From the Friends of Allonby Canoe Club, Liverpool.... 06/05/08 Sea Paddle – North Wales Met at Ogwen services as usual, Kirk actually wasn't late for once! The Stacks was decided as the trip and we set off for Port Daffych to leave a car on the way. On arriving we discovered the sea fog and the rather large swell hitting the back wall of the bay! Change of plan-back to the sunshine! We decided to go to Rhoscolyn instead as this gave us more options that were less committed, unfortunately the sea fog had got there too but the bay was a lot calmer. On we got, after chatting to Greg and Jo who happened to turn up in the carpark, and headed for the Beacon in the fog. Interesting sea conditions, big swell coupled with the tide race and the fog. Absolutely fandabbydozzie I thought - NOT! It sorted out who had a compass and who didn't though. "We'll land round the headland"- where Ian? Where's the headland, never mind where's the landing spot? Large breaking waves confronted us so we decided to turn around and go back to the shelter of Rhoscolyn. We landed by the lifeboat station for an early lunch with a bit of sunshine popping through the fog and a review of the adrenlin paddle! Interesting first trip for Francesca with us...! After lunch off we set again, where's that Beacon? Into the fog again and this time the sea conditions were a little more top 4 star than 5 star and we found it and a few seals to boot. Paddling back into Rhoscolyn and we came across refugees from the symposium who were struggling to find somewhere to paddle because apparently the sea conditions had been bad all weekend. This time, as we discovered it was only 1.30 pm, we decided to change tack and head for Silver Bay as the sun had actually made an appearance now. After finding even more refugees from the symposium and watching some odd power boat handling skills from the tourists we headed back. On the way back in a lone paddler happened upon us - are you the Allonby paddlers? - (what have we done now...!) Oh I'm meant to be with you - I'm Mike Bell!

Mary Erasmus posted on NWSK site..'Anyone fancy a paddle on the Conwy Estuary?'

I did,  as I had just bought a new Valley Aquanaut HV [well, ex-demo] and was desperate to try it out.

I managed to get to Conwy just in time to join her and Dave for a most enjoyable 24km trip up the Conwy from the back of the castle.

It was a tad windy going up, but with the wind behind us and the benefit of the ebb tide we sailed back.

An excellent chippy meal and a pint of Brains Bitter at the Liverpool Arms finished the day off .

I made off to  Beddgelert, and camped with my mates from OutdoorsMagic.com,  with a day out to  Llanberis on the Saturday to get some kit.

Sunday morning was awful. It had rained all night, and I had arranged to meet Dave Batty  at Borth y Gest for a trip up the Drywyd Estuary.

My phone battery ran out and I couldn't  contact him, so I went anyway. Good thing. The rain stopped, and the sun came out a bit, and we set off.

This is definitely a trip to do when there is a spring tide  of at least 8-9m,  as we ran aground on the sandbanks a few times. [All part of the learning curve]...remember to take the map next time...

We passed Portmeirion, which looks like it needs a fresh coat of paint to be honest, and eventually ran out of water so returned to avoid getting stranded.

The trip brought back memories of my youth spent in Porthmadog, but it has changed a lot since; however we had a good paddle and hopefully worth the long trip Dave made.

Impressions of the new Aquanuat? It's great.

Next outing: Anglesey, where things may become a little more complicated.....

Went up to Ravenglass in Cumbria last weekend for the 2nd Annual Seaquest, a 3hr event, which consisted of paddling around the estuary comprised of the rivers Esk, Irt, and Mite. The weather was cool and about F4-5 wind, which added a bracing touch to the days fun. It was open to all types of boats, sea kayaks, open canoes, and sit on tops.

Various controls where dotted on the banks, or buoys etc, which had to be stamped, ....points make prizes....!

If you completed the whole course it was nearly 22km long, and some people did; the superfit adventure racers. I completed 12km and came 21st [out of 71 competitors]

The day was finished off with a 'few' pints  and a good meal in the Holly Bush pub, and a camp at Ravenglass C&CC site.

I didn't fall in, and was lucky to meet some friends last seen in Scotland 2 yrs ago.

Big thanks to Annette and Phil for organising a great event.

A Happy New Year to you all.

We spent Christmas in Eskdale in the Lake District, the weather wasn't too good unfortunately, and that with a combination of a chest cold limited the amount of walking I was able to do.

However, there were some highlights, we visited Cockermouth and Keswick, drove over Hardknott Pass 2 times in a day to Ambleside, [which looked like it was about to get flooded with all the rain there], and had an entertaining if cold morning out watching the Eskdale and Ennerdale Hunt on Boxing Day. And I met Santa up on the fell above the village of Boot.

New Years Eve was spent trying to eat 2 of the biggest pies I have ever seen; [along with 3 other people I might add..] especially brought over from Wigan from Greenhalgh's. Apparently a very famous piemaking company and very tasty too.

