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Since getting back from our North Wales seakayaking trip, I have been mad-keen and psyched to get back on the DWS now that the weather has improved and water temperatures have slowly increased! After several trips to the Meadfoot area of Torquay to get back on it and rack up some mileage on the abundance of quality routes there, I turned my attention to an area I hadn't been to before - Black Head, over Ansteys Cove area, Torquay. There are only a small collection of DWS routes here, but the climbing is super-steep and you can do laps on the routes to get a full power-endurance work out. It's a super little venue! I managed to onsight the brilliant Bazuka, 6b+, and the superb cave traverse here on my first visit, but couldn't commit to the powerful moves of Veruca, 7a/7a+ due to the rough sea state that day. After a bit of beta and a route description from Dave Henderson, who put up the routes, I went back a week later in more favourable conditions, and after a little bit of a play around and the chalking up of some holds, I managed to climb the route first go with no splashdowns. Result! :)
Next up was a few trips to Lulworth Cove and the amazing Stair Hole! On my first visit the main steep sections of cliff were suffering from damp conditions and I was unable to get on the classic 'Horny Lil' Devil', 7a, that I so wanted to do. Instead I onsighted the fantastic 'Laws Traverse', 6b+, which had a great roof section and some splendid steep climbing in it, as well as other classics, including; 'The Maypole', 6a, 'Last Seasons Loozas', 5, and 'Cheddar Direct', 4+, to name but a few. On my second visit conditions were much better, with dry rock and neap high tides in the middle of the day that coincided with sun on the main steep sections of the crag. Perfect, Super! The first day there I spent some time trying the classic 'Animal Magnetism', 7a+, but couldn't unlock the right sequence in the middle of the main steep section of the route. After several splashdowns and a sliced up finger I admitted defeat that day and went back to cruising a few classics to get my flow back again. Second day, and I was super amped to get Horny Lil' Devil in the bag, so I wasted no time in getting straight on it! This route is steep and juggy with some big moves in it - much more my style! On my first attempt I made it past the halfway point and up to a large recess, but found it quite technical and struggled to get from here to the next big porthole jug, resulting in pumped arms and my first splashdown of the day. Second go, and I managed to get past the recess, and the next few juggy holds, and into the finishing corner, but getting my hand-sequence wrong here saw me pumped out and taking my second splashdown. Third go and I had the route and sequences wired, so all I had to do was climb efficiently and get it all right and the route would be mine. Halfway through the route and a kayaker paddles right underneath me coming out of the cave entrance! Undeterred I carried on, climbing smoothly and speedily to help avoid the pump. On the last big move into the corner I failed to latch the last porthole hold, but luckily held on! I tried it again, and still couldn't reach it! Getting a bit pumped now, I readjusted my feet and just threw myself at the hold, finally latching it. Woohoo! A couple more moves up and I was onto a ledge for a bit of a shake-out, before completing the final finishing moves to the top. I'd made it! So happy! Woohoo! Yeah! What a route - fantastic! :) Mission accomplished, I did my victory jump! Then I bashed out the Laws Traverse and The Maypole before calling it a day and heading home again. Loved Lulworth! :)
And then Berry Head DWS season arrived! Awesome! :) I was on it on the 1st of August, the day the bird-ban lifted, smashing out the classic Rainbow Bridge (upto the crux pitch) before heading over to the White Rhino buttress to bang out most of the super-steep routes there too. In fact, I was up there for the first three days straight, with the Saturday being by far the best day of the three for me. I was feeling pretty strong both physically and mentally that day, managing to complete the following routes in just the afternoon: Magical Mystery Tour, 6a+, The Wave, 6c, Rainbow Bridge Continuation, 6b, Cod Tympani, 7a+, White Rhino Tea, 7a (x3), Whoomze got der Keys to me Beema, 6c, Barnacle continuation, 6b/6c, Pink Roadster, 6c, Crossing the Tea, 7a, Watting yer Ouzel, 6c+, and the superb Cave Woman, 6c. After a couple of rest days, due to wet weather, I was back on it for most of the following week, adding The Oz Wall, 6b+, High Tide Running, 6b, Aeronautics, 6c, and Rainbow Scoop, 6c to the list, as well as spending a great deal of time lapping routes on the White Rhino buttress for more power-endurance training, prior to our proposed DWS trip to Portugal this year at the end of September.
