Anglesey and Gogarth

Anglesey, and Gogarth in particular have an attraction to lovers of the sea and climbing .The Gogarth cliffs offer climbing expeditions of the highest quality.........but this time I came to paddle round them

 Here`s my new kayak on its first sea trip on the tiny beach of Porth Darfach near Holyhead .This solo trip is full of interest for me , having researched it for months . There are many dangers between here and Holyhead , not least tide races, rough sea , wash from ferries and no safe landing places for five miles ,and I`m alone !!

Here we are paddling solo round to the south stack lighthouse . Fortunatly the sea was calm and I could push on at speed to North Stack . The lighthouse is open to the public for a fee and is worth a visit . The birds nesting on the cliffs are quite a sight  (and smell)

People come here to watch the birds from the clifftop , but for me paddling is the main attraction.
I paddle beneath the Gogarth main cliff . Its five hundred feet high and inspiring . Just looking up at it makes you dizzy but Ive climbed it many years ago and found it special .

If you click on the picture to enlarge it there are two climbers near the top ! this pic shows them on Cordon Bleu HVS 5b

I paddled on to North Stack passing a famous climbing area , where can be found `A Dream of White Horses` on of the most famous climbs anywhere , but not too hard ,see below

Dream of White horses goes across the rock in the centre of the above picture .Technically its not difficult. The sea caves here are deep where the sea has eroded the soft rock . I paddled into the caves as it was calm 

Some of these caves are a hundred feet deep . Its important not to scrape the kayak on the rocks as the cave gets very narrow near the back. A jellyfish swims alongside me ...

At the North Stack lighthouse I see the owner has a for sale sign on the wall facing the sea , presumably in the hope of attracting sailing types to buy it . The lighthouse is not used now and is owned by an artist.

Arriving at Holyhead the breakwater blocked my progress . As its nearly two miles long , that trip round it could wait for another day .I looked for a place to land at Soldiers Point but the beach was stony and I decided not to scrape the boat

The breakwater at Holyhead seen above must be one of the greatest achievements of the Victorian era , being one and a half miles long .Fifteen hundred men were employed building it for nearly thirty years.Its possible to drive a car along it .Seven million tons of rock were quarried and more than thirty men died making it

Paddling back this scene caught my eye  near the South stack . The strange rock formations have been folded by upheavals millennia ago deep in the earth before the age of empires 

Here`s a picture of Holyhead and the breakwater from the hill .

A Big Swim

It was a heatwave and ideal for swimming . Being a member of the British Long Distance swimming Association , I had booked to do a one and a half mile  circuit swim on the thirteenth of july the water was inviting and between twenty and thirty people swam the race

 In this picture you can see some swimmers setting off from the Bala pier with their escort kayakers . They are doing the six mile race . It is essential to have a kayak escort on a big swim in case of cramp or hypothermia or issues with other water users .

On sunday july 14th I swam in the three mile race ending at Bala pier  ,  behind me in the picture is the rescue RIB , my kayaker helped me swim in a straight line , and handed me a drink when needed . It was great to feel warm in the water for a change , that was my fourth race this year with the BLSA

Meet the locals

Bala is only five miles long so its user friendly , I paddled the length of it and met some inquisitive locals cooling off  !!

Having the lake to myself felt special , it was eleven am and the tourists were still in bed . It was peaceful until a military transport plane flew directly down the middle of the lake over my head......and shattered the silence..........

Why cant the military show any consideration for the public ??  Maybe because they never learned respect etc etc   ...

My new Kayak

This year a chance came up to buy a great kayak....... an unmissable deal .........

   I  jumped at the chance to buy a Valley  Nordkapp......here it is ..............In July I headed to Wales to try the new boat . 
So Bala lake seemed a good place to try it as its flat water and this boat is slightly tippy 
As you can see its a real good looker with smooth lines but performs in rough water and its made for expeditions which is what I need

The oban sea kayak Race

The Oban sea kayak race was the first saturday in september .I entered because  it fitted my plans for a few days off in Scotland and the paddling round there is great. Dont know why but there is a huge buzz about racing of any type .This was to be my first ever kayak race .Plus I had to try the new boat on the sea.....

