Manchester-based Kayaking

River Eden - Day One

2011-02-26T19:00:00.006Z

This is my take on the first day of the Cumberland Ring paddle, using only my photos. The group view can be found on the trip blog, with more detail in the second Eden entry.

A ford gave an easy access point to the Scandal Beck. We couldn't have started much higher up the beck, given the water levels:It was still a bit of a scrape at times:The river soon started to get more volume:A novel approach to erosion control had been used in several places. The placing of the vehicles was obviously deliberate. It felt like paddling a long wet scrap yard at times:Some interesting geology:
The first weir of any note:Contact with bank support:More geology:The weather wasn't all good:The spectators didn't seem particularly impressed, but at least they seemed interested:The banks were lined with burrows of some sort. They seem a bit large for water voles!Jim took the opportunity to audition for The Hobbit during our lunchbreak at Lacey's Caves:Paddling past the caves gave a view that most people miss:We had a few bouncy bits before Armathwaite:Some nice scenery as the light started to fail and we approached our bivi site:

Planning and preparation session

2011-02-25T20:00:00.003Z

Kirstine was kind enough to give Jim and me a lift to Kate's house in Cumbria on Friday evening after work. We completed our plans over an excellent meal that Kate had prepared.

My plan was to start with the Lune, followed by the coastal paddle and then finish on the Eden. This would mean that we were paddling the Eden during the working week and thus reduce the risk of meeting too many fishermen. However, Kate was keen to start with the Eden, then paddle the Lune and finish with the coastal paddle. I had some concerns with this plan but was convinced by the expected water levels in the rivers. I was also inclined to let Kate have her way, since this is really her project. Another benefit was that we would get two nights sleeping in Kate's house on Sunday and Monday, after each of the rivers was completed. Paddling the Eden over the weekend also allowed for bank support from David (Kate's other half, driving Kate's van) and photography from Will (another NWSK paddler).

The expected water levels meant that we would be starting further down the Scandal Beck than Kate had hoped. The advantage of this was that we would avoid any portages and taking our full overnight kit in the boats would not be an issue.

Cumberland Ring

2011-02-24T18:00:00.000Z

Jim mentioned a project that Kate Duffus had come up with. It sounded completely daft, so I dropped some rather unsubtle hints until they invited me onto the team. See the Cumberland Ring blog , Jimski's blog and Kate's blog for more details.

Some company

2009-09-28T21:00:00.003+01:00

It was great to have some company on the water. Too much of my paddling seems to be solo these days.

Goat Island

2009-09-27T10:00:00.008+01:00

It was good to get back in the Carolina after the SOT that I paddled on my last stay in Norway. This is an excellent boat, although I prefer the expedition version that I have at home. It is reasonably fast, very stable, relatively cheap and is a great all-rounder. It can carry my bulk plus all of my gear for an overnight trip without any problems. Since I am having to do at least one working day at the weekends, my aim was to get back from the office early on Saturday afternoon and then get out for an overnight paddling trip. The short return paddle, after camping on an island just beyond Hesnes, allowed me to get back to the office for 10:00 on Sunday.
The weather was fantastic. I have no idea why the beaches were deserted:

The Third Way

2009-07-04T16:00:00.002+01:00

My plan was to paddle to the beach just beyond Fevik and have a bit of a swim followed by breakfast. I could then drift back to Grimstad and go to the office straight after lunch.

In the end, I drifted in the other direction to explore lots of little channels and islands near Nedenes and didn't get back until late afternoon. I paid for the trip with a bit of redness of the skin from the sun and wind - my plan for a short trip meant that I hadn't bothered with sun block or a hat.

The swimming part of the plan worked. The beach was a little bit busier than last time I visited; six other people came down for an early swim. The water was reasonably warm and almost completely free of jellyfish.

I passed the beach again on the way back, stopping on the rocks for some lunch. The heat and the sunshine had brought out so many families that there was barely any sand to be seen between the towels and beach toys.

My exploration around Nedenes showed me a third way of getting through to Arendal; it's a slower route but very sheltered and might be useful in bad weather.

Another hot day

2009-07-02T22:00:00.000+01:00

I went straight out on the water after work, taking some food and drink. After an hour or two of nosing around the islands, I found a quiet spot to have supper while reading my book and listening to my mp3 player. Not a bad way to spend the evening.

A bit of rolling practice and general messing around at Groos showed that I need to do a bit of work on my left hand sculling support but was a very pleasant finish to the day.

Paddling is cool

2009-07-01T22:00:00.000+01:00

The current heat in Grimstad is too much for comfort when your apartment is on the top floor and catches all the sun. Getting out on the water is the best way to find some cooler air.

Sadly, it seems that the whole population of Norway has the same idea. The islands that I had all to myself in the winter now seem busier than Grimstad itself.

