Carneddau - above and below

Part 1 - The Conwy Estuary

A couple of weekends ago I drove off to meet some friends for some chilly sea kayaking. There was a big spring tide with high water shortly after midday so we had the option of either paddling round the Great Orme near Llandudno, or up the Conwy Estuary. On the day there was a sharp westerly blowing onto the beach at Llandudno's West Shore. The kitesurfers were making the most of the lumpy conditions and making plenty of good aerial moves.

We made an easy decision to change our original plan and drive accross to 'The Beacons' carpark beside Conwy Marina. The flood tide generates an exciting tidal stream that runs up to 6 knots between the marinas of Conwy and Deganwy. We played in the standing waves off the jetty before allowing ourselves to be swept along, upstream towards Conwy castle and the historic bridges. It can be an interesting ride with tricky water conditions because some of the larger mooring buoys become submerged by the powerful currents. Making contact with one of these buoys can give a nasty surprise, possibly followed by a capsize!

Once under the bridges and into calmer water we foundd time to relax and enjoy the views of the Carneddau, these are the mountains at the north-east corner of the Snowdonia national park.


The strong westerly wind began to funnel out of the Conwy valley giving us a stiff headwind to work up against. Eventually we found a nice sheltered spot for a brief lunch stop beside the bridge at Tal-y-Cafn. We couldn't stop for all that long because it was getting rapidly colder. We would be better of getting back into our boats and getting warm whilst paddling back to 'The Beacons'

We soon picked up the ebbing tide and with the wind behind us aided our swift return to where we had started. The end of the journey was not without entertainment. Mark gave us all a laugh whilst exploring whirlpools under the bridges beside the castle, a roll or two later and all was well, although I hear he needs a new hat and another pair of sunglasses.

Derek earned an astonishingly easy OBE by colliding with some moorings. There was a frantic struggle between folk to get to him quickly because it had been declared that the rescuer gets beer!

After getting changed, beers were duly exchanged at the recommended 'Mulberry' pub beside Conwy Marina.

Part 2 - A walk along the tops

The following weekend my brother Chris and I headed off to go in seach of fine views of the north wales coast and the Conwy valley and a strenuous walk on the Carneddau. We started from the A5 beside the Midland Association of Moutaineers' hut at western end of Llyn Ogwen. The walk up the side of the valley towards Cwm Loer is steep but rewarding because it gets you up high very quickly. Sadly once we arrived on the loer slopes of Pen yr Ole Wen, we lost all chances of getting a view due to hill fog and low cloud.


We carried on through pathches of deep soft snow accross the peaks of Carnedd Fach, Carnedd Dafydd and by the time we arrived at Carnedd Llewellyn we began to get a hint that the weather might clear.

Views finally became more promising on the ridge close to Pen yr Helgy Du. Once we had safely descended onto the resevoir access road all that remained was a gruelling 2 mile trudge along the A5 back to the car.

New Year in Snowdonia

One round one of the festival of over indulgence is over it is traditional in some circles to combine yet more over indulgence with plenty of fresh air, activity and adventure. I have struggled to find somewhere as well situated as the Roy Bridge Hotel, close to Fort William. Scotland is a long drive so I was looking for a bunkhouse in Snowdonia or the Lake District, close to a pub with a pool table, jukebox (with crappy old rock tunes) and fine ales.

I guess I struck it lucky! We booked the Siabod Longhouse which is just outside Capel Curig in the heart of Snowdonia. The Tyn-y-Coed hotel is a 3 minute walk away and fulfills all of the criteria mentioned above.

Day One.
I was nursing a vague state of apathy heavily encouraged by a hangover when I was horribly startled by Ian calling for me. We managed to get out for a short walk across the fields to the Jackson's Boat Pub beside the river.

Day 2

All the best laid plans could not get us out of bed almost until lunchtime. We eventually got underway and headed of for a blustery walk in the Clwydian Hills.

The Clwydians lack the drama of Snowdonia but tend to miss some of the inclement weather that often plagues the mightier hills to the south. The Moel Famau Country Park has beautiful scenery and has some recently developed mountain bike trails. We walked to the top of Moel Famau where it was difficult to stand in the gale force wind, then headed off to the heart of Snowdonia to check in at the Siabod Longhouse, which was to be our home for the next 3 days.

