Paddle Away

The motorhome is up and running again so we did not much of an excuse to head off in it. So when I got an invite to paddle part of the Pembrokeshire coast around St Brides Bay we were off like a shot. We stayed on a campsite just outside Little Haven. It is an old market garden nursery/small holding, all the polytunnels have gone and each pitch is divided from the next by a big escallonia hedge which makes them all them very private, we loved it. I was spoilt and managed to get in two paddles instead of the planned one. First, on the Saturday we headed out of Martins Haven and this time turned right, away from Skomer. The divers were out in force, most diving from boats along the coastline. We did not land at Marloes beach, a young girl had been stung my a jelly fish there earlier in the week. The coastline does not have really large cliffs but the rock formations are very interesting. I took a few pictures before the battery went on the camera. Phil has taken quite a few on his camera...

This summer is turning out to be just as bad as the last two. The wind has put a stop to most of my sea kayaking and if I ride my bike it gets muddy and the components grind away. Anyway its no good sitting here moping around life is too short. My son in law Woody (just to wind his Mum up his real name is Daryl)invited me on a walk over the Beacons. The weather forecast was disgusting to say the least but, there is no such thing as bad weather just the wrong equipment. We met the others at Storey Arms, Phil had all new kit and looked very smart. We started early and did not see too many other tourists until we reached the top. There were a few army types about all doing their version of The Fan Dance. Just before the ridge the weather closed in and it started to hammer down. Phil was snug in his new kit. Woody has waterproofs, but they were in the attic oops. We first conquered Corn Ddu and then went over to Pen y Fan. As we headed over to Cribyn the weather cleared enough to take some...

Of the Bristol Channel that is. Following on from my trip down the River Barle last February I noticed on the Exmoor Canoe Club website that there was a trip planned from Porlock Weir down the coast to Lynmouth. This is one part of the country I have yet to visit and as this is the coastline visible from our local beaches this seemed an ideal trip. I teamed up with a couple of people from Exmoor CC and the Watchet Sea Kayak pod run by Den Healey. Plan A was scuppered by the weather. The forecast was for strong winds potentially up to force 6 and from the west so that would have been on the nose. The trip around Foreland Point with spring tides against wind would have been eventful. So we left Watchet with the intention of getting as far as Porlock Weir. Once afloat it became clear just how windy it was and progress was quite slow. First stop was Minehead which we could just see in the distance. Just before Minehead we got hit by a squall. Butlins makes the perfect landmark. We headed ...

This was an ambitious trip for a week end. Two nights on the Ross of Mull including the circumnavigation of Iona. The double sea kayak that Kath and h have ordered had not arrived in time so we took three singles instead. Despite the seemingly ever constant wind these days we were not dissappointed. We caught the evening ferry from Oban. The weather was cold and windy. Once on Mull we had a thirty seven mile drive on single track roads before arriving at the camp site some time after midnight. When dawn broke the view from the tent was just stunning. Kath, the team photographer was in her element. It was too windy to paddle around Iona so we did the tourist bit first by paddling up the coast to Fionnphort. This is where the ferry leaves to take the tourists across The Sound of Iona. The wind was blowing force 4 -5 but we managed to rock hop our way along the coast before heading across the Sound to Iona arriving just after the ferry. We then changed into normal clothes and had a look a...

Whitsun half term saw us of to the Lakes for a week. We were taking the motorhome so I had to leave the boat behind and take the bike. My injured neck appears to be on the mend thanks to the Ashtanga Yoga so it was a chance to get some of my lost fitness back. We stayed on a really nice quiet and small site at Newbiggin near Penrith. Tuesday evening I was sent into Penrith to collect a chinese. That was ride number one, 3.5 miles down hill with the wind behind me. A nice ride back, 3.5 miles uphill with a head wind. Ride number two was far more interesting. We rode from Croglin on the eastern fringe of the Lakes (famous for its vampire apparently. After a short road section we climbed up on to the fells. The riding was mainly on stoned bridleways covered with a thin layer of grass - biking heaven. There was even a river crossing. The fells are quite exposed with good views north to Scotland over The Solway Firth. We finished two hours later at Castle Carrick after a sweet bit of bridle...