Cybi Kayakers

Four Mile Bridge.

2011-01-24T14:55:00.004Z

So here we are in freezing January 2011. Time to take the coldest shower possible. Let's head out to Four Mile Bridge and see just how cold and wet we can get. There is a kind of madness when it comes to whitewater kayaking. Personally I prefer the comfort and ease of a sea kayak, rock hoping my way around the coastal shores of Anglesey. But then it takes all sorts to make a kayaking club interesting, and boy! do these guys know how to keep it interesting... Paul Mattock

Malltraeth Sands...

2010-09-26T18:28:00.016+01:00

"Malltraeth means 'salt marsh' in Welsh and flooding was a regular occurrence until 1818, when Thomas Telford built the impressive embankment known as Malltraeth Cob and the river was canalised. Before this the estuary penetrated far inland and almost cut Anglesey in two."The perfect day for a perfect paddle. On the water by 9 am. With the sun shining on our faces and the breeze on our back, we quietly made our way out onto Malltreath Sands and followed the channels that would take us out to sea. Swans, Herons and Oyster Catchers were busy going about their business, swooping and diving all around us. We found a tiny beach to stop for tea and spent a good 15 minutes trying to get my kelly Kettle fired up to boil water for tea... we failed, and so resorted to Philips trusty flask to supply the hot water: Boy scouts we're not! We then continued further along the shoreline rock-hopping all the way. With the tide turning it was time to head back, but not until Philip retrieved an interesting piece of flotsam, making his kayak look as if it had developed some strange growth. We made good time back to Malltreath and arrived at high tide for an easy get-out. Four hours of bliss watching the world go by. It doesn't get much better then this...

Ladies Paddle Day...

2010-07-12T11:15:00.010+01:00

20th June was a girls only day. A trip down the Menai Straits and a good time was had by all.

Solstice Paddle - a trip in the dark

2010-06-22T18:17:00.006+01:00

The Summer Solstice and longest day seemed like a great excuse for an evening paddle and beach fire so the call went out and the (fool)hardy turned up - Mike (cool man) Tildesley, Mike (the paddle) Owen, Graham (does your misses know your here) , Chris (the Ringer) Wright and Andy (anyone for a slingshot) Short. The plan was for a trip from Bull Bay to Llanllianna for a fire and return (late).The trip got off to an excellent start with Porpoises spotted off the Starboard Bow almost immediately. Several small black fins arced gracefully through the water fishing in the ebbing tide.A smooth paddle round to Borth Wen ensued as Graham and Mike O looked to preserve their pristine hulls while Andy looked to wreck his with ill-judged rock hopping in the half light. Whilst the Cybi guys were exploring the caves and gullies of Borth Wen (the brickworks) Chris (the Ringer) finally caught up - he's a slow starter - and immediately 'praised' Mike O for the quality of his paddle, saying something like "ooh where can I get hold of one of those?"With the group formed we ploughed on with the tide to our beach stop and Andy, Mike O and Graham set about dutifully collecting fire wood whilst Mike T emptied half the contents of the Huws Gray yard out of his boat. Whilst the sun set on the longest day refreshments were taken - some focussing on the liquids others taking a more measured approach and eating all the cake. At this point Graham was beginning to realise that he wasn't going to get home for tea (or even for his cocoa), and that he didn't have any signal to let the misses know.
So as night descended and the beer was finished, it was decided to head for home. 'Someone' suggested a 'slingshot' round Ynys Padraig to set us on our way. Unfortunately the ebb hadn't quite abated and the tide was still running round the island. The eddy behind the island was made and the slingshot plan revised - well, torn up and binned - who's idea was it to put us out in the tide race in the dark?

After an interesting ferry glide back to where we had started during which Graham was heard to mutter about "going straight to work at this rate" and "I wish I'd worn me long trousers" we could finally start our return journey. Good time was made close in to shore with the occasional blast of the off-shore wind as we passed the open bays of Hells Mouth and Borth Wen. The highlight of the return trip had to be the phosphorescence (sic) green / blue electric sparkles on the surface of the water as you boat or blade break the surface - a truly magical experience!

Bull Bay was made at exactly Midnight and everyone wished Graham good luck with his misses when he got home before all sloping off home to bed to dream of Porpoises, phosphorescence and tide races in the dark.

roll on next year!

Andy Short

Rhoscolyn, Cymyran Strait & the Beacon...

