Hurley Lock

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Hurley Lock
Hurley Lock with the tail gates open
Waterway	River Thames
County	Berkshire
Maintained by	Environment Agency
Operation	Hydraulic
First built	1773
Latest built	1785
Length	130’ 8” (39.82m)
Width	19’ 11” (6.07m)
Fall	3’ 5” (1.05m)
Above Sea Level	96'
Distance to Teddington Lock	40 miles

Hurley Lock

legend

River Thames

Hambleden Lock

weir

Site of mill

moorings

Magpie Island

Black Boy Islands

Kayaking

weir

Upper Towpath footbridge

Hurley Lock

Site of mill

Lower Towpath footbridge

River Thames

Hurley Lock is a lock and weir on the River Thames, situated in a clump of islands close to the village of Hurley, Berkshire. The lock was built by the Thames Navigation Commissioners in 1773, originally of fir, but replaced by brick in 1785. Before the pound lock was built, there was a Flash lock here. The timber weir winch, looking like a capstan and which was used to pull boats through the Flash Lock, is still at the lock.

There are several weirs between the islands but the main weir is upstream between the topmost island and the Buckinghamshire bank.

1 Access to the lock
2 Reach above the lock
3 Kayaking
4 Literature and the Media
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Access to the lock

The lock is easily reached by a short footpath from the free car park, which is at the end of Hurley high street in the village of Hurley on the south bank of the river.

[edit] Reach above the lock

A short way upstream on the Buckinghamshire bank is Medmenham Abbey home of the notorious Hell Fire Club. The river winds through open country with the Black Boy Islands and Magpie Island on the way to Hambleden and Hambleden Lock.

The Thames Path remains on the Berkshire side and deviates away from the river to the village of Aston, Berkshire, before returning and continuing to Hambledon Lock.

[edit] Kayaking

Playboating at Hurley Weir

The favourable size and shape of the wave at Hurley Weir makes Hurley a very active freestyle kayaking centre in South-east England. The gates - those which are open - generate a standing wave which attracts kayakers from a considerable distance. The weir is popular with kayakers at any time when conditions are favourable, and it is very busy at weekends. Hurley also hosts an annual rodeo competition, the Hurley Classic.

[edit] Access

The weir can be accessed on foot via the free car park, which is at the end of Hurley high street. Two paths, one on either side of the car park, lead to the river. As of the 25th May 2006, both access paths are open again after building works were completed.

Kayakers can put-in on a flat stretch immediately as they arrive at the river, from the car park side of the river. To reach the wave they must paddle upstream (left) and the weir will appear on the right. The first weir should be ignored, as it is un-runable. Hurley Weir's steps can be run, but will wear a kayak's hull, and so it is preferable to get out on the island where the weir steps start and put in at the shingle "beach" below.

[edit] Gates

Hurley weir with all 4 gates open

The weir consists of 4 main gates which are opened and closed to control the river levels. The number of opened gates will also govern the nature of the wave/waves, and the suitability/difficulty level for kayakers:

1 Gate - Medium sized wave, normally on weir river right. Best for longer, faster boats.
2 Gates - Big wave accompanied by a large hole.
3 Gates - Optimum level. When the 3 gates opened on river left, classic conditions apply: a big central wave with two holes either side. Doesn't normally stay on 3 for long, and during peak periods there can be queues of 40 or more people.
4 Gates - A powerful set of linked holes. The furthest hole away from the eddy sometimes referred to as "The Dark Side", as it is the furthest away from the only eddy. Still relatively safe, but retentive at certain levels. Capsizing results in a flush the vast majority of the time.

Note: at certain levels, the wave train often "goes left" and turns the eddy in a large spinning mass. This has the effect of constantly pushing people who are queuing in the eddy into the main current.

[edit] Water levels

On 4 gates. Looking Downstream

In general more rainfall means more gates will be open, however this can also depend upon the levels at weirs upstream and downstream, and as such it can be difficult to predict.

For the weir to form a good wave for kayakers, it generally needs to be late autumn, winter or early spring. Hurley is known to work during the summer, but for short periods of time. 9 months is the average consistent period of use. The 2005/2006 winter season, however, has been a comparatively bad year with the weir languishing on 1 or no gates for a significant period of time.

During the winter, a vague rule of thumb is 10 mm of rain is needed to open a gate. In the summer 15 mm may be required, and persistent rain is needed to keep levels up, due to ground levels of water being lower.