Oh boy!

Got back from Anglesey after the long weekend campin' at Blackthorn Farm and doing the Intromediate course with Nigel Dennis  [SeaKayakingUK].

This year's just getting better and better; another top trip knocked off in excellent weather with just a hint of what the sea can do...

Day 1 was Trearddur Bay to Rhoscolyn and back, but with the emphasis on tightening up on the bad habits, and working on new strokes, with a 1:4 instructor ratio. Only 2 guys fell in so it was a touch harder on the day than the previous trip I blugged earlier.

Day 2... The Stacks.... a Grade C trip in JIm Krawiecki  and Andy Bigg's  excellent book 'Welsh Sea Kayaking; 50 Great Voyages'

Well I wasn't the only one who had a squeaky bum that day. Off we went from Porth Dafarch  on a beautiful summers day, meeting a few NWSK'ers on route. We hit Penryhn Mawr,  which to be honest wasn't a raging tiger like tide race, more of a pussy cat pillow, but one that could still scratch ..[only 2 swimmers!]

From then on to South and North Stack, visiting the caves, making friends with seals, and finishing at Soldiers Point on a quite simply fabulous sea day.

Many thanks to James and Gareth at NDK for leading the course so well, and for all the tips on the nav and theory stuff, and all the other lads on the course who made the weekend a whole lotta fun!

Main ambition for 2008 sorted.

I'm a bit late bluggin, but have been very busy recently.

On 21st July a few of us made our way to Gallows Point near Beaumaris to launch into the Menai Straits, to go and have a play in what many people regard as water with a bit of a reputation. Luckily for us it turned out to be a cracking day, the weather was fine, the wind was blowing the right way for a change, a neap tide and as the water moved us down the Straits, we arrived at Britannia Bridge just in time to catch the current to have a play.

Now I'm not going to make this out to be the easiest thing I've ever done in a sea kayak, but it helped having a Level 5 BCU Coach, Len Hartley with us, who taught us how to make the day so much fun showing us how to do ferry glides and quick turns in the eddies.

The arsenal of sea strokes and the confidence is building! We hit the Swellies, which was really just a fast paddle through, and made our way down to Moel-y-Mon to get out.

 Not the longest trip, but top fun!

Every now and then I say to myself "I must camp out under my tarp this year sometime...'

This year I may even do it. The things that put me off are a) midgies, b)wind and rain, and c) midgies.

Last night with a fair weather forecast and no midgies here, I put said shelter  [a Decathlon Tarp] up for a trial run.
I had to use 2 old ally poles from another tent for this construction and kipped out in the garden for the night.

Quite peacefully, [well a bottle of Sir Trevor Macdonalds night serum did help], but around 4am I realised it's a lot colder than sleeping in a tent and I had to slide into my bivvy bag for extra warmth.  However on a kayak trip my fleece undergear would help with this.

The tarp is quite bigger than a 'normal' backpacking one, but is useful to make a beach shelter for group cooking, and the extra weight is negligible when you consider how much you can pack into a sea kayak.

Then, sad person that I am, I bunged a load of basic kit under it for a practice packing session; well the Piel Island trip is only 2 months away, and who knows what else I may get up to.

For the gear freaks: Rab Generator top, Rab Survival Zone bivvy bag, Thermarest ProLite 3. TAR Chair, Tesco Ultralight down sleeping bag, Alpkit Gourdon 20L drybag, Exped drybag,  Jetboil, Trangia 27 with gas converter, Vango 2 Man shelter [Just in case], Ajungilak pillow, 2x Nalgene bottles one with LED's built into top.

The dog can come but he has to paddle his own bloody boat this time.

10 of us from FoA/Liverpool CC met up at Llanddonas beach Anglesey with the aim of circumnavigating Puffin Island.
21km, with a reasonable weather forecast, the only doubts being that the wind and the rain could rear their heads at some times.

We set off into a slight headwind, making good progress along the cliffs for about 8km, then the wind came up a bit and we had to get the rate up to go through the channel between the lighthouse and the coast to our lunchstop at Penmon Beach.

Whilst we feasted, Aled Williams [ex Rockpool Kayaks and probably one of the most experienced sea paddlers in the UK] turned up in one of his new Tide Race kayaks, and had a brief chat. We set off again, but this time the sea was definitely more choppy, and with the tide coming out of the Menai Strait made the paddling more difficult, and very exciting.

It was rapidly becoming the sort of conditions that experienced sea kayakers revel in, I felt a bit uneasy, but made it through ok, never feeling that a capsize was imminent, and as we approached the Island the waves and swell went down.

