Kayaking on the River Dart - Loop Section

Today I have been out on the 'Loop' section of the River Dart in Devon. The levels were pretty low but it was still good to get out and help coach on the Cuckmere Valley Canoe Club trip.

Mick and I drove down from Taunton to meet up with Steve, Andy and Dean from Cuckmere Valley who were doen staying on Dartmoor for the weekend. 

We looked at breaking in and out, ferry gliding, 'S' turns and river reading. Mick found some good jets for a spot of tail squirting as you can see in the images. Overall a really good day and great to be back out on the white water.

4* Leader Sea Kayak Training - Day 1

Today was Day 1 of my BCU 4* Sea Kayak Leader training with Richard Uren from Paddlecrest. The course is based out of the Penzance area in South West Cornwall for the two days. Before coming on this course you have to go on the BCU Coastal Navigation and Tidal Planning (CNTP) course which I attended yesterday at Porthpean Outdoor Centre. This course was also run by Richard Uren.

The main emphasis of today with the sea conditions was to cover the personal skills element of the 4* training and also start to look at leadership. These areas would be covered during a trip that Mark and myself planned during yesterdays course. Porth Gwarra would be our entry and egress. The images above don't actually do the sea state the justice it deserves. Following yesterdays winds there was a big rolling swell coming in off the Atlantic. The swell period made for easy going one away from the coastline but did minimise the landing opportunities due to the surf hitting beaches and small rock coves. Today would have been on the 4* Leaders limit.

A great days Sea Kayaking overall with clear blue skies, 8 -10 mph winds and some wildlife (Grey Seals, Porpoises and Sea birds). 

Tomorrow the plan is to head East for slightly more sheltered water to work with some candidates from Penzance Canoe Club and also cover all of the Rescue techniques. 

Bridgwater College Residential - Day 4

Anstey's Cove in Torquay was the venue for todays activities. We headed over to the3 coast from Dartmoor with a fleet of tandem sit on top kayaks and coasteering equipment. The bay was well sheltered from the south/south westerly winds which meant great conditions for an introduction to kayaking on the sea.

I took half the group kayaking while Gwilym took the other half coasteering, the groups swapped activities after lunch.

During the kayaking sessions we looked at paddling along the coastline and crossing the bay discussing the potential risk involved. The students applied the transferable skills they have learned in their Open Canoe sessions over the past few weeks. There was also time to play a few games and get wet! As the swell picked up a little we also had a go at rock hopping, using the swell to our advantage to get in and out of small gaps in the rocks.

Another great day with the students taking control of their session with just a little help from me. 

Adventure Courses for 8-13 year olds at Kings Hall School - Week 1

This week I have been using Kings Hall School near Taunton as a base to deliver Adventurous Activity Courses for 8-13 year olds. The 4 day course running from Monday to Friday gives young people a taster in lots of different Outdoor and Adventurous Activities as well as a few alternative team games.

We had 11 students on this weeks course and mainly females which is really nice to see in a commonly male dominent course. All the students had a great time, some returning following the Easter Course and some booking on for next week as well. 

Thanks also to Josh, a work experience student from Richard Huish College who worked hard all week sorting kit, keeping an eye on students and joining in the activities.

This weeks programme went as follows:

Monday

AM - "Get to know you" and "problem solving" challenges 

PM - Archery and Alternative Invasion Games

Tuesday

AM - High Ropes at Vivary Adventure

PM - Orienteering and Slack-lining in Vivary Park

Wednesday

AM - Open Canoe trip on the River Tone

PM - Stand Up Paddle-boarding session on the River Tone

Thursday

AM - Bushcraft Session (Shelter Building, Campfire Cooking etc)

PM - Power-kiting and Ultimate Frisbee 

I try and make the programme as flexible as possible so we can change activities depending on the days weather and student input. On our Easter courses we included Mountain Biking and on future courses may include Raft Building, Kayaking and Rock Climbing.

The course is priced at £120 for the 4 days and includes lunch. There are still places available on next weeks course starting on Monday 11th August. If you would like to book your child in please see the poster below for booking details.

Stag Party fun at Wimbleball Lake

Back at Wimbleball Lake on Exmoor today to deliver Mountain Biking and Kayaking for a stag party group of nine booked through Exmoor Adventures. 

We thought we would start with the mountain biking before the strong afternoon sun came out. Our route took us around the pump track at South West lakes Trust before following the green trail down to the dam. Once we crossed the dam we headed out on a loop over and around Haddon Hill taking in some single track, open moorland tracks and a short road descent back to the dam before heading back to our base.

After a short stop for lunch I took the guys for a sit on top kayaking session on Wimbleball Lake, from the lake side near the activity centre we headed across the lake and up the central spur where we got some competitive games going along with lots of getting wet. 

The nine guys were all up for a good time and with their competitive edge they took on all the challenges without hesitation. 

A really good day on Exmoor with a great group. I'm sure the guys will enjoy their climbing session tomorrow with Dan French at Valley of the Rocks.