The Bunkhouse is well equipped spacious and warm but with space for 8 to sleep, it seemed surprising to find that there was only space for 4 to sit around the kitchen table.

During the course of the evening more of our friends came to join us as we kept a large pot of Chilli con Carne gently bubbling on the hob.

Day 3

The forecast was amended by employing a combination of optimism and enthusiasm. Those qualities can have god like influence over the interpretation of high wind speeds and descriptions of heavy rain and hail. We decided to go for a walk up a mountain called Cnicht.

This picture was taken just after we had hidden behind a wall to avoid hailstones driven by 60mph winds. We were unsuccessful in our bid to reach the summit and had much more fun visiting my friends Franco and Joan who laid on tea and cakes under the watchful eye of Llyr the cat.

Day 4. (New Year's Eve)

The weather had got even worse! Outdoor activities were down to a couple of short walks before subduing the effects of cabin fever with mince pies and port. The evening meal was a terrific feast of 'Bangers and Mash', tons of fresh veg with lashings of gravy.

Before we had time to relax after dinner we made for the pub in a bid to get a foothold round the pool table. Successfully established, we spent the evening playing pool in teams from other groups. The Jukebox came in handy in keeping the mood flowing and at midnight the hotel put on a delightful firework display in spectacular competition with Cobden's Hotel 200 metres down the road.

Day 5 (The long haul home)

Tidying up is never all that much fun. We swept up and mopped out, packed our things and headed off. This time the weather had defeated us in many respects but the spaciousness and warmth in the bunkhouse made up for all of that. It was simply nice to relax.

The Search for Santa at South Stack

The theory went that if Santa was to approach Wales from the northwest then we might be able to spot him from our kayaks if we paddled around North and South Stack near Holyhead, Anglesey.
Barry and I assembled a crack(er) team of elite paddlers including Kath, Liz, Pete, Ed & Michelle and Jane & Chris. Spot (the collie dog) did not paddle due to felling a little 'ruff' but acted as shore support.

Kath and I paddled my 'Aleut 2' double kayak and as it was nearly Christmas we made a pact not to argue fuss or fight, but to play nicely and be kind and considerate to others. (photo by Liz)


The Aleut 2 kayak complete with crew and Christmas goose! (photo by Liz)


Liz and Barry paddled his NDK Triton double kayak, Liz called me names and from that moment onwards IT WAS WAR! All the dirty tricks were pulled out of the bag; paddle splashing, (gentle) ramming and the use of portable bilge pumps cunningly used as manual watercannon.

Ed and Michelle managed to keep the peace during the lunchtime picnic in Parliament House Cave. The enthusiasm for war and hostility was soon quashed by our full tummies, the abundance of mince pies and chocolate rum truffles had us leaving the beach feeling quite mellow. Nevertheless we managed to russle up enough energy for a brief play in the tidal race at North Stack. Some stopped to play in the waves at South stack too but Kath and I headed off to continue in our quest to find Santa's flightpath.

....and after waiting patiently we were duly rewarded!

After we arrived back at Porth Dafarch we loaded our boats back on to our cars and drove off to the Trearrdur Bay Hotel to celebrate with a nice cup of tea!

'Welsh Sea Kayaking' - soon to hit the national press

Following the successes of the Kendal Mountain Film Festival weekend, journalist and Author Ed Douglas managed to stir up some media interest in the 'Welsh Sea Kayaking' guidebook.

Ed had expressed a keen interest coming along for a paddle with the aim to doing a piece for the Daily Telegraph. The idea was to feature the authors and provide readers with a background to the rapid growth of Sea Kayaking generally.

There was a miraculous spell of sunny weather on the Monday morning, that followed two weeks of gale force winds and spells of torrential rain. At short notice, the acclaimed adventure sports photographer Ray Wood joined us to make the most of the dazzling golden sunshine.

Four of us paddled from Menai Bridge along the Menai Strait to the 'Gazelle Hotel' opposite Bangor Pier. Publisher and kayak coaching guru, Franco Ferrero was on hand to give Ed some rudimentary 'on the water' guidance, and Kirstine was on hand to make sure I behaved myself.