Fevik

2009-05-03T12:00:00.006+01:00

An early morning paddle to take advantage of a break in the wind. It was absolutely still at times:Grimstad looks rather nice at 0630 on a Sunday morning:I followed the line of posts out to sea:The sun was partially hidden by the clouds but still very bright:The only greenery to be seen on the outer islands was the weed exposed by the tide:Fevik from the sea:Some of the many birds that I saw:I also had to share the ocean with other boats, but not too many:I was surprisingly close to the lighthouses that lead the way into Arendal:I headed for the big beach to the east of Fevik:There is a very nice "hut" with a fantastic view:The little harbour to the side of the beach has limited access at low tide:The beach is beautiful. I imagine that it gets very busy in the summer but I only saw a couple of other people during my breakfast stop.Eventually I had to leave:My guess is that this is an old pontoon:There was time for a few wildlife shots, playing with the macro on my camera:
I reached Fevik just as the populace started to wake up:As I headed back towards the Hesnes canal and Grimstad, I noticed a building that I assume to be a church:

The furthest island

2009-04-28T22:00:00.000+01:00

It was a nice evening and the sea was calm. There is an island all by itself about 4.5km offshore that needed a visit....

Reddalsvannet to Grimstad

2009-04-26T12:00:00.001+01:00

Grimstad to Reddalsvannet

2009-04-25T22:00:00.000+01:00

Ignore the trace along the land - that's just my morning run!

Reddals Kanal

2009-04-02T22:00:00.001+01:00

Arendal

2009-03-29T21:00:00.001+01:00

Grimstad local paddle

2009-03-24T21:00:00.002Z

Starfish and reflections

2009-03-22T12:00:00.008Z

After a long night's sleep from about 8:30pm to 6:30am, I got up at dawn:I tidied up my camping spot so that there was no trace of my presence. That's not quite true - there was a bit less litter when I left than when I arrived, with some stuff having been burned and the rest in my boat for disposal in Grimstad.
The site of my tent:My fire was in a pit on the beach:As I left Lillesand, I liked the way that someone was making good use of a gap in the rock:Starfish seem to be plentiful around this area. This one was easy to pick up on my paddle while he carried on eating a small crab:I soon let him go again:Bright sunshine early in the day and little breeze gave good conditions for attempting to capture some of the reflections with my camera:Most of the ice had gone, so I was able to get into Kaldvellfjorden. A bit of ice remained in the NW corner:At Kaldvell itself, the river comes down into the fjord:The road alongside the fjord is my bus route from Grimstad to the airport:

Lillesand

2009-03-21T23:00:00.002Z

Lovely little afternoon paddle of about 25km, pleasant spot to pitch a tent and driftwood for a small fire. What more could one ask for?

How about poles and pegs for the tent? Perhaps keeping them in a separate bag isn't such a great idea after all, even if it does avoid damage to the tent when stowing it in the boat. Fortunately, I was able to improvise with rocks, trees and a length of rope that I brought for hanging up my tarp:
The fire was very useful for drying out my socks:

Back to Grimstad

2009-03-01T14:59:00.004Z

In the morning, I remembered why I haven't used the bivi for a long while. It is rather constricting and the insulation provided by a sleeping bag is ruined when it is squeezed against the side of the bivi bag. I slept well despite the bivi bag, the rain and the snow. An early night meant that I woke up just as it started to get light:An ideal campsite was just a couple of kilometres down the coast - I'll remember it for next time:There was a particularly fine example of the devices that seem to be used for bringing boats into their moorings:My attempts to get further inland, with the target of getting to Lillesand, were thwarted by ice:I tried another channel. More ice:I decided to head back to Grimstad, not realising that the correct channel for Lillesand was actually a bit further on. I didn't have a map or chart with me, so I was doing my best from memory.
One of the great things about going out without any map or chart is that everything feels like exploration. Some islands turn out to be groups of islands, with small channels running through. At other times, two islands turn out to be connected and there is no way through:The lighthouse in the main channel to Grimstad meant that I was nearly back:Eventually, the finishing point loomed out of the murk:

Overnight trip south from Grimstad

2009-02-28T22:00:00.002Z

I set out from a small harbour to the south of Grimstad, by the house where some of my colleagues are staying:The weather is still rather cold, with plenty of snow and ice around:I got some shelter from the wind by going through the harbour attached to this lighthouse:An interesting looking piece of protected water could be seen but it was hard to find a way through:No effort is spared to make paddlers from the UK feel at home. Most of the coast is very pleasant indeed but there are places to go if you are missing the North Wales coast:I turned back to that interesting bit of protected water and tried to find somewhere to camp:Sadly, the mainland was either waterlogged, rocky, covered in deep snow or a mess of low branches. I found a better site on the other side of the channel, on a tiny island:Carrying the laden boat up to the top was a bit of a struggle but I managed it:This was the first outing for my hooped Goretex bivi in a long while:

Grimstad GPS tracks

2009-02-28T08:19:00.002Z

I need some space on my GPS and I don't have my usual MemoryMap software installed on the laptop that I have with me in Norway.

The GPS data downloaded OK via a serial cable from my Garmin Foretrex201 that is plugged into a USB Bay 3U1S1P serial to USB converter. I used the freeware GPSBabel (http://www.gpsbabel.org/) to download the data and save it in the "Universal CSV" format.

I uploaded the CSV into the free online GPS Visualizer tool (http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/) to convert it to the Google Earth .kmz format. This displayed fine in Google Earth once I had downloaded and installed it from http://earth.google.com/.

