Sustainability Committee

Inquiry into access to inland water in Wales

What is your interest in the issue of access to inland waterways?

Recreational user

Are you a member of an organisation related to your use of water?

Yes

If yes, which organisation/s?

Canoe Wales (formally WCA)

Which stretch/es of water do you own/use/manage?

Use Following Rivers: Teifi, Usk, Wye, Treweryn, Dee, Neath amongst others, also the Mon & Brecon Canal & various lakes / reservoirs.

Are you happy that your legal rights are clear and well defined?

No

Can you briefly outline your understanding of your legal rights over the stretch of water/s that you use ?

Varies from no legal rights on some rivers / stretches of some rivers, navigation rights on some parts of others, & can also in some instances be subject to vehicle parking / launch fees in order to gain bank access. In the case of some lakes / reservoirs & canals licensing is a requirement of access. All a bit of a mine field, especially to the inexperienced.

Would you like to see any changes to your legal rights?

Yes

If yes, what changes would you like to see ?

A general, legal right of responsible access such as is enjoyed by those use & such as apply to public footpaths, bridleways & similar “rights of way”.

Are you aware of any legislation that exists in other countries that could be used in Wales ?

Yes - Access Legislation as contained in the Scotish Land Reform Act

Do you have any experience of voluntary agreements for access to the stretch of water/s you use ?

Yes

If yes, please briefly outline the agreements that exist and your experience of how they operate.

With various qualifications which can and often do include a maximum number of participants within a group, subject to specific times of year, subject to specific & very often difficult to accurately determine levels of water. Subject to alteration or complete removal with little or no effective way of the general public knowing what currently applies – that is unless you want to make it an ongoing subject of study within its self.

Would you like to see any changes to the voluntary agreements ?

Yes

If yes, what changes would you like to see ?

Any need for them completely abolished in favour of general right of access.

Are you aware of any voluntary arrangements in other countries that could be used in Wales ?

No

Please can you briefly outline what you think are the key issues for recreational access to inland water in Wales and how you would like to see them addressed.

There needs to be one simple, clearly laid out universal set of rules, that can be easily understood by all parties involved instead of the nightmarish convoluted “mismodge” we all have to put up with at the moment. And by all I mean landowners, fisher men / women, angling associations, canoe clubs, outdoor activity centres and last but not least bewildered general members of the public. By the latter I mean people who are not involved in some general way with water based recreational activities, whose reactions in my experience, when the issues surrounding such are brought their attention, vary from complete disbelief to something approaching anger. The public at large I firmly believe simply do not realise that there is no general right of access to / down our waterways already. The most usual type of reaction I have found, when discussing such issues with people not directly involved in some way, to be along the lines of: surely nobody could “own” a river, how can or alternatively why would anyone want to stop you travelling down one ? and many many similar such comments, the uninitiated simply find the whole situation ludicrous when presented with the facts.

Regards

Bob Mackay

Level 2 Kayak / Canoe Coach & frequent recreational paddler.