A cold wind had developed by the time we arrived at our final destination, but there was still time for a few more photographs before heading indoors to continue the interview over a warming bowl of soup.

Many thanks to Nigel Dennis of Sea Kayaking UK for supplying The kayak and kit to Ed Douglas for the day.

All photographs on todays blog are kindly supplied by Franco Ferrero.

Kendal Mountain Film Festival 2006

From humble beginnings the Kendal Mountain Film Festival has grown and developed over the years to provide a stage for mountaineers and filmmakers of international acclaim. The film festival has also expanded to include filmmakers from other adventure sports such as Ski Mountaineering, Mountain Biking, Base Jumping and of course, Kayaking. The benefits to the outdoor community and the local economy grow each year in parallel with the improving success of the festival each successive year.

The festival lasts 10 days spanning two weekends. Each weekday night had a different theme based around a different type of adventure sport, for example: Tuesday was ‘Bike Night’, Thursday was ‘Ski Night’ … etc… of particular interest was Wednesday ….

Kayaking and wild water night, Justine Curgenven’s award winning films and DVD releases made her the obvious choice for the Kayaking and wild water night. I had arranged to take a modest handful of ‘Welsh Sea Kayaking’ guidebooks to sell during the interval. I wondered if the handful I had brought would be enough when two copies were bought as I opened the box, and festival officials expressed surprise at me not having brought a lorry load. All in all further sales were modest, but the interest generated within this specialised kayaking audience was excellent.

The evening began with some short clips from local Cumbrian paddlers rainchasers.com the footage of paddlers on the Esk waterfalls was really quite breathtaking.

The evening got into full swing when Justine Curgenven took to the stage and gave a slideshow that began with stories of her earlier sporting encounters with school hockey. The stories moved on quickly through to more modern times with footage and amazing photography from expeditions to Greenland, the Greek Islands and a formative solo trip along the remote Icelandic northwest coast. Justine kept the tales of most recent trips to Kamchatka and Tasmania to a minimum, in anticipation of these films yet to be seen.

After the interval there was more white water fun with ‘Kayaks on the Roof of the World’. This film employed some amazing footage and wonderful tales of the development, of white water paddling in Nepal. Finally, Justine’s film of the first all female circumnavigation of Tasmania made a perfect end to the evening.

The Main Weekend Events were mostly centred on the Brewery Arts Centre. Films and seminars, slideshows and presentations from a variety of outdoor backgrounds were so much in abundance that it proved difficult to choose quite what to do.

Jon, Mark & Robbo’s Easy Drinking Malt Whisky Company were in attendance in the retail area offering their own blend of distraction, serving to steady the nerves of over inspired souls between events.

The British Mountaineering Council were one of the supporting sponsors and were at Kendal to promote the recently released ‘Alpine Essentials’ DVD and the new waterproof ‘Snowdonia Map’.

The Kendal Book Festival celebrated its 3rd year by presenting the Boardman Tasker Prize to Charles Lind for his ‘Afterclap of Fate: Mallory on Everest’. The Boardman Tasker Prize finds its new home at Kendal having been presented in London by the Alpine Club for many years.

There were a quite number of stalls providing an overwhelming choice of books, paintings and photographs. Literature and art new and old, traditional and experimental all well at home here.

It was a combination of the growing interest in kayaking at Kendal, and the newly emerging book festival that moved me to take the recently released guidebook ‘Welsh Sea Kayaking’ to the festival. I was proud to present ‘Welsh Sea Kayaking’ at the experimental ‘Book Signing Frenzy’.

The event gave enthusiasts to buy recent releases and get them signed by the authors (Sir Chris Bonington, above).

I wasn’t expecting all that much interest in a kayaking guide at a mountain festival but I was pleasantly surprised to have sold and signed more than half a dozen by the end of the weekend.

It is a well known fact that there is a great deal of crossover between the kayaking and mountaineering communities so we can expect to see more in the way of kayaking at Kendal in 2007. With that in mind we may also expect so see more titles from Pesda Press in next years event too.

