Llandrinio to Montford Bridge
A winding stretch of broad river in which you will pass the confluence of the Vrynwy river just upstream of the metal railway bridge converted back in the 1960’s for road traffic. Each side of you a wide flat flood plain stretches to the Breidden Hills to the south and gently rising ground to the north. During flood conditions this whole area is covered and can remain so for weeks. Paddling here during these times is very dangerous. Watch out for the occasional log jam, portage if you can as these can pose particular hazards when forcing your way through.
As the river passes between the twinned ancient settlements of Shrawardine and Little Shrawardine, you may catch a glimpse of the castle mound, slighted by Cromwell’s troops after a 5 day siege in 1645. The river runs quicker here as the channel narrows and in normal water levels an exciting riffle attracts feeding otters in the late evening.
Islands are a feature of this stretch, locally some people call them ‘bylets’, there is a large island in Bridgnorth called ‘The Bylet’ which is expansive enough to include a bowls club. Islands at Shrawardine and Montford need to be passed with a careful selection of the safer channel.
