Kayaking Time

The rain continued to pour down overnight. As anticipated the river was up and our kayaking kit was already packed and ready for us. In fact, the river was a bit higher than anticipated, providing a bit more excitement than what was expected to be a mellow run.

It was great to be back in a boat - the first time in quite a while. Luckily, this section of the Ogwen has a gentle start and plenty of time to get into the swing of things before the hard stuff. And the opportunity to get out before things get even more technical. 

We made our way down as a team of four, taking in turns to scout ahead. Some friends were just ahead of us, so it was reassuring to know that any major blockages would have been found by them first! With it being the summer and not the normal paddling season, the trees were much fuller and hanging lower, presenting additional obstacles and dangers than normal. We still got out to check and protect the main rapid. I shot through it so fast and with water in my eyes, that by the time I'd worked out where I was, I was past the bottom eddy and into the next rapid!

Despite being one of the best white water rivers in north Wales, down behind the village was the usual festival of river litter, where garbage has been tossed down the banks. In the photo below, you'll notice the additional hazard of some bike handlebars sticking out of the water.

There were a few good playwaves forming, which we stopped to surf on. We got out just above the Scout Hut Bridge. The usual egress is just below, but we decided not to disturb the fisherman who was fishing in the pool. 

Then, it was off to Llandudno for my first visit to the Outdoor Education Stores since March 2nd. It was very strange being back there - all my kit was in my locker as if I've just downed tools and left (which I pretty much had). The time that had passed was immediately apparent, not by the amount of spiders webs and dust, but by the fact that my ice axe was there, ready for use!

We had a really productive day fixing, cleaning, servicing canoes, kayaks, powerboats and getting ready to receive a few students tomorrow. As luck would have it, the tide and stormy winds, produced a few evening waves on the high tide as well. We had hope that this might be the case, so I'd kept my kayak with me. Taking advantage of legitimately being outside of our five-mile travel limit, with wet river kit in one bucket, I slipped into a warm furry wetsuit and we went for our second kayak trip of the day and caught some fantastic (if small), waves across the bay!

I kept missing the photo, but there was a big seal that kept popping up around here.

The skies stayed super dark and stormy.

It was actually warmer in the seawater than on the river. Great fun, great waves. Got home late, with a lot of wet kit to sort out! Exhausted....