The result is a display of how much ground I have covered by running or kayaking during the weeks that I have been in Grimstad:

Evening paddle

2009-02-26T19:00:00.002Z

Espen and I set out from Holvika to see whether the Hesnes canal was free of ice:
We got through the remaining ice before it got dark but our return was after nightfall:Just finding the canal again was a challenge:

Islands, channels and a frozen canal

2009-02-22T18:04:00.006Z

My second paddle in Norway involved a bit more distance and a lot more sunshine than the first. Espen and I launched from the same spot in Holvika:We turned right and paddled into the sun towards Lillesand:Espen was dressed for the conditions:We went as far as the "Blind channel" of Bufjorden. Apparently, this channel is so easy to navigate that it can be done blind: We turned into the Reddal canal that leads to the inland lakes of Landvikvannet and Reddalsvannet:
The canal was frozen after only a few hundred metres, so it will have to wait for next time:Even the melting snow was freezing again into icicles:The paddle back took us through lots of small channels between the islands:Many of the islands have small holiday homes on them. Some have lighthouses and the (now disused) dwellings for the lighthouse keepers:Night was starting to fall as we finished our paddle:

First paddle in Norway

2009-02-19T20:44:00.003Z

It was cold. It was dark. I was using a borrowed boat and blades. I was paddling with someone that I had never met before. I didn't care; it felt great to be back in a boat for my first paddle of the year. The last two months may have been my longest time without getting in a boat in the last twenty years!

Embarrassingly, I managed to snap the borrowed paddles after about fifteen minutes. The shaft sheared through on the first hard paddle stroke and left me paddling C1-style for the rest of the evening. As a result, we only covered about 9km or so but it was a very pleasant little trip.

The coastline near Grimstad is a maze of channels between islands of a wide range of sizes:
We set off from Holvika; you can see the two jetties to the south of Groos on the bottom left of the map. I was paddling with Espen from Black Hawk (http://www.black-hawk.no/) :

There was still a bit of daylight left as we paddled off but it soon got dark:I plan to join Grimstad PadleKlubb (http://www.grimstad-padleklubb.no/) on Sunday. My thanks go to Espen for the company and the loan of the kit.

The Grimstad coastline

2009-01-25T10:00:00.004Z

I got up fairly early to take a stroll and see the coastline. It looks ideal for sea kayaking and the weather was perfect; shame that I haven't got hold of a boat yet!
I like the idea of a house on an island. This area has them in abundance:
My accomodation is a little less exciting. I'm on the top floor of the apartment block on the skyline in this picture:

Grimstad, Norway

2009-01-24T14:00:00.000Z

My first assignment in my new job is to Norway. I'm on the coast, so the sea kayaking possibilites are good. I also did a run in the snow to some lakes to the north of Grimstad that might also be nice for a paddle:

Boxing Day Roll

2008-12-26T12:00:00.005Z

I found myself going to Bedford over Christmas, so I took my old plastic C1 with me:
The idea was to turn up for the traditional Boxing Day roll. I first took part in this event over twenty years ago, as a member of Viking Kayak Club.

It's a simple matter of meeting up with a load of other paddlers and simultaneously performing an Eskimo roll at the appointed time.

It was good to see some old faces. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go along to the clubhouse afterwards since one of my kids was feeling unwell.

Surfing across the Solway

2008-10-18T13:00:00.012+01:00

Our return paddle from Southerness to Silloth was direct but entertaining:
Before we could paddle, Jim had to find the energy to overcome feeling ill and pack his kit into his boat:There was a long trek over the sands:We were lucky enough to find a creek that allowed us to float the boats for some of the way:The first part of the paddle was OK but we started to go over the sandbanks after a few km:There were some gaps between the sandbanks but these seemed to just make the seas more confused:
Photos weren't really an option in the confused seas. There was a big tide coming in over relatively shallow waters - we might have been better off waiting until there was a bit more water over the sand banks - and it kicked up some fairly substantial waves.

The combination of tide, wind and waves gave us quite an impetus. The GPS hit a maximum speed of just over 20kph as I surfed one of the more helpful waves.

We were relieved to make it to the beach to the south-west of the harbour at Silloth:The waves breaking were on the concrete along the Silloth sea front where we launched for the outward trip. This would not have made a good spot to land:We were pleased to see that a tug working on the new windfarm also managed to make the conditions look quite challenging:I would like to go back and visit this area again. Another time we would make sure that there was a bit more daylight and would take a more direct route:
I am now confident that my boat will handle adequately when loaded for a week; I still had food for about four days when we unpacked to drive home.

A final note of thanks is owed to Mark Rainsley of UKRGB for his notes about the tides in the Solway Firth and to Douglas Wilcox for his inspiring account of paddling around Hestan Island, which we will reach next time. Weather and illness made us achieve far less on this trip than we had hoped but it was still a rewarding paddle and a good introduction to this area.