Now we are all suffering from snug pants syndrome, so it's Alan Titmarsh time.. .....Eat less........drink less.....and do more excercise.

Let's all hope the weather is better in 2008 so we can spend more time out on the hills and on the water.

Here's a list of me favourite gear used in 2007; some old favourites and a few new ones, especially the Rab stuff.

Macpac Microlight tent
Rab Vapour Rise trousers
Rab Generator smock
Paramo Velez smock
Icebreaker merino baselayer
Keen Targhee mid boots
Jetboil PCS stove
Alpkit Fat Airic sleeping mat [car camping only!]
Lowe Alpine Mountain Cap

And here's some of me favourite pics of the year..

Off we went in a bright orange plane to chilly Berlin.
I like it there, people are polite, the city is clean and well set out,  transport is cheap and safe, and the beer and food is good.
And you don't get ripped off like you do in London.
We stayed at our old favourite Hotel Gates, just off Ku'damm and close to Zoo Station.
There's a great little Christmas market there at night, a good place to stop and have a Bratwurst and a Gluhwein (with a wee shot of rum as well for me..!!)
As usual Francie hit the shops in style and boy are there shops in Berlin!

We also went to the famous Berlin Zoo to see Knut the baby polar bear who was 1 last week.
He's more of a pale brown colour now, but came out to play and lovely he is too. In a year or so he will be able to kill a human with ease.

I'm not so sure I like zoos so much now. It was plain to see that many of the animals are depressed and showing compulsive repetitive actions, especially when caged. The big cats, chimps and elephants were especially sad to see; however I realise that they are very well cared for and hopefully can be used to educate children that their native habitats are in danger from developers and poaching.

My treat of the trip was a trip to nearby Steglitz, where there is an outdoor shop, Globetrotter DE.
The biggest, bestest one I have ever been in. It even had an indoor pool to try kayaks out. All the gear that I bought was cheaper than in UK ie 1Euro=1GBP.
Well recommended.

We had a minor hooey on the way home when we realised the Airport Express wasn't running all the way to Schonefeld, and we had to get a snail train back to the airport and only made checkin with 10 minutes to spare....

Happy Christmas to all our friends and a prosperous New Year.

Mike,  Francie and Freddy Dog

A few weeks ago  I got thinking how I could convert my Jetboil to use a small frypan to cook bacon for breakfast. This is the result:

I drilled 3x 4mm holes directly over the legs of the Jetboil burner unit, and into these holes I fitted 3 pieces of bent steel rod, [ 8cm legs with 7cm centre]. These slide down inside the legs and locate on either side of a moulding sprig.

Due to the length of the wire the plastic is not affected by the heat, and will stow in the Jetboil pan

[The wire over the piezo sparker has to be raised for ignition or it will short, then push it down when burner is lit].

Result? a small tripod to balance a pan on. I use a Trangia 15cm [1L] pan for cooking, and also a Tesco 87p aluminium plate as a mini frying pan. and a length of Aertec (aluminised bubblewrap) as a windshield

Obviously you can buy Jetboils' own 'Fluxring' pans at great expense, but for the occasional time you need extra cooking facilities in the field, especially if you are sharing, this works fine for me.

Pictures show pans with pot cosies  made from Aertec, which is a very good lightweight insulator.

Paul Scattergood was my father in law.

He was a fine, caring gentleman who sadly died in the early hours of Friday 2nd November after suffering a stroke at home the previous day.

Originally from Stanton-by-Dale, Derbyshire, he worked in banking all his life. He served in WW2 in Italy and returned to Derbyshire and then to Ruislip, where he worked at Gatwick Airport with the Barclays Bank International Currency Division.

Through work he eventually transferred to Liverpool and finally settled in Hightown, with his wife Eileen and daughters Jackie and Frances (my wife).

He had a lifelong love of railways and steam trains and had a keen eye on the weather forecast, as well as almost total recall of all events in his life, dates, times and places. We shared many holidays together in the Lake District, Wales, and Yorkshire, and he always showed a keen interest in my outdoor pursuits and loved to look at the photographs I took.

He will be sadly missed by myself and all the family,  and especially by Freddy, our chocolate Labrador who was his daily companion.

