River
Check the level
The latest reading, its trend, and up to 28 days of history — stamped with the observation time and linked to the official source.
UK-first canoe planning
RiverLaunch.app
Real, community-kept knowledge for the rivers you paddle — access points, hazards, photos, recent reports, and live levels, all in one place.
Free while in early access. Works in the browser — installable on your phone.
How it works
Before you load the boats.
Three questions decide every trip. RiverLaunch answers them on one screen.
Read the stretch
Rivers drawn end to end on OS mapping, with access points, parking, portages and features pinned exactly where they are.
See what's fresh
Hazards and reports carry a date, a place and a severity — and other paddlers can confirm or dispute them, so stale information shows its age.
Discover
Every river, ranked by what the water is doing now.
Live readings, trend sparklines, grades and section counts for the whole catalogue — filter by whitewater or touring, England, Scotland or Wales.
The map
One map, tuned to your day.
- Rivers coloured by live level band — see what's up at a glance, across a whole region.
- Access, hazards, features and photos pinned to the riverbank, not floating nearby.
- Rain radar and gauges for the water; pubs, car parks, toilets and cafés for everything around it.
- Filter by discipline — whitewater or touring — and the map declutters itself.
Community data, kept honest
Facts, not verdicts.
You will never see "safe", "approved" or "good to go" in RiverLaunch. You'll see today's level, recent reports, known hazards, and when each was last confirmed — with its source. Reading the water is your call. Our job is to make sure you're reading today's information, not last year's.
last confirmed 6 days ago
reported by 3 paddlers
needs confirmation
no live gauge
safe to paddle
approved route
Groups
Sort the shuttle once, not across three group chats.
Clubs, trip crews and regular paddling friends get their own space to plan the day.
Plan the session
Pick the river, set the date and meeting point, and share parking and shuttle plans where everyone can find them.
Know who's coming
Going, maybe, or out — RSVPs with availability notes, and on-the-day check-in and check-out so it's clear who's on the water.
Emergency contact, scoped
Share your emergency contact with the session leader for that day only. It closes automatically when the session ends.
Get involved
Built in the open with UK paddlers.
RiverLaunch is in early access and being shaped with paddlers and clubs — getting access notes, hazards and level context right, river by river. If you'd like to help, or you want your local river covered next, we'd love to hear from you.