Chips and Chop

2008-10-17T18:00:00.011+01:00

We had a little paddle from Silloth in the NW of England to Southerness in the SW of Scotland, fueled by some excellent local food:We packed our boats with an unfeasible amount of gear. A couple sitting in their car couldn't believe that it all fitted. We couldn't believe the weight of our boats when we tried to carry them to the slipway.We launched in front of the lifeboat station, after a little chat with the volunteers in the RNLI shop. In retrospect, the newer slipway (or the West Beach) would probably have been a better option. Our launch from the old slipway amused the tourists but left some gelcoat behind on the rough concrete:
We set off into sunshine, with fine views all around:There was something of a headwind and a bit of chop but nothing to worry about:It took us a couple of hours to reach the sands on the other side of the firth:Our landing point was just down the beach from the lighthouse and the village:The camping spot that we found wasn't the most appealing but it served its purpose. We were right by the golf course but the night passed without any disturbance other than the noise of the waves at high tide.

There was plenty of driftwood for a fire, although we still used the trangia for cooking our meal. There was space for us to play with a new tarp as well as pitch our tents:

Mersey Descent

2008-10-12T16:00:00.004+01:00

Lojska and I took part in the open canoe event of the Mersey Descent race with Richard and Isobel:It was a fun event. The organisation was good and the weather was pleasant but the turnout was very poor. I hope that more people hear about it for next year.

The highlight was the weir in Northenden. We took on a fair bit of water and had to stop and empty the boat shortly afterwards:

We won the event but at the cost of a big dint in the bow of the boat, courtesy of a rock just after the broken weir at Sale Water Park:

North Barrule

2008-05-10T18:00:00.003+01:00

Since Jim was in a weakened state through lack of pork pies following our little bit of a paddle, I went off on my own for a stroll.
The slopes of North Barrule are open country, by permission of the land owner and their tennants. The views would be great on a clear day and weren't bad even with the poor visibility that we were experiencing.

St Bees to the Isle of Man

2008-05-10T10:00:00.001+01:00

Months of training (a quick paddle along the Bridgewater canal) and exhaustive preparation (an email to the ferry company) resulted in a successful crossing from St Bees to the Isle of Man in Jim's double kayak:Kirstine kindly drove Jim and me to the campsite at St. Bees on Friday evening. We packed some of our gear into the boat before getting a few hours of sleep. The tents and the rest of the gear were packed at 2:30am on Saturday morning, in preparation to catch the high tide.

We paddled away three minutes behind schedule, leaving the slipway at St. Bees at 3:33am:

[Photo: JimK]

It started to get light about an hour after we set off and the sun was well up by half past five:
The Liverpool Coastguard were very helpful and supportive via the VHF. There wasn't much going on - we only saw a few other craft on the water. We did get an offer of a bacon barm from the helmsman of the Night Cat though:

[Photo: JimK]

Visibility was quite poor - we could only see about a mile through the mist. We were almost at Maughold Head before the white buildings of the lighthouse became vaguely perceptible.
We landed on the Isle of Man about 6hrs 15mins after leaving St. Bees. By 10:00 we had phoned home to let our other halves know that we were safe:

Charts by cycle

2008-05-08T16:00:00.002+01:00

Jim and I decided that the forecast was looking good for a little jaunt in the Irish Sea by double sea kayak. Since neither of us had any charts, I took the afternoon off work and nipped across to Warrington on my bicycle. I got back home with the necessary items a few hours, 50km and two punctures later.

Ravenglass Seaquest

2008-04-12T22:00:00.004+01:00

This was a great day out. It's good to have events where there are plenty of alternative activities for the non-paddlers. My wife and sons had fun on the steam train while Lojska and I went off in the boat to do this orienteering event on water.

It was a bit gloomy when we first arrived and there wasn't much water to be seen but things improved on both fronts during the afternoon.
We just managed all the checkpoints in our big yellow barge of a double kayak in just over the allotted three hours. The last checkpoint was a mistake - we gained 30 points for getting to there but it cost us 35 penalty points (for being 15 minutes late back to the start).
Lojska enjoyed herself. She got a bit upset at the end - cold feet on sharp pebbles - but wants to do the event again next year. Hopefully, she'll be able to do her share of the paddling by then!

Thanks to Phil and Annette for organising the race and to all the other entrants for making this such a friendly event. I hope to see such a good turnout at the Fleetwood SeaQuest later in the year.
The course:

Anatomy of a trashing

2007-11-05T17:00:00.000Z

As mentioned in yesterday's post, I had a thorough trashing on a reef break. I lost my spare paddle (a nice Double Dutch slalom C1 blade), a handheld flare from my buoyancy aid front pocket and my camelback water carrier from the back pocket. Thinking things over, I only rolled six times rather than seven but there was an element of luck in the fact that I got away without injury or more serious losses. I hope that my lost kit will be found by someone that can make use of it!

The initial cause of the trashing was simple; I was playing chicken with a fairly substantial reef break and sitting looking at the scenery at the same time. I like views along the coast with some breaking surf in the near foreground, but it is important to keep watching out for freak sets of waves.

I noticed a large wave coming in that could present a problem, so I turned and paddled into it. My relief at reaching the crest didn't last for long; a second wave of a similar size was right behind it and I could see a third wave over the top of it that was even bigger and already starting to break. I made it over the second wave but lost all my speed. The third wave looped me over the back as I tried to climb the vertical face.