2010-02-18T16:49:00.007Z

Last Thursday, Mike Owen, Graham and myself set off on an ebbing tide from Rhoscolyn. The bright sunshine and just a gentle northern breeze made for perfect paddling conditions. After a bit of rock hopping round at Silver Bay we found just enough water to get round the corner into Cymyran Strait. A bit of a swell and a few breakers from behind made this quite interesting.
The tide was still ebbing in the Strait so we parked up for coffee and tiffin and then headed back towards Rhoscolyn Beacon. A quick circuit of the Beacon (meeting a lone paddler who had just bought an Explorer from Nigel Dennis at Sea kayaking UK), a bit of seal spotting and we landed back on the beach. Great paddle. Thanks to all who came.

Philip Thomas.

New Years Paddle...

2010-01-11T18:37:00.019Z

So here we are in 2010. And no better way to celebrate then with a paddle in the freezing snow along our favourite stretch of coastline out of Trearddur Bay. In fact, we were so keen we went out on both New Years Day and a couple of days later. It just goes to show how mad Cybi Kayakers are when it comes to getting on the water. So here's to a great New Year for all you paddlers as we look forward to more adventures out on the open seas in 2010.Pictures by Terry, Philip and Paul.

The Menai Straits...

2009-11-01T17:28:00.024Z

With the tide starting to flood, Andy, Graham, Mike Owen and I put in on the slipway at Menai Bridge. We then fought hard to make headway under the bridge. Once through, we found an eddy and made good speed towards the swellies. Only Andy had paddled this stretch of water before, so the rest of us had no idea what to expect. Breaking in and out of the flow was great fun and, once we gained our confidence, we headed for rougher water. It was like a fast flowing river but with an incredible amount of space; plenty of eddies and the chance to rest.
Everyone managed to stay in their boats and the paddle back to Menai Bridge with the flow took no time at all. As usual, thank you Andy for the coaching and boosting my confidence.

Philip Thomas.

Puffin Island...

2009-11-01T17:20:00.004Z

On a superb Autumn evening Andy, Lizzie, Mike Owen and I set off from Penmon point for a paddle around Puffin Island. The wind was calm and there was about 2 hours before sunset. Heading out through the tide race we enjoyed breaking in and out of the flow and then paddled clockwise around the island.

The conditions were perfect and we would have been happy with just that. Then we came across a seal. One seal turned into two, then three, four, until there were too many to count including a couple of young pups. They all seemed very playful and followed us around the rest of the island popping up, giving us a fright and trying to bite the back of Lizzie’s boat!

Heading back for Penmon the seals left us alone and, with the sun going down, we had time to reflect on a magical trip. Well worth the effort and I am looking forward to doing it again. Once again, thanks to Andy for suggesting the trip and for the useful tips.

Philip Thomas

Things aren't always what they seem!

2009-09-13T17:29:00.006+01:00

Last Wednesday Mike Owen, Graham, Andy Short and myself set off from Rhoscolyn on what seemed the perfect paddling day: clear blue skies, an almost non-existent northerly breeze and a twinkling sea.

We headed north-east towards Rhoscolyn Head just at the end of slack water. Paddling against the ebbing tide was easy enough but ahead we could see the water starting to boil between the mainland and the islands of Maen y Sais, Maen y frân and Maen yr Esgyll. As we neared Rhoscolyn Head the sea became quite large and confused. The effects of the outgoing tide, wind on the nose and large waves rebounding off the rocks tested my paddling skills to the limit. Having rounded the head we found shelter in a small bay and discussed the route home.We decided to head directly for the Rhoscolyn beacon. The sea was still quite big and Andy guided us through the islands and out to the beacon. I think the pictures below illustrate how things aren’t always what the seem after setting off on a perfect day.
Many thanks to all the others for a very enjoyable trip. Thanks also to Andy for some very useful tips.

Philip Thomas

Playboating in the surf...

2009-08-30T22:00:00.021+01:00

Most white-water kayakers prefer to stick to the rivers. That way, when it all goes belly up, they can quickly drag themselves onto the safely of the river bank and watch their precious equipment go sailing down the Swanee. But Cybi Kayakers are made of sterner stuff than that, throwing caution to the wind they throw themselves into a gale force wind, and seas that even fish would drown in. Here's testament to the sheer folly and fun that Cybi Kayakers get up to here on Anglesey.

Paul Mattock

Malltraeth to Llandwyn...

