Christmas Spirit
December 27, 2007 on 5:33 pm | In Sea Kayaking | No Comments
Ho Ho Ho. To much Christmas spirit and I need to get out for a run. It has been a good festive season and Father Christmas brought me a new toy, a waterproof compact digital camera, so ideal for the new year’s paddling trips.
Disaster for the canoe club, the council have announced they are going to be closing the swimming pool in Stornoway for the next six weeks. This is not great for us because we have pool sessions on a Thursday evening with over twenty young people and more than fifteen adults.
Apparently the tiles need replacing round the edge of the pool and considering it is a new pool there does need to be some questions asked - like ‘why is all the steel work round the pool going rusty?’ surely in a swimming pool the best grade of steel would have been used and ‘why is the roof still leaking?’
But the biggest problem is how are we going to keep all the reprobate instructors off the streets on a Thursday evenings when their wives kick them out of the house for the evening?
Enough typing on with the trainers and out for a run …
Tim Pickering
http://www.canoehebrides.com
Living in the world's biggest adventure playground - The Outer Hebrides
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STOKED in North of Scotland
December 27, 2007 on 1:06 pm | In Surfing | 1 Comment
I’ve recently been chatting to two surfers from very different backgrounds who, coincidentally, I met a few years ago in Ireland at the World Masters Surfing Championships.
One is UK surf leg end – sorry, legend - Gabe Davies, a friend of many years and as nice a bloke as you could find. The other is Dutch surfer and photographer Ray Max (cool name or what?) whose work you can see at his fascinating website www.ongetemd.com.
What they have in common is, at first glance, hard to see. Gabe had just surfed some truly titanic waves off Mullaghmore Head (see more at surf photographer Mickey Smith’s superb website www.mickeysmith.co.uk), whilst I’d bumped into Ray whilst he was travelling through Wales with some friends to write a piece for the Dutch surf press on the wonder that is Welsh surfing.
In their own way these two guys are living the life. Gabe is a sponsored pro, gets to surf the world’s best (and scariest) waves and is paid for it; Ray also gets to travel to some of the world’s best surf spots (what, Wales?) and is paid for doing so. Not bad hey…?
They also share in common the fact that they’re thoroughly nice guys with a great sense of humour and with whom it’s a pleasure to enjoy a beer or a wave. And yet it would be so easy to be totally up yourself when the world is, from a surfing point of view, at your feet.
I have come across the occasional unfortunate specimen like this (a Californian pro and an Australian ego maniac, wouldn’t you know…), but it seems to me that the majority of people making a living from surfing in one way or another are top characters who have an enthusiasm that, I’m sure, is a manifestation of the stoke that surfing puts into life.
I was out of the water with an injury when I was chatting to both Gabe and Ray, and in such circumstances am usually like a bear with a burnt arse, but once you get into some banter with fellow surfers it invariably puts you in a good mood and fires up the enthusiasm to get fit and get back out there again.
And (finally getting to the point…) there are few places in the world where the stoke is as high as Scotland. As I write air temperatures are well below zero, water temperatures are approaching single digit and the north coast is enjoying/enduring less than seven hours of daylight in every 24, which, let’s face it, is not what most people would call surf paradise.
But to those who ride Scottish waves it’ll more than do nicely, thank you. And it’ll more than adequately fire up the stoke. So here’s to a New Year with lots of stoke, lots of waves and lots of laughs for everyone. What more could you need…?
Alf Alderson
http://www.alfalderson.co.uk
Multi-award-winning freelance journalist and author of Surf UK - the definitive guide to surfing in Britain.
SANTA DON’T SURF
December 27, 2007 on 12:58 pm | In Surfing | No Comments
SANTA DON’T SURF
Now is quite obviously the time of year when all good surfers send their Christmas wish list to Santa and hope for the best on Dec 25.
Here’s my own Christmas list, one that I figure wouldn’t too far off those of most average British surfers.
1. A year of clean, glassy surf of the size of my own choosing – some days big, some days small, some days in between but NO days flat.
2. A board to suit all the conditions that might occur during the above year, and even better, one that doesn’t use petrochemicals in its construction, is ding proof and also has a nice spray job (just as an aside – whatever happened to surfboard art? These days of Surftech and the rest it seems to be a dying skill…)
3. A new wetsuit that works in all conditions, is super stretchy, warm and comfy and never stinks of p**s. Although I would hope a good proportion of my summer sessions required little more than boardies to be honest.
4. A surf vehicle to carry me to the waves. Ideally something that does at least 50 to the gallon thus being both cheap(ish) to run and environmentally friendly, also has plenty of room to install double bed, shower, fridge and cooker and does 0-60 in less than eight seconds.
5. A marked acceleration in global warming since this will, apparently, bring warmer waters and bigger waves to the
UK’s shores.
6. And finally, enough wax to see me through the year.
Having re-read that list, one thing stands out – that Santa clearly don’t surf. Now I guess this should be pretty obvious of a guy who is the same shape as a pool ball, well over a hundred years old and lives at the North Pole, but there are a few other things that give the game away too.
Namely that of all six items on my Christmas list, he’s only ever likely to leave one in the sock at the end of my bed on Christmas morning – the wax.