Saturday it was a lovely day, so off to busy Wasdale.
I eventually found somewhere safe [relatively] to park the car and bimbled up Netherbeck to Scoat Tarn, arriving at sunset.
I camped in a different spot than my usual one, as I couldn't be arsed walking around the tarn, and the attraction of a relatively  level bit of dry ground in the shelter of a huge boulder with a lovely view of Seascale was just too good to miss.
It also turned out to be a bit warmer than the other side, maybe because the crags there cause a cold drop at night.
At 1-45am I turned out for a call of nature and there wasn't a cloud in the sky so I spent 10 mins gazing at the firmament..it couldn't last of course; by 8am it was gloom and mist all round...
What a difference a day makes, as the old song goes...
I headed off up Scoat Fell, made my way across to Pillar, [which I actually had to navigate off] and with the clouds descending  and the drizzle starting decided to call it a day and made my way down Blacksail Pass to the Wasdale Head Inn for a swift pint and marvel at the obscene prices of food in the bar, and then home.
I  tried out a Decathlon Quechua 50l  [Forclaz Ultralight] rucksack I bought last year. Not impressed. The hipbelt wasn't supportive enough for the stuff needed for an overnighter and the shoulder straps too thin. I'll stick to my trusty Macpacs in future. However it'll get used for kayaking trips as it's so small it will go in the hatches easily.
I also tried a short self inflating mat, which didn't do the job at this time of year, so it's back to the Thermarest Prolite 3; 170gms extra but no cold legs.


PS.. thoroughly recommend Crocs shoes. After a 10 mile tramp they are might look like you are wearing some garden watering equipment on your feet, but they are very, very, comfy.

Update on the new [old model] Easky kayak. It's much faster than the latest version and feels a lot more responsive. I paddled it around Morpha Nefyn bay off the Lleyn Peninsula, North Wales.
Unfortunately it was very blowy, and not really safe to go out to the headland on my own due to some very mixed water there,  so I practiced some leans and turns and a new sculling manoeuvre. For once I didn't capsize so I must be doing it right at last.
I'm going to join The Friends of Allonby Canoe Club in Liverpool to get some proper tuition in the pool over the winter, practice  rolling properly on both sides, and hopefully build up some new friendships so I can get out on the water more than at present.
Finally got the roof bar fittings for the new car, so can transport the 2 kayaks on the top properly now, so a Lakeland paddle is on too.

Well, to relieve my boredom I decided to bid on an Easky sea kayak on eBay.
I set myself a limit of £475, and was in the frame for a while.
The wife's mate came round for a meal and after a glass of wine I suddenly remembered deadline due... a bidding war was on. I eventually got it for £481.28p as opposed to a retail price of £620.
Its 4 yrs old but a better version of the kayak I already have, so having the two opens up a lot more trip possibilities, especially if anyone fancies a lake paddle on Coniston/ Windermere in the future, or even an estuary paddle. I have a few in mind: Ravenglass, Barmouth, and Porthmadog to list a few.

Update: And I am well pleased.

The chap who was selling the kayak also gave me a Lendal Kinetic paddle [very good bit of kit], and a hatch cover too.
Even though the kayak is a precursor of the same model as the one I already own, it was made by P&H,
rather than Venture/Pyranha, with a triple layer hull [as in present Capellas]rather than a single skin, and it is in excellent condition.
Comparing the two models is a bit like the difference between a  BMW 316 and a 325i. If it was a composite kayak, ie glass fibre, it would be an M3.
Some purists may say it is not a 'true' sea kayak as it is only 15' long as opposed to usual 17', a plastic hull,  and not suitable for long open crossings, but it is ideal for my intentions, coastal excursions, rock hopping and hopefully a few overnighters. It's amazing how much gear you can get in them.
Denis, who I bought it off is well into outdoors stuff, he was a BCU instructor once and gets up in the hills too, and has asked me to contact him next time I am off to a meet.
Will post some action pictures soon I hope!

I went out to shop today and called in at the local Eastern Supermarket and this wee burner caught my eye.

As those of you who know me, I'm a keen maker of  alcohol or pepsi can stoves, so I was keen to see how it performed when tested from a different point of view.

These are designed and marketed as 'chafing heaters' ie they keep food warm/simmering when fitted in the right housing, a bit like the thing dumped in front of you with lit tealight candles inside when you go out for a Chinese meal. The most common type is made by Sterno, and contains an alcohol gel, and this is covered in depth by the excellent Zenstoves.net reviews.
However, being curious, I did a few tests and have popped a few pictures up too.

The particular model I bought is called a "Pro Heat' adjustable heat model.  It weighed 270gms on purchase and consists of an aluminium sealed can with a double wick which can be spread for either single or double heat effect. There's a plastic top which is a tight fit and seals the unit well. If it is a similar spec to Sterno, it should last for 2hrs. NB[This unit contains diethylene glycol fuel]

Testing it out with 500ml of tap cold water and an Alpkit Mytimug on a bodged up potrest it took 7.5 mins [in my kitchen] to boil water for tea. Which is 2mins slower  than my turbo model pepsi stove.

Disadvantages are that it blows out more easily than a pepsi stove, so a good windshield is necessary [ isn't it always?], its harder to light, and it smokes a bit when you do blow it out.