I've been to the DWS Mecca of Mallorca now for the last two years, and although it is indeed a fantastic venue for rope free climbing over the sea, I fancied a bit of a change this year. The Portugal section in the Mike Robertson 'Deep Water' guide book looked really inspiring to me, with lots of super-steep juggy routes above the beautiful blue atlantic, and the added bonus of surf on the menu for some of the rest days. The other key ingredient that swayed the decision for me, was the added bonus of about four routes in the 7b range, with at least two of them holding the coveted three-star status! My aim for this trip is to climb my first 7b route. Weirdly, Mallorca doesn't really have any three-star 7b's, and certainly none that suit my climbing style, so Portugal with numerous top-quality three-star 7b's that are steep, juggy, and 'SO' seems to fit the bill perfectly for me! :) Super-excited! I can't wait! :D
In the meantime it's back to climbing at Berry Head to keep the training going and hopefully get a bit stronger in preparation for Portugal! Can't complain! Love it! ;)
Photos, top to bottom: Black Head Cave, climbing the Crux of Veruca 7a+, Horny Lil' Devil 7a route, Lulworth Cove and Stair Hole view, climbing White Rhino Tea 7a at Berry Head.
The middle two weeks of June were spent sea kayaking up in Anglesey, North Wales. The first day there we went out through the Penrhyn Mawr tide race, stopping on the way for bit of a play, and then on to the Stacks - North and South, to explore the massive caves and cliffs there and get up close to all the wildlife. Spring is the perfect time to visit, with a chance to see all the nesting birds there such as; Guillemots, Razorbills, Cormorants, Arctic Terns, Puffins, Gannets, Fulmars, kittiwakes, and gulls, as well as many seals, and the abundance of flowering flora that are very prolific at this time of year. It was a stunning trip!
With a small window of a few days of good settled weather, we decided to have a go at circumnavigating Anglesey. To make best use of the tidal streams we made sure we were loaded up and on the water at Rhosneigr by 0530, paddling out onto classy smooth waters heading clockwise around the island. Arriving at North Stack we radio'd the coastguard to check it was clear to proceed past Holyhead harbour before paddling the 12km to the Skerries in just one hour with spring-tide assistance! Heading east along the north coast we eventually stopped at the idyllic Porth Wen for a nice long afternoon break while we waited for the tide to turn in our favour again. That evening we enjoyed a pleasant paddle on past Point Lynas, including a bit of tiderace excitement, to Dulas bay near Moelfre where we camped up in a secluded spot for the night. Next morning we set off at 0730 with the flood tide heading across Red Wharf Bay, arriving at Puffin Island by 0930. With the last of the tidal push we cruised up to the Menai Bridge in the Menai Straits, where we stopped for a bite to eat, before hopping on he ebb tide which took us speedily down the straits and back out into the sea again on the southwest corner of the island. We stopped at the beautiful Llanddwyn Island for several hours that afternoon to rest and wait for the pushing tide once more, before setting off at 1930 into a brisk headwind on the final leg up to Rhosneigr. Having the tide with us cancelled the wind out a bit and we still made good progress, arriving at dusk around 2200 back at our starting point, having completed the circumnavigation in just two days, or 40.5 hours!
The wind really picked up the next few days, so we spent our time rockhopping in our kayaks along the rocky coastine, walking on Holyhead Mountain, and visiting the wildlife centre on South Stack where we could view the birds on the nests, as well as eat cake and drink tea in the cafe there too.
After a pleasant stay at a friend of Elisabeths at Menai Bridge, we drove out to the Lleyn Peninsular on the Sunday lunchtime with the aim of paddling around that, including a trip out to Bardsey Island if conditions allowed. We set off at 1500 that afternoon from Trefor with the ebb tide and made really good progress down the coast in overcast and windy conditions, arriving at Porth Oer five hours later after covering 33km! We did however end up eating in the dark and going to bed late as a result. Next morning we had a bit of a lie-in, as the tides wouldn't be in our favour until later in the day. It was a good time to relax, tinker with kit, and plan the crossing to Bardsey Island. We eventually set off at 1500, paddling out through some clean medium sized surf off the beach before heading on down to the tip of the Peninsular, utilising a strong back-eddy to aid our progress. The tidal flow in Bardsey Sound was running at 2kn to 2.5kn, necessitating a steep ferry angle and some strong paddling to make it across to Bardsey Island itself. An hour later we arrived to a welcoming committee of hundreds of Guillemots, razorbills and Puffins, as we followed the rocky coastline around to the safe and sheltered harbour slip, not far from the lighthouse on the island. After a brief stop and a bite to eat we set off back to the mainland again, timing the return crossing of the sound with slack water for a much easier and faster return journey. It was a long paddle from here up to our eventual camp for the night at the eastern end of Hells Mouth Bay, passing hourds of jellyfish en route. As the sun was setting we made our final, and exciting, surf landing onto the beach, getting some good rides on some clean four foot waves into the beach. Next morning we paddled out through the surf around 0800, with me making it out dry, whilst Elisabeth had to effect a speedy 'hat rescue' after losing it temporarily following a breaking wave that tore it from her head! On the paddle up towards the Tudwal Islands we were joined by a small pod of dolphins that swam with us for around 20 minutes, which was just amazing, and with more puffins and bird life at the Tudwal Islands it was like a wildlife extravaganza! The last section from here back to Pwllheli was a bit of a slog into a headwind, so we broke it up with a stop on a lovely sandy beach in the sunshine, before arriving at our destination around 1500. A short bus journey later and we had the van back and were loaded up and heading back to Anglesey, with the aim of paddling out to the Skerries to see the wildlife there in the next day or two.