2009-08-29T12:44:00.009+01:00

Main image: © Novakovski

On Tuesday Mike Owen and myself took advantage of brilliant warm sunshine and paddled from the bridge at Malltraeth, up the estuary and out to sea. Heading south we reached Llandwyn Island and returned by the same route.
Malltraeth Bay is defined by Llanddwyn Island to the south and the headland of Pen-y-Parc to the north. The Afon Cefni flows into Malltraeth Bay via the spectacular estuary known as Malltraeth Sands. Malltraeth means 'salt marsh' in Welsh and flooding was a regular occurrence until 1818, when Thomas Telford built the impressive embankment known as Malltraeth Cob. Before this the estuary penetrated far inland and almost cut Anglesey in two. It is very pretty with fine sands and bird-haunted salt marshes, but no paths along the western shore, although the marsh and dunes along the eastern side are still part of the Newborough nature reserve.
the Llanddwyn Island is really a peninsula and is named after St Dwynwen, patron saint of Welsh lovers, who founded a convent there in the 5th century. Several crosses commemorate her and ruins survive of a Tudor church built on the site of her chapel. At the tip of the island there is a disused lighthouse beside some cottages that once belonged to pilots who guided vessels over the sandbars at the entrance to the Menai Strait.We left at 11.30 am and, with high tide at 1.15 pm, the long paddle out to sea against the tide meant we had to keep paddling to make any progress at all. Areas of the estuary can be very shallow but the deepest channel is marked with buoys and posts. It was flat calm in the estuary with a force 3 – 4 westerly right on our nose. In the distance at the mouth of the estuary we could see what was to come: waves were breaking and the sea became a lot bigger. Mike ploughed on through but my natural caution held me back until I felt confident enough.
The full force of the waves, tide and wind hit us as we turned south towards Llandwyn Island. Llandwyn didn’t seem very far away, but, with the tide still against us it was a hard slog. Sea conditions were reasonable but it was a challenge with the waves coming at us from 90 degrees. The sun was still shining, visibility was brilliant and we paddled on. As we got neared Llandwyn Island the sea got bigger and a landing looked unlikely so we kept clear, turned 360 and headed back for Malltraeth. With the wind, tide and waves now helping us, it was time to relax and enjoy a leisurely paddle back. As we got to the mouth of the estuary, the breakers were still there and we enjoyed a bit of surfing to get us back into Malltraeth Sands. Fish were jumping everywhere and I thought I must remember to bring a handline and try my luck next time.
Right in the mouth of the estuary we found an idyllic beach and landed there for a well earned break. We hugged the bank for the final paddle back to our “put in” point . It was slack water and a very relaxing end to a 3 hour paddle which included a great mix of conditions; some challenging, some exciting and most of all great fun.With hindsight, if I did it again, I would set off 2 hours before low tide to take advantage of the ebb on the way out. Then, after landing at Llandwyn, set off and take advantage of the turning tide for the return trip.

Philip Thomas.

Cable Bay Madness...

2009-08-16T22:29:00.006+01:00

The idea behind this trip to Cable Bay ( Porth Trecastell ) was to get out into some rough water so we could practice some rescues and towing skills. Only, this time, the waves got the better of us. By the time we had battled our way out to the entrance of the bay we were riding 5 foot breaking waves. Mikes famous last words were, “ forget about rescues, let’s just practice staying in the boat!” And that’s when it happened; a steam train of a breaking wave came crashing down on top of us. I was swimming while Mike was rolling: well done that man!
After my pathetic attempts at emptying the kayak of water Mike eventually hauled me back into my water logged boat and handed me his pump. After just three goes the handle came off in my hand. “Shit!” not what we needed at that moment in time. Luckily I also had a pump, one that worked, and proceeded to try and empty the cockpit of water, but by now the tide and wind had taken us back into the bay and we found ourselves drifting onto the beach. This had always been part of our plan, and that should anything go wrong, the wind and the tide would be our friend and bring us back home safely. On another day the wind and tide could easily have been our foe; something I wouldn’t have wanted to mess with in these conditions.
It was great fun, but with important lessons learnt along the way: Know you own limits, use your head and stay calm, and check that your kayaking gear WORKS! before venturing out onto the open sea.

I normally put a sound track to these video clips, but this clip has one all it’s own.

Paul Mattock

Check out a higher res version at our 'YouTube' link.

Welcome To Stanley...

2009-07-04T12:04:00.009+01:00

It’s about time that the white-water paddlers at Cybi Kayakers got a mention on their own Blog site. So on a beautiful sunny Friday evening they all headed off to where the water rushes through… Stanley Embankment. Jay, Buddug, Simon and Dan met up with a couple of fellow paddlers, Ievan and Paul, who were already on the water and all enjoyed a couple of hours playing in the waves.
Here are some pics that tell their own story, along with a video clip that says it all.
(Completely mad, the lot of them!)
Music by John Mayall and the Blues Breakers.

Penhryn Mawr Revisited...

