Try, try again

Peter and I had been planning to repeat our Morecambe Bay crossings since our awkwardly achieved efforts last year. This trip coincided with the second day of Eric Innes circumnavigation of the British mainland in aid of the ex-serviceman's charity 'Help For Heroes'.

We assembled on the beach at Fleetwood and got underway heading north allowing the flood to push us a little to the east. The conditions became choppy as the strong easterly wind opposed the tide.

Slack water occurred around 2/3rds of the way across and before long wind and tide combined to push us rapidly west. This gave us a challenging last half hour ferry gliding into the Piel channel. Once in the channel we said farewell to Eric as he continued on his way to Silecroft on the West Cumbria Coast. After 3 hours, 15 minutes on the choppy windswept waters we landed beneath the castle on Piel Island for a well earned break.

We spent over 2 hours munching snacks and sandwiches, lying in the sun and drinking tea. All too soon it was time to head back and by this time the tide had well and truly gone out. This left us with a long muddy walk to the water with our kayaks.

The plan for the return was to head south allowing the west going ebb tide to carry us out to sea until the new flood would fetch us back in towards King's Scar, Wyre Light and eventually Fleetwood. The easterly wind was relentless and it was our underestimating this that was to be our undoing. We missed King's Scar by around 4km. We were way too far out west and now a huge sandbank stood between us and our cars parked at Fleetwood.

We cautiously drew closer to each other in the lumpy seas to hatch a plan'B'. The stern of Peter's kayak poked me in the earhole. This is my excuse for my second swim in 3 years.

We headed for the beach at Rossall Point just north of Cleveleys. After 3 hours and 40 minutes of exhausting paddling we settled for landing in the wrong place leaving a 5 km walk for the cars.

If you get a chance have a look at Eric Innes blog page and consider making a donation.

A sunny bank holiday? what next?

Last Friday afternoon Kirstine and I made a dash for the coast amongst the beginnings of the traditional bank holiday chaos. Before we could cross the pennine border into Yorkshire the exhaust fell off the car and the rear suspension collapsed too. It was like a scene form 'Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'. A very nice man from the AA came along and patched things up for us so that we limp to a nearby Kwikfit. Having initially left Manchester at 1-30pm we eventually arrived at Belford in Northumberland around 9-30pm.

On Saturday morning we headed off to circumnavigate Holy Island. We launched from the harbour on the island and following the guidance provided on John Rae's excellent kayaking website. With a Castle, sea birds, seals, rocky headlands and deserted sandy beaches this trip has it plenty to recommend it.

We even got a gloomy squall to get our hearts racing for the last part of the day as we paddled back towards the harbour.

On Sunday the wind was far stronger than we expected.

We went for a paddle in the shelter of the sandstone cliffs along the coast between Berwick upon Tweed and the Scottish border. This is a true classic amongst sea kayaking coastlines.

There are tidal lagoons, caves, arches and plenty of wildlife in amongst it all.

Later that day we drove along the coast to meet up with Ollie Jay who works as a canoe and kayak coach, and guide to the local area.

We packed up our boats with some supplies and went for a short paddle in the evening sunshine in search for a nice sheltered beach to sleep on. The night tried to draw in but never quite made it. Star gazing from amongst the dunes was good fun all the same and made all the better with a glass or two of red wine.

The bank holiday Monday morning sunshine gently warmed us from our sleeping bags. We took plenty of time over breakfast to the sound of Curlews, Oystercatchers, Skylarks and Terns. All too soon we were back in the 'real world' packing our toys away in readiness for the long haul home along the A1.

The Durham Heritage Coast

Ever since the pit closures of the eighties this area has been occupied by a community short of employment and wealth. Well placed money for redevelopment has done much to revive this area but there is still much to do. Our paddling this last weekend took us from Fish Sands close to this statue of Andy Capp on the Hartlepool Headland along the Durham Heritage Coast to Sunderland.

We paddled north along the coast towards Crimdon Dene where there is a breeding colony of Little Terns hidden amongst the sand dunes. A little further on and there is a small headland called Blackhall Rocks. Closer inspection reveals the headland to be almost completely hollow. This is a huge cavern with numerous entrances at ground level, and a pebbly beach inside.

Later in the afternoon we settled for a deserted beach to camp for the night. Until the 1980s waste from the coal mines and steel industry was dumped along this shore without regard for any consequences. Following a huge clean up the beaches are turning from black to a more naturally sandy colour and wildlife is beginning to return.

The Magnesian Limestone that makes up most of this coastline is riddled with caves and arches and we made the most of the rockhopping opportunities.

The Limestone is overlaid with Boulder Clay and sandy glacial deposits and there is plenty of evidence of frequent cliff collapse.

Upon our arrival at Sunderland we found a delightful cafe by the beach inside the north pier where we found pie and chips to be our reward for paddling against tide and wind all morning.

There is a greater selection of photos here.

