Woodmill Sea Symposium

This inaugural event was hosted by the Woodmill Canoe Shop at the adjacent Woodmill Outdoor Activities Centre. The venue is situated on the banks of the River Itchen where it meets tidal waters in the Southampton suburb of Swaythling. The weekend workshops included: first aid, navigation, VHF radio, rough water handling and guided trips. The 'paddle to the pub' was by far the most popular of the guided trips on offer.

Saturday evening brought an opportunity to borrow a short boat from the canoe shop and try a few moves in the play spot of the Itchen Weir. The traditional slide show preceded an excellent barbecue. Generous portions of meat and bread were used to stem the flow of alcohol to our senses. Later, desert was cooked over a huge bonfire. Seered marshmallows and spiced rum... Yum!

The highlight of the paddling was the trip around The Needles at the western end of the Isle of Wight. Dodging the ships in The Solent, rounding the mighty chalk stacks and riding the tide races in brilliant sunshine. This may seem like a simple recipe, but these ingredients work every time!

The event was really well organised by the staff from the shop and outdoor centre who are a really friendly and helpful bunch. It is worth keeping an eye on next years calender as the organisers hope to make this an annual event.

Stackpole Sea Kayaking Festival

Following a week of kayaking and walking in north Pembrokeshire, Kirstine and I met up with around 80 other sea kayaking enthusiasts at the outdoor centre known as 'Stackpole for Outdoor Learning'. The centre is set in beautiful grounds, just back from the coast in the rolling south Pembrokeshire countryside.

The emphasis of the weekend was on 'Paddling Lightly', or in other words; enjoying our sport with the minimum impact upon, and with the greatest respect for our wild and beautiful marine environment. The modern sport of kayaking can involve heavy use of motor vehicles. But last weekend's events showed that with careful planning impact upon narrow lanes, small car parks and the wider environment can be minimised.

The events on the water were largely organised by Pembrokeshire's collective 'Sea Kayak Guides'. The staff at 'Stackpole for Outdoor Learning' were amazing too. Louise Smithson and the rest of her team were extremely efficient, especially when it came to meal times when great food was turned out in plentiful dish loads.

Peak UK and P&H Custom Sea Kayaks turned up in force to support the event and brought kit and boats to try & buy, a splash of colour and a bouncy dog called Georgie!

On the Saturday the blustery weather kept the paddlers in sheltered waters of the Cleddau and other sheltered shores. In the evening we were kept well informed by a local wildlife expert and local sea kayak guide Nigel Robinson. Afterwards the adventurous Olly Sanders recounted tales of how he clung to walls, paddled amongst icebergs, caused an explosion in a hunting cabin and watched helplessly as his compatriots were kidnapped by murderers.

The stories grew taller and taller and and we drank late into the night ...

On Sunday a more adventurous group went to circumnavigate the exposed island nature reserve of Skomer. The tides here proved as entertaining and tricky as a bucking bronco. Circumnavigating the monks haven of Caldey Island, or traversing the rugged coastline between Solva and Porth Clais was quite enough for mere mortals in the chunky rolling swells of the day.

The evening started with a sumptuous barbecue before descending into a musical furore instigated by a local ceilidh band.

Bank Holiday Monday was more sedate. A few more gentle palling trips before tea and cakes and home to reality. Ho hum...

There are more photos from the weekend on the festival Facebook page.

Pembrokeshire's Wild & Rugged North

Kirstine and I took a week off to explore the Pembrokeshire National Park. Naturally we took our sea kayaks but we also took walking boots. Initially, it looked as though the weather would allow us to tour the coastline by kayak with a spot of overnight wild camping along the way. A cold stiff breeze from the north that would remain for the next 3 days soon put a stop to that plan.

We headed off for the sheltered campsite at Whitesands Bay where we based ourselves for 3 days of walking the windswept coastal path and paddling along some of the more sheltered shores.

The caves and arches close to Solva's natural harbour gave us plenty to do in sheltered waters. Occasional downdraughts from winds swirling around the cliffs kept us on our toes and served as a reminder of the overall blustery conditions out at sea.

Eventually the wind dropped enough for a trip out of Whitesands Bay, through Ramsey Sound and round to Porth Clais. A little swell from the south was enough to make the rockhopping conditions perfect on the swirling surges among the many channels and gullies.

At the end of the week, we headed south for a quick walk around St Anne's Head then off towards Stackpole Head for the Stackpole Sea Kayak Festival. Before heading for the centre we decided to make the most of the beautiful evening and met up with Pete Astles for a paddle along the red sandstone shores of Marorbier.