2009-07-02T21:12:00.010+01:00

What fantastic weather we've been enjoying these last few weeks, and if I get half a chance I'll either be on the water or wandering along the cliffs with my camera. It could be a bit of bird watching or photographing the flora and fauna or the changing cloud formations that drift across the sky... Or maybe, by chance, a couple of very experienced kayakers hitting the waves and tidal races at Penhryn Mawr at full flood. Yes, Our very own Eila Wilkinson and the legendary Nigel Dennis, whooping it up and having some fun. Even though I was a good distance away on the clifftops using my longest lens I could still hear the screams of delight coming from Eila. This is sea kayaking at it's best...
paul mattock

Rhoscolyn Beacon and Beyond…

2009-06-16T16:11:00.013+01:00

It was one of those splendid hot summer days on Anglesey, perfect for a trip out to Rhoscolyn Beacon to say hi to the seals and to play in the races.

“ The coastal exposures around Rhoscolyn exhibit some of the finest examples of polyphase fold structures known in southern Britain and are amongst the most intensively studied sites of structural geological interest in the British Isles. Rhoscolyn Beacon tower stands on a small rocky island off the coast at Rhoscolyn, Anglesey, North Wales. The island is one of a group that are known as Seagulls' Islands (Welsh: Ynysoedd Gwylanod). The beacon has served as a navigational aid for well over a century. Originally the beacon would have been painted black and white. Seals are often found on the islands.”

After about an hour of exploring these isolated rocks we picked up the flowing tide and headed down the coast in the direction of Trearddur Bay, rock hopping and exploring the coastline along the way. Having reached to Bwa Gwyn,the White Arch, we found somewhere to pull up the kayaks and take a spot of lunch. We then took an open-crossing of about 4 kilometres to Porth Dafarch where we took another well earned break before heading back to Trearddur Bay where Terry, kindly acting as mother, supplied us with tea and biscuits and to talk about the many other journeys yet to be undertaken.

CAN’T WAIT!

Paul M ( Additional images by Philip )

Paddlers: Paul, Terry, Philip, Mike and Graham from Cybi Kayakers

Penhryn Mawr Begins to Stir...

2009-06-05T21:35:00.006+01:00

Although there was a strong north-easterly wind blowing across the island, we were fairly well protected as we left Trearddur Bay to head out along the coast towards Porth Dafarch and onto Penrhyn Mawr to look at the tidal races. Although it was getting near to slack water, once we’d made our way out to the races we discovered that the tide was running faster than we'd anticipated. Graham and Mike, under the watchful eye of Eila, ventured a little further out to take a look at this infamous tidal race, only to get themselves caught up in the strong flowing rush of water and found themselves paddling like madmen to pull themselves out. At one point Graham seemed to be paddling on the spot and making no headway at all, while Eila looked on with some amusement; and this was Penrhryn Mawr at it’s quietest. It’s not until you’ve been up close do you really appreciate the skills involved in paddling these kinds of treacherous waters…

We turned and headed back towards the safety of Porth Dafarch only to find ourselves paddling into a headwind that felt gale force. As we approached Porth Dafarch the wind seemed to build, the bay acting as a kind of funnel for the wind to gain in strength. By the time we found sheltered waters I was exhausted. On the way back to Trearddur Bay we rock hopped and explored the caves and enjoyed the warmth of the setting sun on our backs. A splendid two and half hours of excellent paddling, along with great company.

To watch the video clip without interruption, click play Then click to pause. Wait until the loading bar is full and then click play. The video should now run without interruption. don't forget to Switch on your sound.
this video is just over 9 minutes long.
Music is by Mike Dowling.

Cybi Kayakers BIG SPLASH Weekend...

2009-05-31T23:38:00.015+01:00

Our first club outing of the year, and what a way to start! Some of the best weather we’ve had on Anglesey in a long time, and we get to enjoy every minute of it.
Camping at Andy's is not only convenient for everyone involved but it has to be one of the best sites in North Wales. So a big thank you to Andy, not just for welcoming us to this great venue but for putting so much effort into organizing so much that went into making this a camping trip to remember: It’s going to be a hard one to beat!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here comes a novels worth…

Wednesday Evening Paddle...

2009-05-25T11:57:00.009+01:00

Another splendid and relaxing Wednesday evening paddle.
Lots of practice, lots of laughter and lots of fun, with everyone getting very wet and a little wiser.
Let the movie tell the story.
Additional pictures by Terry.
See you on the water!

If you have trouble viewing the movie clip, go to the Cybi Kayakers ‘YouTube’ site And view it there under ‘Wednesday Paddle.’

The girl teaches the boys a thing or two...

