnwy is a stunning reservoir that was created way back in 19 century, to supply water to the English city of Liverpool. The valley was flooded to supply the demand and submerged the village of Llanwddyn.
You'll notice when you drive down onto the perimeter road of the lake, very tall trees will shadow the sun and multiple groves will reveal themselves for you to meander through.
Did you know Lake Vyrnwy is home to the tallest living Welsh Douglas Fir Trees standing at a staggering 60 meters tall?
However, recently that largest (63.7m) was unfortunately damaged during a storm, so Natural Resources Wales commissioned an artist to carve a piece of Art instead of felling the tree, the successful artist is known as Simon O'Rourke who set to work to create a memorial for such a well known Welsh landmark! The tree was known as Giant of Vrynwy, so Simon felt it was only right to carve a giant hand as the tree's last attempt in reaching for the sky.
We believe it's such a magical, creative and innovate project for which we can only applaud and envisage the art looks fantastic when seen up close and personal within nature, and certainly not to be missed when visiting.
As you meander down the country lane that runs adjacent to the lake you'll pass some simply breathtaking view points, so make sure to pull over in a safe place and take it all in before you reach the local boathouse where you can launch from.
Once you launch from the Boathouse, you head over to the right hand side, and make your way passed the Water Tower. Please feel free to stop and take photos, have a coffee or simply take in view, however don't get too close to the tower, remaining at least 30ft back with your safety in mind.
Simply stunning views as you look up the mouth of the lake towards the beautiful welsh mountains. Equally, as you enjoy the beautiful scenes, Bethania Watersports have a safety boat on the water performing regular patrols with public safety a number one priority. We encourage you to give them a wave, or a clap for doing such a splendid job all season!
By utilising zoom, our team were able to capture this stunning shot of the tower with the stunning mountain backdrop.
The views as you paddle up to the top of the lake are simply breathtaking.
There are also secluded beaches where you can stop, take a break and enjoy the views.
Summary
In summary, here's some helpful top tips to remember when paddling at this idyllic Welsh Blue Space location:
Lake Vyrnwy is a stunning reservoir that was created way back in 19 century
Lake Vyrnwy has a maximum depth of 26m, and its length is a whopping 7.64km
Lake Vyrnwy is still home to largest living Douglas Fir Tree in Wales standing at a staggering 60.6m tall, where you can also now find the talented art of Simon O'Rourke carved out of its predecessor, which was a staggering 63.7m tall.
Any paddler wishing to launch can do so from the Boathouse, and it costs only £5 for the full day of SUP
It is also possible to rent paddle equipment onsite & talk SUP safety with Bethania Adventure who are located right on the lake.
Lake Vyrnwy is only open to the public when the safety boats are in the water which is typically between April - October each season, and this is solely for us paddlers' protection.
Contact - 01691 870615. Postcode - SY10 0LZ