The inshore waters forecast the next morning was looking promising, so after a speedy breakfast, and equally speedy drive, we arrived at Cemlyn Bay around 0900 near Carmel Head to get ready for the crossing out to the Skerries. By 1000 we were heading out of the bay and setting our ferry angle out to the island, with compasses set to 304 degrees. The tidal race out there had some quite lumpy sections in it, but nothing too bad, and we covered the 6km in under an hour! Arriving off the northern tip of the Skerries, we broke out behind one of the outer rocks in a good 3kn of flow, before ferrying back to the main island and paddling on into the inner lagoon near the lighthouse there. The wildlife here was phenomenal, in part due to the lack of man's presence, and we saw very close up massive colonies of Razorbills, Guillemots, Arctic Terns on their migration, Puffins in and out of their burrows, and some very inquisitive seals. We had a couple of hours of this all to ourselves, before the tide started to turn and we had to press on with our return journey. On the paddle back we agreed that we were very priviledged to have witnessed all that wildlife up so close, and of all the 'twitchers' on Anglesey at that time, very few would get to see that, proving that kayaking is one of the best ways to get up close and personal with the coastal wildlife that inhabit our shores.
The next few days were spent playing in the tiderace of Penrhyn Mawr near Porth Dafarch to hone our skills, and exploring the North and South stacks again where we found some superb rockhopping and cave paddling, and got to see all the birdlife again.
We both agreed that Anglesey is a true seakayaking paradise, and we'll definitely be heading back there again for more of the same! Absolutely loved it! :)
Been really busy last few months, hence rather late update of things! At the end of May I got in the rather chilly water for a spot of coasteering with a few good friends around the Long Quarry Point area near Anstey's Cove, Torquay. A great couple of sessions were had exploring the coastline and jumping off the cliffs there into the sea. The biggest jump was around the 50 foot mark and was quite a rush I can tell you! It was nice to have some good weather for a change too! Hopefully get some more sessions in over the summer!? ;)
With a few spare days off work left, and some fresh to strong west to southwest winds forecast, we made a last minute decision to paddle the stretch of coast from our home in Brixham to Lyme Regis in West Dorset. We set out early on Sunday 12th May from Brixham in a fresh westerly wind, making the crossing of Torbay a little unpleasant, but once we were past Hopes Nose and in the shelter of the high cliffs things were a little easier again. After a short stop at Watcombe beach for a leg stretch we pushed on along the sandstone cliffs to Teignmouth, where the river was flowing out quite strongly neccesitating a good ferry glide to cross, and then onto Dawlish where we stopped for a pasty and a cup of tea for lunch. The afternoon was a long one, partly because the wind was increasing, producing quite a lumpy sea state, and partly because we ended up paddling quite a long way before we found somewhere to camp for the night. Crossing Exmouth estuary entrance we encountered breaking waves over the shallow sandbars there before pushing on past Budleigh Salterton to Ladram Bay where we hoped to stop the night. By now the wind had increased to a good Force 5 to 6 and the sea was starting to get a little wild, but at least the wind was directly behind us now as we headed up the coast with Sidmouth in our sights. Ladram Bay was not to be, as it turned out to be a huge caravan park complete with its own on-site evening entertainment complex, so we pushed on torwards Sidmouth in the hope of finding somewhere to stop near there. Arriving on the outskirts of Sidmouth it was obvious landing our kayaks would be a little bit of a problem as the building swell was dumping heavily on the steep shingle beach there. Luckily for us there were some man-made rock groynes that dispersed the waves enough to allow us a safe landing in the lee of them. Once ashore we carted the boats up to a safe spot at the top of the beach, beyond the high tide mark, before getting a brew on and cooking up a nice pot of chilli and rice for dinner. There were no official places to camp, nor any ideal ones either, so we waited until it was almost dark before setting up the tent in a slight alcove along the seafront promenade. The weather forcast on the VHF informed us of moderate to fresh winds for Monday morning, increasing to Force 5 to 7 westerly during the day. With favourable tides early in the morning it was decided we should make a super-early start to make the most of things. We were so tired it didn't take too long for us to fall asleep.