I had a washing machine experience in the ensuing bongo slide, repeatedly rolling and then getting power-flipped. It took most of my strength to keep hold of my paddles and I was glad of the ocean cockpit that made it very unlikely that I would get dragged out of the boat. The wave was still too steep for me to really get back in control until I found myself in relatively calm conditions after the sixth roll. Thankfully, I was still about fifteen or twenty yards from the pinnacle of rock that marks the reef and had time to get off the wave and turn the boat around before the next wave.

I rode out a few waves while I got my breath back and secured some of my remaining gear. There was no sign of the items that had gone. I spotted a nice little rip going out alongside the reef and used it to get out beyond the break without any further incident.

I had a number of items of luck:
1) I got trashed on the last wave of the big set, so there was plenty of water on the reef from the earlier waves.
2) The water was deep enough for the boat to loop without hitting anything (not entirely luck - smaller waves had been passing over this area without breaking, so there was at least depth equivalent to their height).
3) My map and GPS, inside an aquapac, were properly secured.
4) There were no rocks sticking up (again, not entirely luck - the reefs along here tend to be slabs).
5) My paddle didn't snap, despite taking a lot of force (not entirely luck - I did a controlled release of the paddle shaft with one hand at one point to let it twirl around, taking the pressure off the paddle and allowing a reverse screw roll with the other end).

Lessons learned:
1) Secure all your gear, even if the conditions are good. I had just tucked my spare blade under some deck elastics rather than using my usual approach of 2-inch webbing with a quick-release buckle. My BA pockets have fixing points with cords attached but I hadn't bothered to tie in my flare or water carrier.
2) Keep an eye out to sea no matter how nice the view is! There can be freak sets even on a relatively calm day.
3) You are always on your own in the surf zone of a rocky shore. There is no way that anyone else should endanger themselves by coming in after you. I was very aware of the need to stay in my boat and keep hold of my paddles.
4) A reef break is generally steeper and more powerful than the break on a nice sandy beach. I think that it's faster too - my GPS registered a maximum speed of 22kmph. While I am sure that this is far from accurate, it felt to be about the right ballpark!

I got away with this through a combination of luck and experience. Years of playing and rolling in the surf meant that I had a good idea of what was going on even while I was been tumbled around. My roll is still good; all of the rolls in this case were on my weak side. The skills are still there to allow me to get off the wave before getting into the shallow water where there might have been problems of boat damage or difficulties in turning the boat around. Kit helped too; the boat is fitted out for me with a snug seat, solid knee tube to brace against, small cockpit opening and a bulkhead footrest.

The adrenaline rush and the sense of euphoria immediately after getting away with such a trashing is tremendous. However, I have too many responsibilities these days for me to be happy with taking these risks. I wouldn't intentionally repeat the exercise because I don't like to trust to my luck.

Whitby to Robin Hood's Bay

2007-11-05T05:00:00.000Z

The Sunday paddle from Whitby to Robin Hood's Bay and back was magnificent; porpoises, an alleged peregrine, seals, a nice little surf at the turnaround and a thorough trashing on a reef break. Sadly, I have no photos because some water got into my camera when I was rinsing it off after the Saturday paddle.

The trashing is just about visible on the GPS track: the line going onto the rocks about 2.5km from Whitby on the return leg. It was slightly expensive (lost paddle, flare and camelback) but most invigorating.
The facilities at the marina in Whitby made things very civilised. There were handy taps for fresh water, reasonably secure parking and nice clean toilets and showers.

We paddled as a group of six, which I believe to be the ideal number for such a trip.

Whitby to Runswick Bay

2007-11-04T01:00:00.000Z

We had a paddle from Whitby to the edge of Runswick Bay as part of the NWSK end of season meet. Caution was the order of the day, with a fairly strong breeze and a rather messy mixture of chop and swell. Our original plan to paddle to Robin Hood's Bay was dropped because we felt that it was better to start out against the weather, making the return easier.
We got on at the marina in Whitby:
and then paddled through the harbour to get to the sea:
We took a break at Sandsend, landing through small but very dumpy surf:
My newly repaired IceFloe looked very nice sitting on the sand in the sunlight:
The paddle off towards Runswick Bay gave some nice views:
Getting back to Whitby:

Tidal Exe

2007-10-27T22:00:00.000+01:00

We had a pleasant paddle down the Exe from Countess Wear to Turf Locks and then back up the canal. The weather was good, with the gentle wind blowing us along the canal to match the assistance that we had from the tide going down the river.

Flamborough Head

2007-10-21T06:00:00.000+01:00

The second paddle of the day was planned for Flamborough Head. We went a little further than we originally intended because the morning paddle at Spurn Head had been dropped.

See Jim's blog for his account of the day.

Spurn Head

2007-10-20T20:00:00.000+01:00

Jim and I were hoping to launch at Spurn Head to have a look around the Humber Estuary. We had a change of plan after a chat with the warden of the nature reserve and an inspection of alternate launching sites.

The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust have a warden in the area of Spurn Head. Andrew Gibson is the Outer Humber Officer with whom we had a chat.

