The Anglesey Outdoors Centre
provides a great base for sea kayaking activities. There is a variety of
budget priced good quality self-catering accommodation, close proximity
to a terrific coastline and The Paddlers Return Bar. We
began to arrive in the bar in dribs and drabs and by 10pm on Friday
evening we were beginning to formulate a plan for the following day
trip.
After breakfast on Saturday the first challenge
was for everyone to meet at ‘Summit to Sea’, which is the local kayak
store. Sea kayaks can be rented here from £20 per day. As soon as we
were all kitted up we headed off along the North coast of Anglesey to
start our day trip at Bull Bay.
The plan was to keep out of the strong southerly
wing by paddling among the rocks beneath the cliffs. Many of the group
had never paddled sea kayaks before so before heading out of the bay we
spent half an hour brushing up on some basic skills to get acquainted
with these unfamiliar and unwieldy craft. Three of the group are working towards the 4* Sea Leader Award so
they each took responsibility of leading sections of the trip during
each day.
It wasn’t long before we were treated to the
sighting of a porpoise. The group stopped and gazed across the waves for
the occasional glimpse of the fin arcing over the water. The
rockhopping along this coast is excellent. Arches, caves, and narrow
rocky channels kept us entertained as we weaved our way towards Porth
Wen.
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| Photo: Andy Hamilton |
Once we arrived at Porth Wen it was time for lunch and a little
exploring. The ruins of the abandoned brick works are intriguing.
Production of ‘firebricks’ began here around 1850 but ceased in the
early 1900s. After lunch we paddled back to Bull Bay before heading back
to the Anglesey Outdoors Centre.
Entertainment on Saturday evening took the shape
of a pub quiz in The Paddlers Return Bar based on general sea kayaking
knowledge as well as some of the features of the day trip. Plenty of fun
was had and mickey taking was dispensed washed down with a generous
helping of booze!
Sunday’s trip was at the rockhopping centre of the
world known as Rhoscolyn. The coastline is strewn with reefs and rock
gardens. In some places, timing was key because there were sets of
powerful waves coming in filling the rock gardens with tricky white
water.
After Lunch in the sunshine we paddled out
offshore for a brief tour of Rhoscolyn Beacon. The swell made it
difficult to venture close to the rocks but it was fun to feel the swell
off the outermost reefs. Finally, it was time to finishing off with
some more rescue skills and towing practice before packing up and
heading home to Manchester.
The 8th UK Storm Gathering was held at the Anglesey Outdoors Centre. Normally when we have a 'Storm Gathering' mother nature provides us with some suitable weather. This was to be a normal Storm Gathering!
I paddled with groups on rockhopping journeys looking for a reasonable degree of shelter. Even so, the north coast had enough boisterous energy to keep us all entertained, on our toes and on one occasion, into the water amongst undercut rocks infested with barnacles who had recently sharpened their pointed crowns.
Steve Whetman and I delivered the evening entertainment on Saturday. We were asked to do something amusing based on the weather. There was only a limited time that we could draw out jokes about wind and wetness so we showed some silly videos and moved on the The Paddlers Return Bar for further nourishment.
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| Photo: Steve Godfrey |
The event finished on Monday with some great rockhopping at Rhoscolyn. The sun was out, the winds were light but there was plenty of swell crashing into the rock gardens.
In the following days there was an incident management course laid on by the International Sea Kayak Guides Association. I managed to keep myself amused with walks along the coast in the sunny weather that followed the storm...
...but also went paddling along the southern shores of Anglesey. Sometimes its important to keep a little corner of your favourite sport for yourself.
