Friday 4th June 2010
Porth Dafarch to South Stack (well almost)!
I had planned to be in South West Wales from Thursday onwards. But with one of the kids being ill all night wednesday, and me not getting much sleep, I just couldn't face the 5-6 hour drive to Pembrokeshire.
I hatched a plan to go over to Angelsey on Friday and stay until Sunday afternoon.
After a very hot drive, I pitched the tent at Angelsey Outdoors and went down the road to Porth Dafarch.
Launching at 1650 hrs and just after high tide, the weather was glorious, the sea calm with a slight swell.
Looking back at the beach there were still a fair few people enjoying the weather.
Looking East towards Trearddur Bay I could see other kayakers, and further in the distance Rhoscolyn Beacon out on the further most rock.
I decided to go West, and to my delite, the sea was almost flat. The caves and coastline are similar, if not the same as down South West Wales. The sea is not quite as blue though to me!
Just West of Porth Dafarch I took this picture of the nest headland, and pondered...what lies around there, and can I get back?
I've been here before, but not gone this direction, all sorts of things started to run through my mind, overfalls off the heads? Strong races stopping me from getting back? and off course, will those speedboat drivers see me before they hit me?, or will they just hear a knock on there hull?
I love to explore these chanels between the rocks, and not disapointing me....
I find some sort of random debris! Washed up? or thrown down?
And for the geologists amongst you... something more natural.
Passing back out of this gap it feels so good to be out on the water, I wonder what the weather down 'South' is doing for Richard
Then I saw this one, and thought 'this looks like it'll go through?'
Ermm, maybe not!
From above the following evening, definately not, not these days anyhow.
It did look like prior to the rock fall it might have once.
Then paddling around to the other side, a cracking natural arch, it looked do-able until....
A trip around the other end revealed a pointy rock that didn't leave much room for error in the surfing waves that came through now and then.
The view from above
Looking out toward Penrhyn Mawr, all I could think of was how big the overfalls looked on Olly Sanders' blog on his recent post
If you get out a magnifier, you might be able to see the slightly turbulent water as we are now 1 hour into the ebb tide - appart from needing to paddle a bit, nothing to worry about then! I'd get an easy ride back.
It was about now that I became aware of a quite distinct marine diesel engine thumping away somewhere close-by. As the setting sun was bright & low and un-hindered by the cloudless sky I could see no ships, and then just on the horizon, a tiny yatch motoring South.
With South Stack now in my sights, I figured I'd be silly to miss the opertunity of getting up and maybe even around on such a perfect evening. I set off across the mouth of Abrahams Bosom.
As I zoomed in for a closer shot of South Stacl lighthouse I spotted where the large marine diesel sound was coming from! Can you spot it?
To be fair, the horizon was hazy and my view restricted by the sun and having left my sun specs in the car!
With the goal in sight I spotted the white tower high up on the cliff tops, got to be the highest I would paddle under at just over 60m.
I spotted what looked like some overfalls ahead so I put away the camera and buckled up, whilst I investigated further.
Now I don't know if I was imagining it or not but I felt as though I was being pulled Northwards quite quickly here, and not wanting to get 'stuck' the wrong side of a race I decided I ought to give my goal for today a miss. Looking back I think that it was just holding me, but with no proper knowledge of the area and no-one to discuss it with, I set off back East.
Having put the stern to the sun, the photos were looking more colourful.
Now at Penrhyn Mawr the South flow was making a little more pace between the rock islands, I wondered just how big this does get in reality on a big flood tide.
Back at the beach at Porth Dafrach, it was now 2010hrs, and hunger had set in. being sea kayak central there seemed to be a handfull of people wanting to chat, and most were offering to help with carrying and loading up the car, a real bunch of freindly guys and girls - thanks for the assistance!
An unplanned paddle of 7 miles or 6 nautical miles.
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