The two important items that Andy Gibson told me with regard to sea kayaking at Spurn Head are:
1) No launching within the nature reserve.
2) Unusually, the nature reserve owns the foreshore down to the LOW tide line. Landing is not permitted, other than in an emergency.

Andy and his staff were very friendly and helpful. They are generally sympathetic towards sea kayaking and other low impact activities. However, they cannot be seen to set a precedent that might open the gates to all manner of craft.

Alternate launching sites were either too muddy at the state of tide when we planned to launch or too far from the forts that we had intended to visit (given that we only planned a short paddle).

Blackpool Illuminations

2007-10-09T07:00:00.000+01:00

I had to agree immediately when JimK of NWSK suggested the daft idea of a night paddle to see the Blackpool illuminations. In the end, there were ten paddlers meeting at the southern end of Blackpool for a trip up to the North Pier and back.
It was a bit of a trudge to the water - we got on at mid-tide:
It was still light when we set out:
But it started to get dark quite quickly:

Jim was one of the organisers of the trip:
and Peter was the other:
We all carried head torches as well as using light sticks. Some of us also had more powerful torches tucked away in our kit. However, the light sticks were enough on this occasion.
My thanks to Jim and Peter for a very enjoyable evening, even if it did make my head cold come back with a vengeance!

Macclesfield Canal

2007-10-07T00:00:00.000+01:00

I met up again with Richard, a friend from university, for a paddle with the kids. I took Lojska along and Richard took both of his daughters. The venue was a new one for me - the only part of the Macclesfield Canal that I have paddled before is where all the locks are at Marple. It was a pleasant surprise to find that the Macclesfield Canal is another example of a canal with a long section that has no locks.

Lymm and Thelwall

2007-09-22T18:00:00.000+01:00

An early morning paddle makes a good start to the weekend. On this occasion it was a 16km paddle on the Bridgewater Canal, going out to Thelwall and back:

The canal is pretty quiet at 7:30am, giving a pleasant view from the cockpit:
There was a light breeze but the reflections were impressive when the wind died down:
I was paddling at a gentle pace, taking nearly two hours to complete the distance. As a result of the pace and the early start, there was a fair bit of wildlife to be seen. This included a kingfisher; these birds seem to be getting relatively common along this canal.

SeaQuest

2007-09-16T02:00:00.000+01:00

I missed last year's Sea Quest event, so it was very pleasant to be able to turn up with Jim and his double sea kayak. The sea kayak entry was rather low this year and we were able to win rather comfortably with a time that must be about half an hour slower than the course record. The event was started by one of the local dignitaries (who waited patiently when the tide was a little later than expected):
We started in nice, sunny conditions:
Jim planned the start thoroughly:
We had time for some photos at the halfway point, showing the plastic goose that was the real winner of the event:
Looking back from the finish we could see that the weather was on the turn: The wind started to get up after we finished, giving the open boaters an interesting time. We went back out to take some photos. Phil, one of the organisers of the Ravenglass Seaquest event, had a good result:
The best thing about being faster than the pack was that we had time to nip back to Knott End for ice-cream before attending the prize giving. The event was well organised throughout and the food that was laid on at the prize giving was a good finishing touch. A second surprise bonus was to find that the event sponsorship by Brookbank Canoes included some vouchers for the prize winners.

The event raised a good sum for its chosen cancer charity. My thanks go to Peter Roscoe and the Outdoor Adventure Group for a great day out.

End of the holidays

2007-09-13T04:30:00.000+01:00

Robbie starts school tomorrow, so I took him out for a nice quiet paddle on the canal. Only did 7km but had lots of blackberries. The rowing club were out in force between Walton Road and Altrincham but everyone was polite and friendly.

Icefloe in the canal

2007-09-09T18:00:00.000+01:00

I took my "new" sea kayak for an early morning paddle along the Bridgewater canal, going up towards town from Walton Road to where the three arms of the canal meet. This boat is noticeably faster than my old Perception Carolina but there is a lot of work to be done on it.

My GPS (Garmin Foretrex 201) locked up on me for the first time ever. I managed to force it to reset by holding all the buttons down. I'm guessing that it didn't like the change of location from Denmark (where I used it for a 15km run on Wednesday).

There was a lot of floating rubbish in the canal, including some large pieces of timber that could damage a boat.

Rolling and rescues at Sale WP

2007-08-31T05:41:00.000+01:00

Four paddlers from NWSK turned up for an after-work rolling and rescues session at Sale Water Park. We had a general paddle around and lots of rolling, including re-entry and roll practice. Some Eskimo and X rescues were performed when the rolling didn't go quite to plan.

A bonus of paying to use the facilities at Sale was that the excellent showers kept us from smelling of dirty water when we went to the pub!

Kids on the canal

2007-08-29T05:00:00.000+01:00

I met up with an old friend from university after work today. Until very recently, we hadn't spoken to each other in years but it turns out that we have children of similar ages and with similar interests. We decided that a paddle on the canal in double boats would be a good idea.

We paddled from Walton Park to Dunham and back:
This paddle should take an hour and a half or less. We took over two and a half hours - the kids were playing around, picking blackberries and generally having fun. It was a good evening.