Easy Paddling on The Lake District rivers

My friends Zoe and Mark made good time on their journey from down south and as we popped the cork on a bottle of Friday evening 'Cava', plans were hatched for some weekend paddling. The easier and more scenic rivers of the English Lake district were to be our targets.

On Saturday morning we were joined by Kirstine and Phil. As Kirstine had only very limited experience on rivers, our first river was the Eden in the North-East Lakes. Phil, like me has paddled many of the rivers troughout the UK and the French Alps.

The Eden Valley has a reputation for its stunning beauty and for typically 'English' and 'Quaint'! Nevertheless, the surrounding natural beauty could not defeat the butterflies in Kirstine's stomach, nor the nerves that were generating them.

Once Mark and I had left his car downstream at Armathwaite we drove back up to Lazonby to get started. Once on the water we organized ourselves. Mark and I would take turns at leading and Phil generally watched out at the back.

Once we had successfully run two or three rapids the anxiety from the beginning of the trip left Kirstine to be replaced with excitement.

Kirstine was clearly full of anticipation for what lay around the next bend in the river.


The middle to lower section runs through a stunning gorge with towering sandstone cliffs.

After we finished on the River Eden, Zoe insisted we do another river so we headed off into the central Lake District for a sort run down the River Rothay. The Rothay gives a relatively short but interesting run which we started where the river drains Grassmere. It had been raining all day in the central lakes, a fact we had been oblivious to in the Eden Valley, over to the east. The river was burting its banks and I was glad Kirstine had decided one river had been enough for the day. The river continued fast between trees until we found respite upon entering Rydal Water through reedbeds.

Gentle mist began to lie across the water adding to the beauty of the surrounding scenery, which gave some distraction from the monotiny of paddling across nearly a mile of flat water.

The pace quickened as we left the lake, down the river to continue through the Rydal Estate with its many 'DO NOT' signs. Some heavier rapids led us on towards Ambleside, trees continued to make our journey difficult, Zoe briefly became intimate with a bank side Sycamore. The tree's lower limb bayed her to swim, and Zoe (politely) obliged. I chased her boat downstream through the trees, one eye on the boat another on what else the river could next present. I was now on my own on the river. Mark, having secured Zoe to dry land, was now chasing me (and the boat) on foot. Every now and then I would be concious of by-standers on the riverbank. The river was running fast and I was confident the I could shunt the swamped boat to the side, but it was nearly a mile down stream before the kayak came to a reluctant rest.

There was only a short 500 yard paddle to Windermere and our weary finish in the half light in Waterhead Bay.


Sunday Morning

The Sunday morning was bright and breezy, water was still pouring down from the fells so we headed off to the Beautiful 'Duddon Valley' in the south western Lake District. The River Duddon is a little more challenging that what we had paddled on the previous day, with the added excitement of some decidedly 'tricky bits'.

Mark was the only one to run 'Gill's Folly'. A scene of many 'Out of boat experiences'.

I have paddled the River Duddon many times but never so early on in the (whitewater canoeing) season. My lasting memory for that relatively un-eventful day was one of the friendly anglers. There can be fierce conflict between anglers and canoeists. Fortunately on that day everyone shared the beauty of the Duddon and all its challenges, with a cheery wave and mutual greetings, symptomatic of human nature at its best!

Paddling Round The Great Orme - Windbroke!

Back in the late 80s and early 90s I used to play Bass Guitar and Percussion in the then revolutionary music scene in Manchester. One of my long standing friends from those days is the acclaimed Irish Flautist and Uielean Piper Michael McGoldrick. I had been showing off the kayaking guidebook that I have recently completed, 'Welsh Sea Kayaking'. Mike was so impressed he asked me to take him out for a paddle.

We arrived at the west shore of Llandudno on Saturday morning and hauled the mighty Aleut 2 double sea kayak from the roof of the car and down to the beach in readiness for our trip round the limestone cliffs of the Great Orme. We were joined on the excursion by another Mike, a flutemaker from Australia on a holiday and fact finding mission. (Australian,) Mike Grinter followed us on foot along the road that runs along the cliffs.

Soon after we set off we began to see plenty of Birdlife. This photo shows hundreds of Oystercatchers.