Well here we are with the boat at the Kilbowie outdoor centre before the start of the race , which was twelve miles long around the island of Kerrera, near Oban .As you can see there were lots of people in this race , about fifty , and a friendly atmosphere .The amount of gear you need is huge when you put it together and you even need a vhf radio , which is vital for any kayaking more than a few yard offshore . There were almost as many different makes of kayak as people .Most of those kayaks were specialist touring or racing ones .The start was on the beach at Oban , as you see the crowds were out to watch .

To sum the race up ,. conditions were windy and particularly at the south end of Kerrera ,where some waves and swell reached four feet high . And some tricky clapotis to boot  .So I didnt get to use the camera on the way round . On the return leg the wind was on our backs but it didnt help me much as I then had great trouble going straight , maybe my boat was not balanced right  .The winner came back in just under two hours , and my time was just under three , but then my boat is a very old design and not a racing kayak and I havnt trained ,Im old and overweight..........excuses !!

trying out my new kayak on the river

Here we are trying out the new Islander Expedition Kayak on the river Witham , with my daughter who was in the playboat . There are a few teething problems , like the skeg leaks slightly , it just needs adjustment , I hope , and the deck elastics need replacing, otherwise its sound and very fast , being eighteen feet long

As you can see the river is full of weed due to fertiliser runoff . This happens every summer , but at least the water is cleanish ! In the winter the weed disapears, and it actually starts to flow

My daughter tries out the funboat for the first time.....with no mishaps !

four days round Mull

Four days round Mull in June

A fascination with Mull started with its  special history  and led to the need to explore its coast, which is huge ,varied and craggy .I had to explore it and the best way was by kayak.

A view of Kerrera with Mull and Lismore in the distance

After camping at the delightful Gallanachmore campsite south of Oban I launched at the nearby Puffin dive centre and paddled solo up the sound of Kerrara in hot sun and calm conditions

Conditions were as flat as a millpond except when the odd speedboat passed, I really wanted some wind to try my new sail! Heading toward Oban harbour a dive boat came strait for me at 30 knots , I was scared ,had they seen me or not ? Yes they had seen me ! In Oban harbour the water was still very calm with no wind !

In Oban harbour

Paddling out of Oban harbour about 2pm many sailing boats under power passed me on the way to Mull as the waves grew bigger .It felt like a race ,I could almost keep up with them.The scenery was getting more spectacular.My new crank paddle was very comfortable and more efficient than my old strait  paddle

Looking to Mull

Ferries passed frequently and it was necessary to steer clear of them to avoid the wash .Passing the south end of Lismore a tide race was noticeable and a welcome change  ! The currents here run up to two knots at springs.The beautiful Lady Rock lighthouse is always worth a picture,I have been to this area before on a ferry

Continuing up the Sound of Mull and passing Craignure the wind and waves and tide are against me and I struggle!The wind and waves are pushing the stern round . My speed on the gps drops to two knots sometimes less. The problem with this kayak is it has no rudder or skeg so its only possible to turn using the paddle .I found my right arm getting very tired Then and there I decided to upgrade  this boat for a more sophisticated glass fibre one on returning home           

Tobermory at ten pm

Paddling up the sound of Mull is challenging as there are few places to land and camp easily, ie no sandy beaches .So I continued to Tobermory .Arriving there at 10pm I found a small island with spots to land and camp. There was a deserted cottage so I camped in the front garden ! The distance I had covered was 28 miles so I needed a good rest,I was tired and still had to cook

 My gps log, the first day

My kayak trolley had a puncture making it very difficult to move the kayak on beaches so next day I go into Tobermory garage for a puncture repair .Unfortunately they couldnt help so it was a case of struggle on   !                                  