A Farewell To Johnny Roadhouse

During my past existence as an under used musician I worked for a number of years in a well known shop called Johnny Roadhouse Music. The shop on oxford road was more an institution than a mere retail outlet. It was a place where all manner of characters (including musicians) would meet up, drink the establishment's tea and sometimes even buy things. 123 Oxford road was always a hive of activity and this was all down to the traditions laid down by the great man himself, Johnny Roadhouse! I often got a ride into work with him. Once in his car I would be captive to his teachings, points of view, awful jokes and unfeasible anecdotes. Through the din of Saturday's could be guitar gods he would declare, "There is nothing worse than a quiet music shop!"

Johnny Died aged 88 following a short illness. When I attended the funeral at Manchester Cathedral I was stunned by all of the familiar faces. People I had served, worked with and played with more than 10 years since. The shop has been run by his son John for many years now. Long may it retain its importance in Manchester's cultural landscape and stand as a living breathing and very noisy memorial to Johnny Roadhouse.

A visit to the Calf of Man

Over the Easter week Kirstine and I went to the Isle of Man for some sea kayaking and exploring. We started off with a couple of short day trips.

Our first trip was to the southeast area to explore Castletown and the Langness Peninsula. The coastline is rugged with cliffs, gullies and deep caves.
Santon Burn is a deep sheltered gully with clear blue water and south-facing shingle beaches. The perfect sun trap lunch stop destination.

Another day trip took us to the northeast area of the island to have a look at Maughold head.

We continued on paddling south spending plenty of time rockhopping, sunbathing by a lagoon and exploring the wooded glen at Port Cornaa.

The highlight of the holiday was our trip over to the nature reserve on the Calf of Man.
The calm seas and light winds meant that we could paddle all the way round the island before finally landing. There is no camping allowed but we had booked some basic accommodation in the bunkhouse at the bird observatory.

In the warm sunny afternoon we took a walk around the island where we saw Willow Warblers, Wheatear, Chough, Stonechat, hundreds of seabirds and thousands of rabbits.

The wardens made us very welcome and even got the log fire going for us in time for tea. As dusk fell they allowed us to watch as birds were trapped, weighed, measured and ringed.

For most of our stay we were guests of Keirron Tastagh who runs Adventurous Experiences. He and his family always make me feel welcome and this trip was no exception.

Pass times old

I years long gone I fancied myself as a musician. I played percussion and Bass Guitar in a variety of bands with styles ranging from punk, folk, jazz, blues, Latin American and I even did a spell with a 14 piece Bhangra band. A mind blowing experience!

In the last few days I have re-visited my musical past by getting together to play some tunes with a kayaking friend Mark and his son Jamie who are both crazy about Metallica.

I have not played my bass guitar in anger for about 10 years so I felt more worse than a little rusty. We were joined by Sophie who is a more than accomplished drummer. The idea was to make plenty of noise have a whole lot of fun trying to mimic the American rock gods.

There is certainly room for improvement in the quality so we will definitely have another jam in the near future.

Sunny Flamborough

A sunny day on the Yorkshire coast is hard to resist especially when the North Sea is unusually calm. Dave and I arrived at South Landing close to Flamborough Head just as the lifeboat crew were getting ready for their weekly training exercise.

There are numerous caves and gullies to be explored but even on a relatively calm day conditions can be tricky in amongst the numerous stacks and reefs.

There were birds everywhere! Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes, Curlews...

... and the Gannets have arrived too.

Whilst we sat in the sun enjoying our lunch at North Landing local fishermen brought their catch of the day ashore in one of the traditional 'Cobles' that operate from here.

The Completed Journey

Last week I took part in a unique voyage that linked the Irish Sea with the North Sea via the inland waterways network of northern England. And what a treat it was! The trip started near Crosby at the Mouth of the Mersey Estuary. At Runcorn the route followed a historic trading route through Manchester along inland waterways across the Pennines before reaching the Humber Estuary at Goole. On the Humber the route passes Hull and after 8 long days finished at the historic lifeboat community at Spurn Head on the North Sea Coast.

We stayed mostly in various accommodation including one night on a narrowboat and another in a lighthouse owned by an eccentric artist. The scenery was varied too. Once away from the windswept coast the rolling Cheshire countryside was soon replaced by industrial structures and inner city chaos of Manchester. The heights of the route (600ft above sea level) were adorned by the surrounding moorland and crags that mark the Lancashire - Yorkshire border.

The people we met were equally varied. On separate occasions a pub landlord and a Dog walker were instantly moved to hand over donations there and then. One character from a group of threatening looking youths recognised me as being Polish, produced a small plastic cup and poured me a generous slosh of vodka. He insisted I looked cold and needed a ' likkle sumfink' to warm me up.

The 182 mile journey involved portaging around 140 locks (I haven't counted them all yet) with many days on the go for 9-10 hours. Not surprisingly one of us took a little time out due to tiredness, injury or illness. The one exception was Jean who instead of accepting a lift around a 5 mile impass on the Calder and Hebble Navigation, chose to get up early and run it in an effort to keep a sense of completeness to the coast to coast journey.

The Kayak Coast 2 Coast blog describes the build up to the trip and includes a day by day account. Have a look and if you feel moved enough you may consider making a donation to our charitable cause.