We used a pair of Perception Horizon double touring boats. These are big and stable but relatively quick. My three year old was wearing a life jacket and the two five year olds used buoyancy aids.

Runswick Bay to Staithes

2007-08-27T18:30:00.000+01:00

Jim, Mike and I finished the weekend with a short paddle from Runswick Bay to Staithes, leaving the dog with Kirstine:
By some miracle, we managed to get on the water exactly at our planned time of 7:30am:
The weather was perfect and there were a few small waves to play on. Unfortunately, our plans for a full breakfast in Staithes were scuppered by the fact that very little opens until 10:00am. We managed to get some oranges and bananas from a small butcher's shop.

A little rolling practice to finish showed the dangers of trying a roll on your off-side in a borrowed plastic barge after a two-year break from paddling:
(Mike's first roll, on the right hand side, worked perfectly.)

It was a nice end to the weekend before the Bank Holiday drive home - our thanks go to Kirstine for the dog minding service!

[Photos by Jim.]

Runswick Bay to Saltburn

2007-08-27T02:00:00.000+01:00

Ten paddlers from NWSK set off from Runswick Bay at about 9:30am on the Sunday of the Bank Holiday weekend. With complete disregard for tradition, the weather was beautiful. The scenery was beautiful too, particularly when compared to some of the more dishevelled and hungover paddlers.
The group split at Skinningrove, with four of us continuing to Saltburn-by-the-Sea while the rest had a protracted lunch break and another stop at the tea room in Staithes on the way back. The first map gives a rough idea of our route:Our first stop was Staithes, on a (successful) mission to find tea and ice creams:
A minor incident on the reef outside Staithes started from the first paddler paying more attention to conversation than to the possibility of breaking waves. We had a second swimmer when another paddler in the group was too busy watching the first swimmer to pay attention to the possibility of breaking waves! Everything was sorted out fairly swiftly and without injury to people or boats.

The paddle past big cliffs on the way to Skinningrove was uneventful but very pleasant:
Skinningrove to Saltburn-by-the-Sea was a short jaunt around the next headland:
The beach at Saltburn was remarkably busy. We struggled to find a place to land without risk to swimmers, although some rather selfish and thoughtless jetskiers didn't seem to find it a problem to simply frighten the swimmers out of the water.
All told, it was a fairly long paddle. The estimate for the round trip was about 38km but I imagine that the actual distance paddled was over 40km.

The plans for a night paddle were dropped through apathy - the call of a pub meal was too strong.

Runswick Bay to Whitby

2007-08-26T02:00:00.000+01:00

The NWSK trip to Runswick Bay in Yorkshire over the Bank Holiday weekend was organised by Bob Mark:
Some people turned up to the campsite on Friday night but my brother drove Jim and me across early on Saturday morning. Mike had double booked himself for the weekend, arranging to go sea kayaking with me but also to dog-sit for my parents. Efforts to combine the two were only partially successful:
We gave up on the "paddling with dog" idea and Mike plus mutt went for a walk along the cliffs, hoping to meet us later.

The plan for the Saturday was to paddle to Whitby and back. We added a little to the trip at the last minute by going to the next couple of sets of rocks:
We turned in to Whitby harbour:
and found a place for lunch:
On the way back I met Mike on the beach between Whitby and Sandsend. We swapped boat for dog and I went back along the cliffs to Runswick Bay. By running some of the way, I was able to time my arrival to match that of the kayaks.

Fairly strong winds were forecast for the evening, so we showed our determination by abandoning the plans for a night paddle in favour of an evening in the pub.

"Training" on the Bridgewater canal

2007-08-24T07:39:00.000+01:00

Jim and I are planning to make an open sea crossing in his double kayak in the near future. We thought that a bit of practise in the boat might be a good idea, so we paddled to Lymm for some chips.Chip stop at Lymm, where we turned around:
A view of Dunham Massey over the canal boat of some other NWSK members whom we happened to paddle past:
The hardest part was probably the walk from Jim's house to the canal with the boat. The walk to meet up with further NWSK paddlers in Sale was easy by comparison and the paddle seemed fast but relaxed.

Blackberries and swans

2007-08-21T20:00:00.000+01:00

Lojska and I had a little paddle first thing in the morning on the Bridgewater canal to feed the swans. We paddled my single kayak with Lojska in the back hatch. Blackberries for breakfast, again!

Menai Straits swim

2007-08-19T06:00:00.000+01:00

I didn't swim - I just acted as a rescue/support boat.