2009-05-16T11:44:00.015+01:00

The weather was not looking good, with a forecast of gale force winds: How DO they get it so wrong! Although overcast, it turned out to be very mild with a calm sea, perfect for our first mid-week session. Eila kindly lead the session and got us doing low brace turns and sweep strokes, contact rescues and towing, along with the most basic but most important of all strokes, the forward paddle stroke. How easy it is to get lazy with this one, but so important to get those back muscles working for you.
We took it in turn to raft-up and tow. There was a moment when I’d taken on a rafted tow that I thought I was never going to be fit enough for this sport. As I struggled to pull the two kayaks forward, and was barely moving, I could hear the sniggering behind me, and out of the corner of my eye could see my rafted up kayakers paddling like mad in reverse…
Then onto some rescue practice with Eila playing the injured paddler, Mike and Graham proceeded to get her back into the boat and to pump out the water from her kayak. This must have looked somewhat bizarre to anyone wandering along the beach!
Then one by one we all took a dip and spent a good half hour rescuing and being rescued, and Mike impressed us all by achieving a re-entry and roll, before we all headed back to the shore where everyone tried their hand at balancing on top of their kayaks. (Not always successfully!)
A very fruitful 3 hours of paddling was had by all, with the most important element of kayaking being strictly adhered too, having a lot of fun and laughter.

Ty Cwyfan: The Church in the sea.

2009-05-11T15:12:00.011+01:00

This has always been one of my favourite locations for photography. Not the easiest of places to get to but well worth the effect. There are some wonderful historic facts that surround this strange little chapel marooned here on it’s own little island surrounded by the wild sea with access only at low tide.
Some facts: The island, which can be reached on foot at low tide, is notable for the 13th century, St Cwyfan's church perched on its top. The church is known locally as eglwys bach y mor (the church in the sea) or simply as Cwyfan. The church remains in use and is popular for weddings. 17th century maps show the church standing on the mainland of Anglesey but erosion by the sea of the boulder clay cliffs has since separated the church onto the island. To prevent the church falling into the sea, a protective wall was built around the church. Only three services are held at St Cwyfan's each year. “Wikipedia”

So it was with some excitement that we prepared ourselves to venture by sea to this fascinating location. We headed out from Cable Bay ( Porth Trecastell ) in what appeared to be calm sea conditions and weren’t really prepared for the size of the swell and choppy waters that greeted us around the first headland. We pressed on expecting to find some calmer waters further along the coast. Half an hour later we took shelter by a large rocky outcrop that gave us some protection and took time out to examine the map and to work out how much further we had to go. It appeared we were almost there, but off in the distance we could see large breaking waves crashing onto the rocks beneath the cliffs and knew we’d have to paddle further out to sea to avoid this hazard before turning shoreward and the safety of the cove. Having a fishing boat working close by gave us the added courage to go for it, and within 15 minutes were pulling our kayaks onto the rocks beneath the chapel in the sea.
Because of the state of the sea we didn’t want to get caught out in worsening conditions and so after a ten-minute break decided to head back to Cable Bay. We picked up a following sea and was back in the calm waters of Cable bay in less than forty minutes. Then Philip suddenly remembered he’d promised to feed a friends cat while she was away. Where his friend was staying was in a small fisherman’s cottage overlooking Porth Nobla, just the other side of Cable Bay. This was another first for me, paddling to someone’s house to feed their cat…Just goes to show, anything can happen when you’re a Cybi kayaker.
Paul Mattock

Rhoscolyn Bay.

2009-04-26T19:46:00.011+01:00

This is one of my favourite bays on Anglesey. Once you’ve negotiated the long and winding road that leads to the small car park, you follow the wooden footpath over the dunes that takes you onto the sandy beach known as Borthwen. The previous day I had posted a message on the forum inviting anyone from the club for a morning paddle, so I was a little surprised when about twenty-five kayakers turned up at the car park all at once. However, it wasn’t because of my forum invite but was a completely separate group of paddlers undertaking a one-way trip to Porth Dafarch, a journey of about 5 to 6 hours. I politely declined the offer to join them.
But what a beautiful day it turned out to be. Myself and Philip spent a while in the Bay working on our forward paddle stroke and then ventured out through some choppy waters at the entrance to the Bay and onto the open sea. We popped into the little cove next door and both decided it would be nice to own one of the houses that overlooked this tiny cove, and then headed off in the direction of Silver Bay. Sea conditions were quite bumpy with plenty of confused water bouncing us around, especially at the entrance to Rhoscolyn Bay. Once we got alongside the main coastline it eased up a little and we could relax and enjoy the paddle doing some rock hopping along the way. Because we only had a few hours to spare that day we pulled into a lovely little cove just short of Silver Bay and I showed off my very clever Kelly kettle which, with nothing more then a few twigs gathered from the beach, can boil a couple of litres of water within minutes. (If you what to know how it works you’ll have to join me on one of my paddles…)
We were joined by a flock of sheep who wandered onto the beach and started to graze on seaweed. now that's a first for me, and they were quite oblivious to anything going on around them. Very strange.
A nicely brewed cup of tea and April sunshine made it a perfect stopover before packing up and heading back to Borthwen beach, rock hopping and exploring along the way.
You know when you’ve had a great paddle because you just don’t want to get off the water. And that’s exactly how we both felt. Still, there’s always the next time.
Paul Mattock

From Treaddur Bay to Penrhyn Mawr.

