Monday, February 25, 2013

Hiding from the icy blast

As the freezing easterly winds eased and turned north-easterly, scattered snow showers littered Anglesey's shores with temporary light dusting.

On Saturday, we kept out of the wind by keeping close in under the cliffs and kept ourselves entertained by weaving in and out of the rock gardens between Porth Trecastell and Malltraeth.

Swell from the south kept us on out toes. most of the time there were gentle surges between the rocks that could make life tricky. However, every now and then a bigger set would creep in. This would turn the rock gardens into a roaring, foamy and threatening place.

On Sunday the wind had dropped a little more but the temperature had remained at around 1 or 2 Celsius. It was hard to resist the classic coast between Rhoscolyn and Trearddur Bay.

The southerly swell remained giving us a few more "do I dare" moments. As a result, I have added a few minor gel-coat repairs to list of things to do.  

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Local Bookshop

In the current tough economic climate there are frequent headlines telling us that local high street shops are suffering at the hands of supermarkets, out of town shopping centres and internet giants. Its pleasing to see that Chorlton has a thriving high street with a great variety of shops. Not only are there specialist shops and trendy cafes, but there are plenty of ordinary shops selling day-to-day goods.
Whilst I was out for my evening run last night I was pleased to see that 'Welsh Sea Kayaking' features in the new outdoor activity themed window display of Chorlton Bookshop.

Monday, February 18, 2013

North Wales Kayak Road Trip

I dashed out of work on the stroke of 5pm. Before the clock had struck 6 I was on the road with Trev and John heading for Anglesey and our Friday night digs at the Anglesey Outdoor Centre. Soon after we arrived we cooked up a pot of steaming hot chilli, washed it down with a few beers and began to make plans for the next day's paddling.

Anglesey's north coast has a wild and rugged feel which was exaggerated by the hazy winter sunshine and the chilly gusts tumbling down from the cliffs.

We hugged the shore and paddled deep into the secret nook and crannies of the bays at Cemaes and Porth Wen.

By the time we arrived at Bull Bay it was time for lunch. By good fortune we found a spot in the sunshine and out of the wind. Soon the day began to take on a Springtime feel.

Our retrun paddle to Cemlyn was more direct as we took full advantage of the west-going ebb tide stream. From Cemlyn we headed east to spend the evening at Porthmadog visiting our friend Stephanie. One of my freinds, Emma Black from my past life as a musician was also in town playing at The Ship. We all spent a fine evening fuelled by strong ale and songs.

It was difficult to get up early on Sunday but the sun was rising into a clear blue sky. This begged for some more paddling. We arranged to meet some others at the west shore of Llandudno for a paddle around the Great Orme followed by a dash across the bay to visit the Little Orme.

As we explored the darker corners, freshwater cascaded from the roof of the many cold caves that run deep into the Great Orme.

It was a relief to paddle in the sun once again before ending the day having a hot drink watching the sun set over the Anglesey skyline. In the flowerbeds, snowdrops are announcing the first signs of Spring.