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Written by Julian Haines   
Thursday, 01 March 2012 12:20

Anglesey has a spectacular coastline with the added complication of strong tides. As well as being a varied and interesting paddle, it's a fantastic place for paddlers with a bit of experience to develop their skills. It's also a small enough island, with fast tide races on all the headlands, that we'll be able to choose our destination to suit the conditions on the day.

 

We expect to paddle for most of the day on both 21st and 22nd April. The intention is to spend some time in the tide races, surfing and practicing rough-water skills. Depending on conditions, a few hours of that each day might be enough. We'd expect to paddle the best stretches of the coastline for the remainder of the time, expecting to meet tide and rough water on the way. A trip around "the stacks" for example is a great experience, fantastic cliffs, caves and 3 large tide races en-route. Of course, it depends on the weather too, but we can drive to the other side of the island (and still find interesting and challenging paddling) if conditions dictate.

Who's leading?

Julian, Alan and Gavan are all expecting to be present and leading or assisting. They're all qualified BCU 5 star leaders and ICU level 3 / 4 instructors.

Dates and times

Tide times and conditions will dictate the timing of the paddling. It may not suit to start at 10am each day! The timing of the available ferries is such that it's possible to leave Dublin Port or Dun Laoghaire just after lunch or early evening on Friday 20th. For the return there's a ferry leaving Holyhead at 17:!5 and 20:30, although the earlier time is likely to be rather restrictive. We need to negotiate ferry times with the drivers later.

Accomodation

We have the Gogarth dorms at Anglesey Outdoors provisionally booked. There are 4 rooms with space for 16 people at least, a kitchen area and a living area. Whilst it's possible also to camp, we're discouraging this because we'll need a quick start in the morning to suit tides. There's an on-site pub which serves substantial meals, as well as the usual liquids.

Minimum skill level

The trip is open to those paddling at about level 4 standard and above. You should be comfortable paddling in rough water and have a reasonable likelihood of being able to roll in such conditions. Feel free to contact Alan, Gavan or myself if you're not sure.

Booking

In order to keep the cost at acceptable levels, we're going to pool transport and ferry costs and load 3 or 4 people per car. It's only a few miles to drive to Anglesey Outdoors, so comfort shouldn't be a major concern! Because ferries and accomodation have to be booked and we need to know how many to book, we can't do this at the last minute. If you want to come, you must book and pay a deposit now.

Car drivers

We need a small number of drivers, preferably with large cars and strong roof bars, to volunteer to drive. If you'd like to volunteer, please let us know by email or on the forum here. Please don't just book ferries without asking, unless you want to pay the full cost yourself!

Last Updated on Thursday, 01 March 2012 13:21
 

Comments   

 
0 #3 Gavan Sheridan 2012-03-26 22:07
Julian,
I am finally paid up.
Thanks,
Gavan
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0 #2 Margaret Farrell 2012-03-12 08:55
Thanks for organising this, folks. I'm booked in and would like a lift if possible. I'm happy to drive if need be, as I'll have to take car over to Dun Laoghaire anyway. Just let me know what works. Margaret Farrell.
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0 #1 MICHAEL CARROLL 2012-03-02 21:55
I will travel. Will need a lift if available.
Mick Carroll
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