2009-04-21T07:39:00.016+01:00

Being relatively new to the world of kayaking I’d never ventured beyond Porth Dafarch when out paddling this lovely stretch of coastline. From Trearddur Bay via Porth y Post and onto Porth Dafarch is a pleasure to paddle and explore, but to travel beyond this point was always full of mystery and foreboding.
I’ve also seen what Penrhyn Mawr can do to both kayak and paddler. (Some of the most wild and dangerous overfalls and tidal races you could ever wish to meet, should you be so inclined.) Having seen the film and read the book I knew this was one piece of water that fell well outside my comfort zone. However, with plenty of local knowledge and a little encouragement, our paddle buddy Terry took me and fellow sea novice Philip around to Penrhyn Mawr to say hi to this infamous stretch of sea. With a friendly easterly wind and slack water he quietly introduced us to her while she slept.
We crept along the shoreline from Porth Ruffydd to Penrhyn Mawr as if not to wake her. And then with a flick of the paddle we rode over her while she slept. (Even with her fast asleep it was still a bumpy ride.) I can now lay claim that I’ve paddled Penrhyn Mawr and survived to tell the tale. Then a straight-line paddle back to Trearrddur Bay with the turning tide helping us along the way, and with a nice cup of tea in hand we watched as the sun set over one of the most beautiful islands in the world.
Don’t take my word for it; just ask Terry and Philip and all the other kayakers who have ever paddled these fantastic waters.

Paul Mattock

AROUND PUFFIN ISLAND...

2009-04-04T19:37:00.026+01:00

Here’s a short history: Puffin Island (Ynys Seiriol in Welsh) is an uninhabited island off the eastern tip of Anglesey, Wales. It was formerly known as Priestholm in English and Ynys Lannog in Welsh. Puffin Island is the ninth largest island off the coast of Wales. It is Carboniferous limestone, 58m above sea level at its highest point and has steep cliffs on all sides. It has an area of 0.28 km. The island is privately owned by the Baron Hill estate and landing is not allowed without special permission. The island is a Special Protection Area (SPA), particularly because of the Great Cormorant colony of over 750 pairs, making it one of the largest colonies in the British Isles. It also has good numbers of Guillemot, Razorbill, Shag and Kittiwake nesting, and in recent years small numbers of Common Eider and Black Guillemot. The Puffins from which the island gets its modern English name bred in considerable numbers at one time, with up to 2,000 pairs recorded. The Brown Rat was introduced accidentally to the island, probably in the late 19th century, and reduced this population to a very few pairs. A programme of poisoning these rats started in 1998 by the Countryside Council for Wales appears to have eradicated them, and the Puffin population has shown an increase since that date. At one time the island was heavily grazed by rabbits, but these were wiped out by an outbreak of myxomatosis, leading to the growth of dense vegetation, particularly Common Elder (Sambucus nigra). The strong currents around the island provide for an abundance of marine life, particularly on the north coast where the depths reach 15 metres, and many people enjoy fishing trips departing from Beaumaris in these waters, catching mainly mackerel, but many other species are caught.

The Trip:
Setting of from Trwyn y Penrhyn to paddle the short distance to Trwyn Penmon where you cross over to the island. With a stiff breeze blowing and plenty of moving water coming through the channel, it became quite choppy and I needed all my concentration to keep myself upright and moving in a straight line. It was good to know that some of the other paddlers around me would be finding this a walk in the park, but this being only my second trip out this year, I was still getting the feel for the boat. Eight of us in total, out for a few hours of leisurely paddling; or so we thought.
As we made our way around the island in a clockwise direction we were greeted by a small colony of seals curiously watching us as we bounced around on the bubbling water.
At the far end of the island we took shelter in a small cove to take on liquid and snacks and to rest some tired limbs. Then around the end of the island and on to it’s Western side only to be confronted by a strong southerly wind blowing directly into our faces.
(Force 4 to 5 was our calculations) This was getting to be hard work. If you eased off for just a few seconds you’d find yourself drifting backwards. This was not the place or time to have a capsize. What felt like an age we eventually made it to the other end of the island and pulled onto a shingle beach to take another well-earned rest. At the far end of the beach a family of seals were making their way down to the waters edge and the sun came out to warm my tired limbs. Then back across the channel and onto a small sheltered beach for lunch. It’s interesting how food tastes so much better when you’ve really had to work hard for it.
Then another short paddle into the wind to arrive back at our put-in. Some 3 hours out on the water and some great company to share it with. What a great way to spend some quality time on a Saturday afternoon.
The question now is, where to next?