The Historic Bridgewater Canal

2007-08-03T20:42:00.000+01:00

There's lots of industrial archeology in the Manchester area. Some of the best bits can be seen on a paddle along the Bridgewater canal that takes in the mines at Worsley and the aqueduct over the ship canal.
I went out and did this little trip with my brother and two of the kids. We were dropped off in Boothstown (near Worsley) and picked up again at the edge of Sale. It was an interesting paddle, particularly since we got to see the "swing aqueduct" in action.
I had the kids in the Perception Horizon double kayak:
and my brother borrowed my Perception Carolina:There's a marina at the edge of Boothstown, close to the start:
It's not far to Worsley and the little branch off to the Duke of Bridgewater's mines:The entrance to the mines is now rather overgrown:But you can still see the remains of one of the "starvationers":After a bit of a slog, you come to the Barton swing bridge that takes the road across the Manchester Ship Canal. There's a matching aqueduct to take the Bridgewater canal across. What you don't really want to find when you are in a hurry is that the canal stops dead:The "swing aqueduct" in the open position:With the tower in the middle of the ship canal:and the point on which the aqueduct turns (while full of water):
Fortunately, we didn't have to wait too long before the aqueduct started to move back into position:We watched with anticipation as both sets of double gates were opened (presumably after using a valve to let some water into the space between the gates to equalise the pressure):Going over the aqueduct:Looking down on the Manchester Ship Canal:It's not all industry though:
We saw geese, ducks and moorhens and ate a fair few blackberries along the way.

Swallows and Amazons

2007-06-01T20:00:00.000+01:00

Lojska is very enthusiastic about the novels of Arthur Ransome and, if I'm going to read bedtime stories to children of five and three, they certainly beat most of the competition. Since we were in the area, it seemed a shame to leave without taking her to Peel Island, generally agreed to be the basis for Wild Cat island.
We had quite an early start, so it was important to wrap up:
The view down the lake:
Peel Island in the distance:
The beach on the island:
The harbour - we tried not to disturb the other crew:

The campsite on the island (although camping is no longer permitted):
Reflections at the end of the lake:
The last of our bread was taken by an assertive swan:Lojska takes control:

Early morning on Windermere

2007-05-31T20:00:00.000+01:00

My two-year old nephew Jake has developed some enthusiasm for getting out in a boat. As a treat, I packed him into our double plastic kayak for a jaunt around Windermere with his aunt and cousin.The benefit of an early morning paddle is that this normally busy lake is empty of other people:
It's never too early for the swans to come begging for food:
And the ferry starts quite early, to the delight of the boys:
The Perception Horizon has plenty of room for the four of us:All told, it was a pleasant little pre-breakfast paddle.

Ravenglass Seaquest

2007-05-21T20:19:00.000+01:00

We've had a rather nice weekend in the Lake District, attracted to the area by the "Ravenglass Seaquest" sea kayak orienteering event organised by Annette and Phil of Blengdale Runners. We "raced" on the Saturday, camped at the very pleasant site in Ravenglass and then had a gentle potter on Wastwater and some sight-seeing on Sunday.

The format of the race was a bit different from the original Seaquest devised by Peter Roscoe and run each year at Fleetwood. Rather than a set course to be completed as quickly as possible, the event was a number of check points in the tidal sections of the Esk, Mite and Irt. Points were awarded for each check point, with the more distant points scoring higher. Times were used as a tie breaker and penalty points were taken off for exceeding the three hours allowed for the event. Money raised from the event goes to the RNLI.

Lojska and I managed to be the double boat with the most points, coming joint third overall. We had a good deal of fun and our thanks go to the organisers. We hope to take part again next year.

Preparing for the start:
One of the first check points:
A bit wet and miserable during the first hour:
But it brightened up later:
The railway line (La'al Ratty) by the Mite:
Heading for the finish:
And still cheerful:
Our route:
The campsite at Ravenglass:
The Ravenglass estuary at low tide (Sunday morning):
Paddling on Wastwater:

Ormes trip - 21st April 2007

2007-04-23T10:27:00.000+01:00

Six paddlers set out from Llandudno West Shore at midday on a pleasant Saturday. We paddled round the Great Orme and then across to the Little Orme. Four paddlers got off the water at Llandudno and walked through to the cars, with the remaining two paddling back round to West Shore against the wind.

My thanks to JimK for his advice. We had a very pleasant trip.

"Huts" on the way out from West Shore. Anyone know exactly what these were for? Jim reckons "the huts are lookout / defence placements from the WW2". This fits in with other information from the Country Park (PDF) that says they were part of an artillery school. It was a little lumpy as we set out , with a gentle breeze on our backs:Some nice stratification of the rocks:
Small caves all over the place, some carved through the rock by streams like the one shown below. [On the way back we saw the cave that featured in the BBC "Coast" series, where the inside has been modified with dressed stone.]
Annete by one of the caves where fresh water was dripping from the roof:
We found a lovely place to stop for lunch; a scramble up from the pebble beach to a sun-trap on the ledges. A bit less crowded than the beach at the town but still quite busy:
Following the example set by the locals, two of the group prepare to jump off the ledge into the sea:
On the way down (almost missed them completely):
And in the water:
After working up an appetite we finished off lunch in the sun:
Our view of Llandudno as we paddled across to the Little Orme:
The Little Orme:
Looking back towards the Great Orme:
The cliffs of the Little Orme:
Around the Little Orme:
At the turnaround (a nice sunny sheltered bay out of the wind):
On the way back, after the group split up, the wind got a bit stronger. The sea was a bit lumpier too. Like the gentleman I am, I hid in a cave and watched Liz struggle:
Statistics
Total distance: 23.9km
Elapsed time: 5hrs 31mins

Bridgewater canal - Runcorn to Manchester

2005-03-27T22:06:00.000+01:00

34.1km, 5hrs