I was up just after 4 am and we were packed up, breakfasted, and on the water for 5.30am. With both wind and tide in our favour we made good progress over the 11km to Beer Head, arriving just on 7am. It was silly to stop here and not continue to make use of the conditions, so after a quick cereal bar and a drink we sped on towards Lyme Regis, staying a good kilometre offshore to get the best from the tide. During this stretch of the journey the wind gradually increased, as predicted, to a solid Force 5 to 6, allowing us to pretty much surf all the rest of the way in a blur of speed, waves, and spray. Turning the final head in towards Lyme Regis the wind picked up even more to F6 with gusts of F7, so we had a pretty wild and crazy ride in on the last stretch, arriving just before 9am into the sheltered waters of the harbour at pretty much full high tide. The flags were horizontal and the wind whistled through the yachts halyards as we carried our boats the short distance up the slipway to where we could unload and set about getting changed and re-fuelled. After a much needed brew, or three, and a bite to eat, we went for a wander into town to visit the tourist shops, art galleries, and fossil shops for which Lyme Regis is famous. We had a few more hours to kill before our lift home arrived, so after a short walk through some gardens and a long snooze on a park bench, we headed back to the kayaks to un-pack and get ready for our departure back to Brixham. With Portland Bill, Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove off to the east, it was easy to start making plans to explore further along this wonderful stretch of coastline.
Watch this space!
The last weekend in April saw myself and friends Greg, Dom and Paul heading out for the Italian kayaking paradise of Valsesia Piemonte for seven full days of creeking on the world class rivers that this beautiful area is blessed with. Levels were high for the first few days so we enjoyed some big water runs on the Sesia and an upper Sesia run which included some pretty good waterfall drops. Once levels dropped a little we were able to get on the classic runs of the area, although levels were still medium to high and as such a bit on the sporty side. The upper Mastellone was exciting, and a good warm-up run for the superb and steep Gronda and Sorba slides - amazing rivers with loads of steep slides and boof drops. As the levels continued to drop to more normal levels we were able to paddle some of the other classics, such as the Egua, Sermenzina, Sermenza, including many of their various sections. We paddled such varied river conditions during the trip, involving alpine runs, steep and technical runs with loads of boulders, slides and drops, through to some pretty cool gorge paddling on the lower Sermenza and lower Mastellone. A lot of the rivers were pretty full-on grade 5 paddling, but it was all pretty cool being in such a beautiful setting of snow-capped mountains, steep wooded valleys, and quaint rustic villages dotted randomly throughout this amazing landscape. Definitely looking forward to the next trip! :)
April mainly consisted of lots of climbing training on my home wall, with the odd foray out to the cove and Bonehill rocks on Dartmoor for a spot of bouldering when the weather allowed. Generally it was too wet for much in the way of climbing outdoors, not wet enough for any kayaking on the river, and far too windy for any sea kayaking, so all in all a bit of a rubbish month really. Roll on summer, and hopefully plenty of deep water soloing again!?!
The weather this month has been either bitterly cold and dry or slightly milder with heavy doses of rain. This meant that most of my climbing was done on my home wall, just keeping the training going until I can get outdoors on some real rock again.
What the random and mixed weather did facilitate was a bit of kayaking in the form of both river and sea paddling. Finally after a month of having my new kayak I was able to get it wet and put some scratches on it, with a handful of quality runs on the superb Upper Dart. I had about three trips in lovely medium-plus levels, plus a couple of adrenaline-fuelled runs in quite big water which was a real buzz, one of which was solo. :O This all helped me to tune into the new ZET Raptor really well, and my overall impression is extremely good - it handles like a dream and I'm absolutely loving it! :) I'm in the blue boat in the video. ;)
Upper Dart ZET Raptor paddling big flows
I did also dust the cobwebs off my Tiderace Xcite and get out for a couple of fantastic sea paddles too. The first was an evening trip around Berry Head to Mansands and back in lovelyl warm and sunny conditions. Then a few days later Elisabeth and myself took a trip to the beautiful Bantham bay for a wonderful afternoon of surfing, rockhopping and coastal paddling in glorious sunny conditions. What a magic day we had! :)
Not sure what April has in store for us, but hopefully weather conditions will allow us to get out paddling and/or climbing in some form or other!?!