'MIDWEEK PADDLE' by Paul Mattock

2009-03-30T15:10:00.014+01:00

After putting out a request for some company for a midweek paddle we ended up as a group of six and a plan to leave Cemlyn Bay at 11am and arrive at Bull Bay by 3 pm.
A beautiful sunny day with calm waters; just what I needed as it was my first paddle of the year and I knew I wasn’t fit. This should do the trick. A 10-12 k journey along some of the most spectacular coastline of Anglesey and good company to boot. A quick stop at Cemaes for a bite to eat and then onwards to Bull Bay. I’ve never paddled this stretch of water before and was quite taken aback by how rugged and wild this piece of coastline was.
Some interesting caves that disappeared to no-where. (Here we have Graham and Andy showing of their new Rockpool kayaks.) I would imagine on a rough sea it could be quite intimidating. Long stretches of cliffs with no get-out and plenty of confused waters coming back of the shoreline. But today was calm and sunny and a joy to be out on the water. A quick pause at Porth Llaulleiana to look at the old china clay works and then a bit of a race to Bull Bay to beat the turning tide. 4 hours of paddling showed just how unfit I was and with aching shoulders was happy to round the headland and see the beach at Bull Bay. A well-earned beer was had by all along with a suggestion of a trip out to Puffin Island next time round. Sounds good to me!

'Views From The Cockpit' by Paul Mattock

2008-12-06T20:58:00.007Z

3rd of December 2008, the perfect winters day. Clear skies, crisp clean air and not a breath of wind. Launch at Cable Bay and meander down the coast to Rhosneigr. A spot of lunch on the beach and a leisurely paddle back with the sun on your face, and the only sound you can hear is the light splash of the blade as it moves through the still water beneath you, and the occasional cry of a gull, or a guillemot just before he dives beneath the surface of the sea in search of his own lunch.
Time stands still and all is right with the world.

" Where else to be,
but out upon the open sea."

'Tinned Fish on Mull' by Andy Short.

2008-12-06T19:12:00.018Z

In May 2007 a hearty band of intrepid paddlers from Anglesey and thereabouts made great plans to canoe previously un-canoeable crossings between distant lands with faintly threatening names like ‘lunga’ and ‘gometra’ that might have come from a medical dictionary or maybe a monty python sketch.

However as D-day approached a plague of excuses laid low the team and five became two and a legend was born…..

Well enough of the hype.

Our original plan was to base ourselves at Fidden on the Ross of Mull just south of Fionphort where the ferry sails to Iona, and to do as much multi-day paddling as we could to take in the islands on the west coast of Mull – Iona, the Treshnish, Ulva, and Gometra included.

As the group had been cut to two we thought it unlikely that we would achieve our initial goals but decided to go and make the best of it. In many ways the fact that there were only the two of us and that we were pretty well matched as paddlers enabled us to do much more than might otherwise of been the case. We were also massively assisted by the weather, the winds remained manageable and the sea state slight throughout the trip.

Day One we thought would be a warm up day, a day for acclimatisation. Unfortunately the day dawned with a perfect blue sky and light breeze with a good forecast for the following day. A hasty change of plan saw us packing one of the tents into my boat, and as much food and water as we thought we would need for 2-3 days and by 11ish we were heading out into the blue yonder. Of course doing it this way meant we were paddling against the tide up the straits of Iona but hey, it was the start of the holiday – we were keen.

The day’s paddle took us to lunch on an island off the north coast of Iona (pitta bread and tinned fish – lovely!), and then on to Staffa and the amazing Fingal’s cave and rock formations.

From there we had a decision to make: continue north to Ulva, and out to the Treshnish the following day, or go North West to the Treshnish to camp and spend the following day paddling round the islands and back to Ulva. We chose the second as we had a better chance of topping up our water supplies, and the forecast was for winds moving to the East over 48 hours. We didn’t fancy getting stuck out on the Treshnish with water in short supply.

So we paddled out to Lunga (against the North Westerly wind of course) and camped on the beach of a small island to the North. This island was the home to about a zillion puffins, two zillion midges and a handful of bemused cave dwelling cormorants. A 25km day.

