UKC

I'm doing a family trip to Dolgellau over the long Easter weekend. I've got climbing & walking options vaguely planned, but we also have a sit-on 2-person sea kayak, not much experience with it, and are wondering whether it is worth taking.

Looking at the map it seems like a trip down the Afon Mawddach from Dolgellau to Barmouth might be worthwhile? We are after a scenic river trip with no more than grade 1 rapids (we had a "fully immersive" experience of grade 2 at Symonds Yat a while back) so understanding what the narrow bit from Dolgellau was like for this kind of craft would be good, or whether it would be better to join where it widens. We have the British Canoeing standard license but I can't find any reference to this bit of river on the Go Paddling site.

Any other recommendations for this kind of trip in the area, and what wave kayaking is like off the beaches round Barmouth, would also be welcome.

I haven't paddled the bit from Dol, but I'd imagine it gets quite shallow at times on big gravel banks. Lots of people put in at Penmaen Pool and go to Barmouth from there. Another good option is putting in at Barmouth on a fast incoming tide, getting a pub lunch/having a picnic at Penman Pool then taking the outgoing tide out when it turns.

I have recollections of the stretch before the bridges being shallow, large pebble beaches/shallows. 

Here 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Do9tEggqqRgiUs8h8

Op, note you want the southern/right hand branch, not exactly where the pin is. You can portage though.(access unknown!)

https://irp.cdn-website.com/bd6fed78/files/uploaded/Mawddach%20Estuary%20-%...

Does that help?

There's a UK paddling routes group on FB that is useful. If it's tidal you wouldn't need any BC license. Take care in estuaries, tide and wind can turn a sheltered environment into something a lot harder. Take care, a sit on top is not a sea kayak you'll find it harder into the wind and be more at risk from waves.

Thanks (to all), useful info. Looks like we'll be taking it.

I don't know the area, but I do a bit of sea kayaking and have a copy of the guidebook here.  (The Pesda Press "50 Great Sea Kayak Voyages" one - the Mawddach Estuary between Barmouth and Penmaenpool Bridge is in there as an easy-going beginner-friendly trip.)

In general - first of all it's a tidal estuary, so don't think of it as going down a river because it might not be flowing in the direction you expect!  You would probably want to avoid it if it's windy anyway, but any time the wind is opposing the direction of the current things tend to get a bit choppy.

According to the book, the flow under the bridge at Barmouth can reach 6 knots on a spring tide (and the tides over easter are quite big), so you'd want to avoid going through there at anything other than pretty much slack water.  (Low tide essentially - whether you're just setting out to head inland on the flood, or just arriving towards the end of the ebb.)

Elsewhere in the estuary flows reach a maximum of about 3 knots, which is pretty gentle but enough that you'd struggle to make much headway trying to paddle directly upstream against it.

The book says that despite it being reasonably sheltered, conditions in Barmouth harbour can feel a little intimidating to beginners - so their suggested alternative launching/landing site at Porth Aberamffra seems like a good shout if you did want to avoid the bit under the bridge.  (Just a bit inland of the from the sea front, there's a big layby on a bend in the A496, opposite the access road down to a slipway.  Doesn't mention any access issues, but it's always a good idea to play nice and be careful not to get in anyone's way if you drive in to offload the boat.)

The sand banks are firm and walkable-on apparently. (Good news - this is not always the case elsewhere and estuary mud can be very unpleasant and even quite dangerous).  But fairly obviously if you find yourself running aground while the tide is falling, you don't want to hang about too much or might end up having to carry your boat a ways.  On a rising tide it's all a bit more forgiving obviously, as the water will be getting deeper. 

The tide up at Penmaenpool Bridge turns about half an hour after Barmouth it says here.

Regarding waves on the beach, I think your best bet there would be to check out the Surflines (formerly Magic Seaweed) forecast a bit closer to the time:
https://www.surfline.com/surf-report/barmouth/584204204e65fad6a77090ca?view...

Ping me an email if you like, and I could send you pics of the relevant bit of the guidebook.  (It's only a couple of pages.)

I did it maybe 20 years ago, down stream, when there was a bit of water in the river. Obviously gravel beds and sand bars could be anywhere now, but scraping downwards over some thin water is very different to trying to find a line to paddle upstream. And yes, tidal estuaries are a different game altogether. I've played in some big surf off the beach there. 

The next estuary down, the Dyfi, has a good up and back trip on a big tide. Start in Aberdyfi village at low to mid tide, go up as far as you can before the tide turns, and come back. Take some lunch.

Belated thanks for this... Water looked very choppy on the day we went to the estuary, and we ended up doing lake paddling up in the hills in the end, but that's great info for next time.