The towering cliffs of the Great Orme are riddled with caves and gullies and are wonderful for exploring. I managed to manoeuvre the kayak so that Mike was quite close to a gurgling blowhole, with which Mike was quite intrigued. All I had to do is wait for a larger wave to come and then, "Whoosh!" Mike was sprayed with gallons of seawater from the back of the amazing farting cave. Keeping the theme of flatulence I raised a question I had wished to pose for some time. On Mike's second album 'Fused' there is a tune called 'Windbroke'. Of course its nothing to do with 'trouser trumps', its Mike's dad's expression for being out of breath. This expression was frequently used as Mike's flute playing skills exceeded those of his father who found himself breathless and unable to keep pace with the young embryonic McGoldrick talent.

Hooray! we made it! Once we had landed beside the Pier on Llandudno promenade beach, it was time to get out the camping stove and make a rewarding pot of hot coffee followed by a large pot of Chilli Con Carne.

It wasn't long before Australian Mike joined us from his walk along Marina Drive and we celebrated with yet more steaming mugs of hot coffee. Mike McGoldrick was feeling a little pooped after his kayaking adventures, so Australian Mike took over in the front seat for the return journey Mike McGoldrick walked the sort cut back to West Shore.

The return to West Shore began with smooth glassy seas, (Australian) Mike was amazed by the abundance of birdlife along the shores. I explained that it is relatively quiet at this time of year. During Spring and Summer you can hardly hear yourself think for the cacophony generated by the thousands of seabirds that nest on the cliffs here.

As we rounded the end of the Great Orme, we noticed dark clouds gathering so we stopped to put on some extra clothes. We battled against a force 5 sqall then waited in a sea cave until the rain and wind abated. The sqally conditions had left the sea quite choppy which made for some added interest for the last mile or so.

In true style the shower clouds parted and the sun came out right on time, just as we reached the beach at West Shore.
Bathed in golden late afternoon sunshine, there was just enough time for another tune or two, to mark the end to a wonderful day of adventure around the Great Orme at Llandudno.

For more information on sea kayaking around the Great Orme and other areas of the Welsh coast consult the great new guidebook 'Welsh Sea Kayaking'

Circumnavigating Holy Island (Anglesey)

I think I'm really lucky to have my birthday in the middle of the summer. It means that I can celebrate in the outdoors with a weekend of splendid activities with some of my favourite friends.

My 2006 celebration took me on an evening trip to the Skerries followed by a couple of delicious pints of Guinness outside the Church Bay Inn.

The following morning Trevor, Mark, Maurice and I met with Helen and a couple of others at Rhoscolyn on what would be an ideal day for a sea kayaking trip round Holy Island. Holy Island or Ynys Gybi is separated from the western side of Anglesey by the remains of an almost estuarine shallow sea.

The 32km journey typically takes 6-7 hours and must be done in conjunction with some cunning tidal planning.
We Left Rhoscolyn all lathered up with lashes of sun cream about our faces and arms in defence from the blistering sunshine. Heading out west across Penrhos Bay we were all in buoyant mood, chatting as we paddled towards the treacherous waters of Penrhyn Mawr.

We approached with respectful caution even though conditions were relatively benign. I had bounced through the first couple of waves when I looked to my right to see how others were enjoying the excitement of the overfalls.

For Mark, disaster has struck! I saw his upturned hull and signs of his paddle wafting as he made a couple of unsuccesful atempts at a roll. I was surprised, not only by the abundance of flotsam (sodden egg sandwiches, shoes and cheese slices) surrounding the disaster area but also the amount of time it took to reinstall Mark in his rightful position. The ensuing investigation found that his rear hatch had not been properly closed before going to sea, thus allowing water to flood the rear compartment.

The approach to South Stack always brings a gasp of delight, especially as the vertical cliffs of Gogarth and North stack appear beyond.

We had some time to make up after the earlier aquatic adventures, so the leg from North Stack to the end of Holyhead Breakwater turned into a bit of a chore.

I called the port authorities on the VHF radio to get clearance to enter the busy harbour. After waiting for a couple of ferries to pass we continued to paddle south, to the next significant target on our journey, Stanley Embankment. We needed to pass beneath the embankment before the tide turned, and for this reason we had been paddling for nearly 4 and a half hours without landing. (Although Mark had managed to stretch his legs during his previous out of boat experience.)
So, having passed Stanley, we landed on the shores of the Inland Sea for a well earned siesta in the sunshine!