Day Two dawned like day one and we paddled round Lunga and landed on a likely looking boulder strewn beach – where yours truly excelled himself by taking a swim (well bath) whilst attempting the perilous manoeuvre of climbing out of his kayak – when my trusty companion had finished laughing and picked himself up off the floor he took a photo – note to self: find new companion or flatter beaches.

After drying out my fleece trousers by swinging them round my head on the summit of Mount Lunga (and apologising to the 17 yachts that subsequently sailed to our rescue) continued our trip North up the Treshnish Isles – against the tide! (are you spotting a pattern here?). We spotted another group of paddlers in the distance heading south at a great pace without ever seeming to use their paddles – strange.

We lunched (pitta bread and tinned fish – tasty) on Cairn na Burgh Mor and took in the old Norse fortifications before undertaking the crossing to Gometra where we eventually found a sandy beach I could land on without getting my trousers wet. After Alistair had sweet-talked the local farmer she allowed us to camp with her sheep on the beach. A 16 km day.

Day three dawned grey – wot no sun?? and windy (easterly). We looked at our food supply: pitta bread 3 1/2; tinned fish 1; water bags – very squishy. And decided we should head back to our campsite that day. A 25 km journey mostly open to a force 4 quartering easterly wind coming down the lochs of Mull. A route was planned to use the wind in a form of ferry gliding to take us back to the sound of Iona without leaving us too exposed to the offshore wind, or too far from land.

It meant a morning spent paddling mostly into wind to lunch (you guessed it) on a small rocky outcrop called Erisgeir where we were lucky to be able to land safely and eat. As Alistair had a skeg, he spent an enjoyable afternoon ‘ferry gliding’ cross the wind in a generally southerly direction. Without a skeg, I on the other hand spent the afternoon paddling only left handed to counter the weather vane effects of the wind on my boat. If I’d wanted to go open boating ….. A good time to practice paddling on a bearing and checking our transits.

Finally with a following sea and a spot of surfing we rounded the headland into the straits of Iona and made a b-line for Fionphort to check what time the pub stopped serving food that evening. Having sorted out the priorities we headed back to our campsite and duly collapsed only to be revived by the thought that if we didn’t it would have to be tinned fish for tea.

Day Four was wet and windy to start – a good excuse for a lazy morning and a ferry trip to Iona. Alistair suggested a picnic lunch and waved a tin of fish in my direction, I headed for the pub.

Day Five – another glorious sunny day! A short trip was planned to circumnavigate Iona clockwise, taking in the spouting cave and some fantastic gullies we had reckied the previous day. Lots of fun was had being spat at by the spouting cave and playing hide and seek in the labyrinth of caves and gullies. We continued north and included an entirely unnecessary and knackering excursion to a couple of outer islets, only to find that we couldn’t really land and had to paddle back to Iona to find a suitable spot for lunch (pitta and fish again). Still, good transit practice.

The day was completed by another trip down the straits, this time with the tide – hooray! The only highlight being a race with the ferry, although the bow wave proved unsurfable. A 21 km day.

Day Six – our warm up day – an easy paddle round the South coast of the Ross of Mull hoping to see Otters and Eagles. Being crafty we timed our departure with high tide to cut the rather large corner by taking a neat channel that took us where we wanted to go. We had even checked it a couple of days previously to make sure it would run. Arrived at channel at high tide to be met by sand, sand and more sand. Couldn’t remember anything from 4* training that talked about ferry gliding across 1/4 mile of sand dune so had to resort to lugging the boats – pah some short cut.

Seals having been hugely entertained by humans carrying two 15’ tonne weights across their sand dune rewarded us with a bit of a display before going off to have fish (tinned?) for lunch.

Pleasant paddle ensued whilst we looked for a good lunch spot – interesting coastline with plenty of channels to try and hidden sandy beaches. Picked one and lunched (Pitta and wait for it … no, beans – I’d run out of fish). Also went for a dip in the sea - very stupid mistake without an adequate blubber coat.

Enjoyable trip back enlivened by an encounter with a nudist sea kayaker complaining of being under-equipped. An 18 km day.

The trip was fantastic! Mull is a great place to paddle if you have reasonable weather. The islands are magical, very interesting to paddle round and have fantastic bird life. There is also the possibility of seeing whales, dolphins, otter and eagles – although we saw none of these unfortunately. The tides are generally small compared to Anglesey with few real tide races to contend with. The crossings between islands are reasonably short – 8-10km on average which are easily achievable and give a great sense of adventure.

You can’t go without starting a plan for the next trip … I would definitely paddle there again, and maybe take in Col and Tiree and the north end of Mull. Anyone fancy a trip next year??? (better start saving the tins of fish)

Cybi Kayakers Go Surfing...

2008-01-18T16:41:00.000Z