In Tobermory harbour

my speed was only about two knots.The scenery became more interesting with real steep cliffs and beautiful castles .There were no sailing or other boats to keep me company so I felt very alone .My next destination was Calgary in the north , a shorter paddle , however its an exposed coast and the wind and waves were against me or from the side most of the time so although only paddling  eighteen miles it was hard work all the time

The beautiful Dunbeg castle

Arriving at Calgary at nine pm the beach was white coral sand with dunes and Machair ,a few houses and a few tents .

I dragged the kayak up the beach and camped in the machair , which was a great feeling although illegal , which I realised later !

On Calgary beach

My next destination was the Treshnish Isles , Staffa and Iona ,a distance of 20 miles . There were no boats to keep me company but the solitude was ok .If possible I would land on the smallest of the treshnish Isles , the sea was flat the wind was behind me and no swell ! However approaching Carn na Burg Beg a tide race suddenly accelerated me to seven knots (a little scary) so in view of that I decided not to land !

Treshnish Isles with unexpected tide race !

Puffins appear but steer clear !

Around this area there is birdlife all around although you dont get very close before they dive ! The Treshnish Isles have a strange profile as seen in the above photo above 

The distinctive outline of Staffa

It was one thirty and I had to push on to Staffa then Iona ten miles on , Staffas` distinctive outline was unmistakeable , The sea was calm with little breeze, I couldnt ask for more , anticipation was building in me . My dream of kayaking to Staffa was coming true

The tourist boat with passengers

The sight of Staffa is immediately impressive and in Victorian times many famous people visited including Queen Victoria came though she did not land .The basalt rocks have a hexagonal pillar structure .It is possible to land in very calm weather only .

The cave was calm so I could go in

By the time I got to the cave on the south side the tourists had fortunately gone , the water was calm so I decided to paddle in. Its a deep cave , maybe two hundred feet ,and the roof is sixty feet high. Its dank and scary but the water is crystal ..Suddenly the music of Mendlesohn comes to me , I dont know why ! Was I imagining it ?The tall basalt columns are reminiscent of organ pipes. I had to get to Iona and find a place to camp so I didnt land on Staffa , there was no time .

On the beach at Iona .
Landing on the beach at Iona was special and I knew its special place in the history of western Christianity. It started to belt down with rain.The cafe was the best place to shelter so after a few cups of tea it was back to the rain.There was no time to visit the Abbey .It was five thirty and I had to camp , but it was raining and heavy at that ,no good for putting up tents so I found a clean B+B and left the kayak and all the gear on the beach .Luckily there is little crime on the island so in the morning my valuable gear was all there .
I had no desire to visit the Abbey. Although its an amazing place ,its also a tourist trap and not condusive to meditation so the next day I headed along the south of Mull and back to Gallanachmore campsite near Oban.
I knew it would be a long day!

Rocks on the southwest corner of Mull
 It started sunny and calm enough .The rocks caught my eye .

They are made of pink granite. Monuments in London were made from this rock .How on earth did they get it there ?Its similar to rocks in Cornwall which is also pink granite. As I paddled on the cliffs got higher until they reached huge proportions hundreds of feet high

The famous cliffs of Mull

At Carsaig I paddled past a famous cave and the Carsaig arches but there was no time to stop .I had planned things badly and thought I could get back to Oban area by ten or eleven pm with some wind help ,and using the sail .Well the sail never got used .The wind was no help and later the wind and waves picked up on my beam , the waves trying to turn the boat and slowing me .Crossing the Firth of Lorn I felt exposed , its a big place,many miles wide. Finally in pitch dark around eleven pm I entered the sound of Kerrera and was nearly run down by two trawlers. I had lights but just forgot to put them on until those trawlers got close .Arriving back at the puffin dive centre slipway at midnight was slightly surreal it was too late to put up a tent so I slept in the car. I had covered forty one miles that day in thirteen hours at a speed of 3.2mph and a total of one hundred and seven miles in four days . Time for a rest and a new kayak which steers.