Getting ready for Spring

In recent weeks I've been busy getting things organised for a trans-pennine paddling adventure 'Kayak Coast 2 Coast'. Whilst this may have kept me from updating my blog, it has not kept me from getting out and about.

In the freezing stillness between Christmas and New Year I managed to get out for a dusk paddle around the Little Orme near to Llandudno, and a dawn paddle on the Dee Estuary.

On New Year's Eve, Chris and I went in search of spectacular temperature inversions that had been expected in Snowdonia. The typical valley mists didn't materialise but we did enjoy a winter wonderland walk on Moel Siabod and around Capel Curig.

Despite the freezing night temperatures we managed a New Year garden party and barbecue. We kept warm by making a roaring fire, drinking plenty of mulled wine and eating plenty of a traditional Polish winter stew called 'Bigos'.

Just as the second big freeze of was taking its grip I was attending a weekend organized by friends from North West Sea Kayakers. We were based at the YHA in Bangor and based our excuses for celebration around Burns Night with bagpipes, whisky and haggis.

I couldn't resist getting out in the snow when it came but it rarely last for long in Manchester so I headed for the nearby Peak District National Park for some hill walking and cross country skiing before all the snow melted away.

Kayak Coast 2 Coast

This Spring I will take part in an 8 day kayaking trip that crosses northern England from the Irish Sea to the North Sea. I will be joined by my good friends Jean, Glen and Liz. The trip will start on the 14th of March 2009 near Crosby at the Mouth of the Mersey Estuary. At Runcorn the route will follow a historic trading route through Manchester along inland waterways across the Pennines before reaching the Humber Estuary at Goole. On the Humber the route passes Hull and finishes at the historic lifeboat community at Spurn Head on the North Sea Coast.

We will be raising money for RNLI Lifeboats along the way. All of us taking part would be very grateful if you could make a donation on our Justgiving page. We will also be posting updates on our Kayak Coast 2 Coast blog.

Wild Bore Hunt #3. Thwarted by the Sludge

In a final act of adventure the pre-christmas wild bore hunt took us to Glasson Dock at the mouth of the River Lune. At last we caught sight of real pig meat. Bacon baps were devoured from the 'Lantern o'er Lune' cafe in preparation for our 'Tour de Lancaster'.

'The Lancaster Round' is a lengthy day paddling trip that combines the rising waters of the Lune Estuary with the stillness of the Lancaster Canal. It took us around an hour an a half to reach Lancaster where the waterfront has undergone some splendid re-generation. Many of the original buildings from Lancaster's bustling past as a trading port remain. The wonky house with leveled windows is one that has survived in spite of some merciless subsidence.

Unless there is an unusually high spring tide it is necessary to portage Skerton Weir in order to reach the Lune Aqueduct and the Lancaster Canal less than 500 metres further upstream.

The Canal runs 19 metres above the river. It was only once a couple of kayaks has been carried up the bank to the canal we saw that the canal had been drained for maintenance. All that remained of our inland route back to Glasson was an 18th century trough full of mud.
Thwarted by the sludge, we beat a hasty return back down the Lune Eustuary to some spectacular sunset scenes.............

Wild Bore Hunt #2. Take aim .............. mist!

The intrepid bore hunters stirred from their slumber to find the Leven Estuary blanketed in thick fog. Undeterred, the hunters hurried their kayaks to the advancing waters edge in readiness for the search for Chapel Island.

Technical minds, knowledgeable experts and a doctor from Yorkshire were summoned. They consulted their books, orientated maps, and pointed .... and following an undetermined amount of time paddling on a varied bearing the island was found much where it was last time.

Chapel Island was explored thoroughly but sadly no boar were to be found. As the mist lifted the hunters fled north with the flood in search of a place for rest and nourishment. Coffee and cakes were dispatched with yaffle and glee.
The only blot on the landscape of fulfillment was a sweltering, greasy, pungent bowl of 'Bovril and kebab floater' soup. A retreat on the ebbing estuarine waters followed soon afterwards for fear of reprisals.

Wild Bore Hunt Day 1 - The Slightly Irritated Piglet

The elusive and notoriously fickle wild bore of Arnside haunts the shores of the Kent Estuary, in the northwest corner of Morecambe Bay. A muffled roar is often heard as the wave approaches. Small animals scatter for cover and birds take to the air. Shortly afterwards patient members of the local paddling community experience the ride of their lives, or monumental disappointment.

We paddled some way out towards the retirement capital of the south lakes coast. Grange-over-Sands has an elderly community which supports a number of doilie adorned cafes providing afternoon teas. Local residents are waited upon by the younger mini-skirt and low top clad generation, but the correlation with this 'generation gap' and an unusually high incidence heart attacks has yet to determined.

The water arrived late. Not so much a wild tidal bore but more a slightly irritated piglet. we rode the surge of rising water back to Arnside and consoled ourselves with some surfing beneath the railway viaduct.

Having failed to catch any wild boar we continued on up the estuary and into the tributary River Bela where we were tempted by some Reindeer maturing in a festive manner. Our final destination was Kate's house where we washed down a herd wild boar sausages and a mountain of mash with a good old glug of mulled plonk!