Then my first problem occurred; whilst on the beach I had moved my footrests forward 1 slot as they didn't feel right with the shoes I had on. BIG mistake. I was now very uncomfortable in the boat, and starting to get twinges in my thigh muscles. In addition I got cramp in my left hand that was so bad I had to call for help as I couldn't grip the paddle. Keith and Mike who were the most experienced of the group came to my aid whilst I waited for the spasms to go. [If this had happened in the tidal race I would have been in deep trouble] This cramp recurred about 4 times and each time I needed help, for which I wholeheartedly thank those people who came to my assistance.

The footpeg problem got worse, as did the weather, heavy rain, and eventually I needed a tow to a small beach to readjust them. From then on I was more comfortable, and the cramp in the hand went away, and we cruised with the tide back to the start point.
I then managed to fall in as I was trying to surf in on an 18" wave. Doh!

It was definitely a trip to reinforce the safety aspect that you should never paddle alone, especially on a day when the weather was so unpredictable, and the state of the water could change in an instant. The new Aquanaut was definitely put through it's paces, and I now feel more confident in it. I'm still not happy with the paddles I've got though, I think they may be too long.

Next Sea Blug: Intermediate Sea Kayaking course with Nigel Dennis Sea Kayaking at the end of July

It had to be done....

As soon as I saw on Outdoors Magic that Argos were selling a 2 man semi-geodesic tent  for £35 I had to have one.

So up it went in the garden.

First thing I noticed was that this type of tent would be a lot easier to pitch with 2 people, its like wrestling a big spider. Now I know why I had such a laugh at Mycroft and Son putting one up at Beddgelert earlier in the year.

It's big. Much bigger inside [1500x2200mm] than my trusty old Vango Hydra 200+. There's a decent size porch at each end and 4 big vents on the fly. Inside there are long handy mesh pockets and even a gear loft is included.

The ground sheet appears to be the same fabric as used in the legendary Tiger Paws 1 man tent, which is very good. There are 2 tension bands under the tent,  and all the stress points are well layered in tape.

I would love to know whose tent this is a copy of, how they can sell it for the price beats me and it could attain the same sort of status as the original TP 1 man tent if it stays on the market.

Bad points...truly awful fibreglass poles and steel pegs, which weigh too much [not worth replacing poles, would probably cost more than the tent!] and the sleeves for the 2 poles on the fly are a very close fit.

I'm pleased to say its a bit breezy here today and it just ain't moving.

Is it worth it? ..............................If it lasts as long as my Hydra, yes.

I joined up with 26 other members of FoACC at Tyn Rhos campsite just outside Trearddur Bay last Friday. It was the first time I had met most of them since I joined the club last year, and it turned out to be an excellent trip.

After a 'few' beers and a barbecue on the first night  the next day we set off to Borthwen near Rhoscolyn, to launch a flotilla of sea kayaks and other small boats, ably led by Keith Steer and Kirk Williams, their knowledge was invaluable and added to the enjoyment.

Rock hopping around the coastline, we popped out to Rhoscolyn Beacon went through some small tidal races and overfalls ... nothing too tricky ..[for me anyway; I must be improving...]

The highlights were visiting the caves on route and paddling under the Rhoscolyn Arch,  the  seals,  diving terns and cormorants along with the seagulls and their chicks on the rocks.

Lunch was held on a somewhat crowded beach at Trearddur Bay, with a quick return on the ebb tide back to Borthwen.

Great fun!  Off to the Trearddur Bay Hotel for a fish and chip supper that night and funnily enough, a 'few' more beers......I slept very well that night.

Sunday was intended to be a 12km open crossing to Carmel head via Church Bay from Holyhead;  I was feeling a tad tired at Church Bay [5k] at which point I dipped out to return home, and a long hot soak in the bath. I later found out the others had returned missing out Carmel Head,  and were lucky to avoid a 4' wave from the SeaCat.

Lessons from this trip: I prefer my Lendal Archipelago paddle to the Kinetic when I'm tired; maybe the low angle touring style of paddling suits me more of the time, however for trips that may require a bit more spells of intensive paddling the Kinetic will win. Also, when taking camera out of Aquapac, make sure AP is attached to decklines.........doh.

It was a pleasure to meet some people with a great sense of humour who really love being on the water and are prepared to help and guide you and I look forward to many more trips.

Thanks to Kirk and Keith for pics of me on the water and to Ruth for the lift back to the car!

Next trip, Puffin Island 5th July.

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?...