Grandtully Slalom Prem & Div 1: April 2026
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
Introduction to Grandtully Slalom
What an amazing trip and experience! To start, a huge thank you to all the organisers and volunteers for making it such a smooth and enjoyable weekend.
The Journey & Campsite at Grandtully Slalom
The trip began a bit earlier than usual, 3am on Thursday morning. My dad and I had a long drive up to Scotland; I managed a decent nap in the van so it felt like a pretty swift journey, though I don’t think my dad would say the same! We arrived around midday, set up camp, and settled in. The campsite was immaculate, really clean, well looked after, and with newly refurbished facilities! I’d definitely stay there again and 100% recommend it. It was also only about a 5-minute walk to the course, which was great.
Grandtully Slalom Course Overview
The course itself is stunning and very wide. In my head, I split it into three main sections. The first rapid, Plato, is a drop with a hole and multiple line options (different routes were used each race day). After that comes a short flat section leading into some decent waves. The middle section was my favourite—a big cross with different options, including a large main wave that, when approached right, shoots you across beautifully. This is definitely a course where you have to work with the water, not against it. Being a natural river, the levels and features changed slightly throughout the weekend. The final section has a large rock in the middle to avoid, with both left and right lines—left tends to be a bit splashier in my experience, while the right is more of a smooth line down.
Friday: Grandtully Slalom Training & Course Setup
On Friday, I got on the water with my coach Jon, who helped me find the lines (especially useful for that first drop, which is hard to read from the bank). I paddled for about two hours with teammates before the river was closed to set the course, as it was a Prem and Div 1 race. The course designer was Fiona Pennie, a former Olympian who knows the river incredibly well she was also paddling earlier to decide what moves would work best. Later I went to check out the course once it had been set it looked fairly tricky but somewhat manageable, so I relaxed and prepared for the next two days racing.
Saturday: Grandtully Slalom Racing & Panceltic
Saturday’s course was tough. I picked up 50s on both runs (only one on the second), but there was clear improvement as I got more used to the water. The campsite café was also a highlight—great options like toasties, chilli, bacon baps, and plenty of fresh sweet treats.
Later, I raced in the Panceltic for Wales (against Scotland and England) with teammates Mali and Rose—let’s just say it was eventful! I was pretty tired after my earlier runs and didn’t deliver my best performance at all … sorry girls!
Sunday: Grandtully Slalom Final Runs
Sunday’s course was similar at the top but quite different at the bottom, and I definitely preferred it. Despite some cold nights in the tent, the sunny weather made it a great day to race.
On my first run, I got all the gates but struggled on the big cross, which took a lot out of me. Still, it was a solid run overall. After a quick chat with my coach, I went into my second run feeling nervous but excited. The first half felt much stronger, but unfortunately at the cross my bow got taken by the water and I went through gate 12 before 11. Frustrating, especially as the rest of the run was a big improvement, but there was nothing I could do at that point. Afterward, I thanked my coaches, got changed quickly, and we headed off for the long journey home.
Final Thoughts on Grandtully Slalom
Grandtully has to be one of my favourite slalom sites, even if I didn’t perform exactly how I wanted. It’s incredibly rewarding when you get it right, but also very unforgiving if you don’t the water is fast, and there’s no going back for (most) missed gates! I cannot wait to return in the summer for hopefully longer and a bit warmer weather … I’m really excited to see how different the course will be but I’m not sure it can top the weekends levels!
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