Since leaving Rhoscolyn we had followed the flooding tide round the Stacks and into Holyhead Harbour. From The Inland Sea we would now be following the ebbing waters south beneath Four Mile Bridge and along the Cymyran Strait. The Shallow waters of the Cymyran Strait make parfect feeding grounds for Arctic and Sandwich terns. Oystercatchers make plenty of noise as you pass the sandbanks but the curlew's quiet nature and mottled plumage makes them harder to spot despite the fact that they are Britain's largest wading bird.

As we emerged from The Cymyran Straits into the open waters of southern Anglesey we embarked upon the home strait, and the last 3km to completion at Rhoscolyn.

For more information on sea kayaking in Wales you might consult the new guidebook 'Welsh Sea Kayaking'.

Chillin' out at Hell's Mouth

Hell's Mouth is the anglicised name for the huge south-west facing bay close to the end of the Lleyn Peninsula of North Wales. The Welsh Name is Porth Neigwl. After all the activity surrounding my recent kayaking and writing exploits has died down, it was time to relax and enjoy one of my favourite campsites. Treheli Farm is just below the tiny Village of Rhiw and is spectacularly situated with panoramic views accross the bay.

Hell's Mouth was once described in the Guardian newspaper as the best bay for beachcombing in the U.K. I'm not sure about that claim but the walks along the beach usually turn up plenty of strange trinkets and bits of odd shaped bits of wood.

The nearby Village of Rhiw is steeped in history and folklore more of which can be viewed at www.rhiw.com - This exrordinary website also has collectios of stunning photographs, old and new.

Chris and I arrived at Threheli late on Friday evening. Once we had pitched the tent there was time for a late beer before turning in. The next morning we took plenty of time drinking coffee before exploring the beach.



Later in the day we took a short drive to Aberdaron, and then towards Uchumynydd for a walk. The western edge of Aberdaron Bay is characterised by tall craggy cliffs and inaccessible bays. Eventually we reached the headland of Pen y Cil, which forms the southern end of the Lleyn Peninsula. We stayed for a while gazing accross to Bardsey Island and watching the powerful tidal currents.



Warm evening sunshine greeted us upon our return to Hell's mouth. Following a ruling from the local council fires are no longer allowed on the campsite, so we decided carry our food down onto the beach and cook on an open fire down there.



Sunday was another splendid morning but in order to make the best of the day we packed up soon after breakfast and headed off for a walk upon the headland at the eastern end of the bay. From Trwyn Cilan we watched about 100 surfers enjoying near perfect conditions on an indian summers afternoon.

The Skerries - A superb evening trip.

Trevor, Mark, Maurice and I arrived at Cemlyn Bay on the north coast of Anglesey in the late afternoon and began to prepare for our sea kayaking trip to 'The Skerries'. This small group of islands lie about 3km offshore in amongst some of the most powerful tidal streams of the Welsh Coast. We had beautiful weather making conditions for a perfect evening paddle.

During the crossing we passed 'Furlong' and 'Coal Rock' buoys. The seas were smooth and we enjoyed the late afternoon sunshine.

As we approached 'The Skerries' we were amazed by the noise generated by the hundreds of Arctic and Common Terns that breed on the islands each Summer. Some of the Atlantic Grey Seals escorted us into the lagoon, whilst some kept a watchful eye on us from their rocky vantages.


Once we landed we set about some tentative exploring being careful not to wander into Tern nesting areas. If you get too close, the birds will let you know in true 'Hitchcock' fashion.

We met with the wardens who live in the lighthouse during the summer months whilst studying and keeping watch over this important breeding colony.

We left 'The Skerries' as soon as the tide turned. The evening light provided us with some spectacular photo opportunities.


As we approached West Mouse the tide had really got going.


Finally we reached the beach at Cemlyn shortly before sunset.

For more information on sea kayaking trips to the Skerries consult Chapter 10 of the new guidebook 'Welsh Sea Kayaking'.