BUT it does work, it doesn't smell of meths, its self contained, fits inside a Mytimug, you dont need a fuel bottle, and I bet you could refill it with a large bore syringe from an inkjet refill kit. It is ideal for simmering on a single wick setting, which is hard to do on a pepsi stove.

I did a Google and there are a few catering trade suppliers, and they can be bought in bulk for around 70p

Finally some pics of various Pepsi [well Stella] stoves I have knocked up which will be up for grabs at next meet I can make.

As seems to have become the norm, the combination of Glastonbury and Wimbledon brought out the worst of the English weather. The flooding in Yorkshire was awful and commiserations to the families who lost loved ones.

On a lighter note, earlier in the week as I was watching the floods on the telly in a local pub with some friends, it struck me that if the same thing had happened where I live, Francie and I would probably be in a better position to cope, in view of the survival, camping and boating  equipment we have to hand, as opposed to my mates.

We actually live in a flood plain which has 2 emergency pumping stations designed to kick in if the River Alt ever rises too far. Threatened local water  authority cutbacks will force one of them to be closed in the near future.  What's Sods' Law again?...

Got home from work today and checked the nest, and only the runt of the flock was left.
From the squawking from the garden it was obvious the others had made a dash for it, and I managed to see 2 of the little uns on their first tentative flights.
One was stuck on the garden fence in a 'shall I or shan't I' mode, and I was able to get up close to take a pic; the other was high up in a leylandii tree. Mother and father were observing their progress and as usual the killer cat from 2 doors away made his foul skulking appearance. The would be murderer was sent of in a hail of Fred Labrador barks, blackbird squawks and a handful of pea gravel from the border.
I really dislike that cat. I can't account for the remaining chick, hopefully he found a safe dry roost as it is all thunder, lightning and rain here tonight.

As usual nowadays the weather decided to do its own thing.
I fancied a trip up to Coniston to kayak the length of the lake from Water Yeat and sneak a quick pint somewhere, but the forecast was poor and twas a touch iffy here in Formby too.
Of course by midday it was glorious, and I was almost suffering from heatstroke having moved the last ton of grit for the patio through the house via wheelbarrow. I took the opportunity of relaxing in the shade for half an hour with one of Mrs Artois' fine drinks, and took a few pics of my blackbirds' babies.
They won't be here for long, but its good to see 4 birds survive from the 5 eggs she laid, [only 2 survived the first clutch]and as they are nearly fledged, they should be taking their first flights within the week.

So, Bluggites, today I went to Stockport, to visit Brookbank Canoes and my favourite store, Decathlon.
Having bought my new paddle leash [Northwater, no expense spared] and lusting over a North Shore composite kayak [50th birthday present maybe, Francie??] we tootled off to Decathlon. I've never seen it so busy.
I bought a 0 second tent; well.... lets say a beach shelter [£12-95] 2 pairs of Forclaz 500 socks, a Quechua A100 Ultralight self inflating mat [£19-95], and a dinky little folding table [£7-95] for car camping, and a few other odds and ends.
Then we popped into Go Outdoors for a mosey. and here's my beef: In GO, a Thermarest Prolite3 short mat is £65...£49-99 in the Outdoor Shop, and its the same weight [stated on the packaging; not tested] as the Quechua one.
For me thats a no brainer, especially with the guarantee Decathlon give [manufacturing faults covered not misuse or puncture damage]
And its blue too.
And for what I want it will do just the job.
Nuff said.

Top weekend at/on Anglesey.
Camped at the excellent Outdoors Alternative campsite on Saturday, and in the afternoon I paddled about 5k on perfect waters from Porth-y-post around to Trearddur Bay.
The water quality was excellent; very clear and many fish seen and I managed to explore the at cave at the base of the big old gloomy house.
I was amazed to see lots of people coasteleering around the rocks ; it's really becoming popular now.
The boat handled well with the new padding on the hips and knee braces, and new cranked Lendal paddle felt good. It's making me wonder whether to trade up to a composite kayak for better handling and speed..mmmm...

Blugger work. Spent all week tidying up and painting. Planning trip to The Lakes or North Wales this weekend. Still can't make my mind up; part of me wants to get the kayak in the water and t'other feels like a long lonely walk to contemplate shitty life at the moment. I'll let you know in time.

Well bluggers, today I fitted the sink in the downstairs bog. Somewhere to put muddy boots at last! Filled rucksack and emptied it again. Went to B+Q and Outdoors World which has changed from an outdoors shop to a hotel camping supply store. Now watching Big Brother which is vaguely interesting as some tasty gals on it as for a change. I am busy making alcohol stoves, as it gives me a valid reason to drink lots of beer. Training for the Sefton Triathlon now concentrating on speed work in the pool for 2 weeks, trying to get under 25 sec lengths, 6 at a time. Hard work.