Because let’s face it, the perfect do-it-all board, wetsuit and surf vehicle don’t exist and never will, and I really don’t imagine that there’s anywhere in the world where you will find quality waves 365 days of the year (although Scotland will at least provide three figure sums in terms of wave consistency as long as you don’t mind travelling for your surf fix).
As for the wish for yet more global warming – well, that’s just daft (not like the rest of my list then…).
So if all Santa can bring me this Christmas is a year’s supply of surf wax it’s quite clear that here is a man who is not in touch with the world of surf. There again, a sock full of wax isn’t to be sniffed at, so mustn’t complain.
And who knows, if we’re really lucky we might just get a good swell on December 25 – which is about as good a Christmas pressie as you could have really.
Happy Christmas!
Alf Alderson
http://www.alfalderson.co.uk
Multi-award-winning freelance journalist and author of Surf UK - the definitive guide to surfing in Britain.
See the inside of Tolsta Head
December 19, 2007 on 10:39 pm | In Sea Kayaking | No Comments
There can’t be many place or people who are lucky enough to drop off the kids at school and within an hour be out sea kayaking on a calm ocean, under a broken sky with good company.
Mike phoned last night wanting to go out for a paddle and I didn’t take much to convince. We have had run of great weather and the sea is like a sheet of glass.
So deposit the kids, a quick coffee boats on the roof and off. Our destination Tolsta Head about 8 miles north of the house.
There is one down side, a large down hill side. The beach launch (refered to by Mike’s kids as the Gruffalo beach) is at the bottom of a steep, and steeper when you are carrying boats up, sloop. It has been given a fantastic road down and it is all key blocks with parking for boats at the bottom.
After the launch it is a short paddle out to the north end of the bay and under the magnificent cliffs. They are riven with caves and arches, all this within 10 minutes of the launch.
What Mike had omitted to tell me, which he mentioned as we sat drinking coffee rafted up looking north, was it is his birthday.
On the return paddle we had a look at the blow hole.
Then the rare moment we had both been waiting for. In the end of Tolsta Head there is a cave which goes right though the headland, it has a bend in it so you as you paddle you seem to be heading for the dark abyss. As you round the bend the daylight suddenly sparkles on the water and the exit comes into view. What makes this so special is it is very rare the sea state will let you into the cave, let alone out the other end.
So a fitting birthday present for Mike.
Tim Pickering
http://www.canoehebrides.com
Living in the world's biggest adventure playground - The Outer Hebrides
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Distant Memories of Fort William
December 16, 2007 on 8:27 pm | In Whitewater Kayaking | 3 Comments
I have just opened my e-mail and be transported back over 15 years by the time machine of a photograph.
Jez is converting his slides to digital and he ‘discovered’ these two pictures of paddling at the outflow. The outflow is the tail race for the alumminium works hydro station in Fort William. The water comes round from various lochs above Fort William and through the turbines and then down a gully before dropping into the river Lochy just by Old Inverlochy Castle. If you have ever driven north out of the Fort just before the Road to the Isles you have driven over it.
When we worked for Outward Bound it used to be our evening stomping ground, particularly during the summer with long evenings and no water in the rivers.
It used to create a fantastic wave which was very fast and allowed us to practice our paddling in ‘huge’ flow.
To see a recent piece of footage of it at high water (when the tide is high in Loch Lochy the river backs up and creates nice wave just under the bridge) http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6SaIBizTuvs
There was talk of creating an white water facility there but I have no idea what happened to this idea. when I searched round there is mention of it in some of Highland Council’s paperwork but I couldn’t find much else, sad as it would be a fantastic facility and as it flows 365 days a year guaranteed water !
Tim Pickering
http://www.canoehebrides.com
Living in the world's biggest adventure playground - The Outer Hebrides
CanoeHebrides.com - Sea kayaking Expeditions
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Golf in the Outer Hebrides
December 12, 2007 on 9:32 pm | In Whitewater Kayaking | No Comments
I know golf is hardly an extreme sport but it is creating news here at the moment, with Donald Trump who’s mother comes from Lewis and the Stornoway Golf Club applying to play on a Sunday. Golf could become and very dangerous game.
I am not a golfer but they tell me there are some great courses to play in the islands. I went running on the course in South Uist and it opens to the Atlantic, the course in Harris has views over to Taransay and of course there is the contoversial double nine in Stornoway in the Castle gorunds. Where the Trust, which ‘owns’ most of Lewis for the people, keep the gates locked to the castle grounds.
I do worry the Stornoway Trustees, who decide on the vision of what they want, may be a little out of step with the majority of people who live here.
As for Donald Trump and his plans, views are very polarised. There is no doubt it will affect tourism. The thing I worry about is the perception money can buy you the reversal of a planning decision.
So into the plus fours out with the clubs for a bash round before the ‘balls’ start to fly here in Stornoway
Tim Pickering
http://www.canoehebrides.com
Living in the world's biggest adventure playground - The Outer Hebrides
CanoeHebrides.com - Sea kayaking Expeditions
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Chasing Rainbows on the Doune
December 7, 2007 on 8:02 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments
I have just recieved an e-mail to say the footage of Jez and I’s little trip down the River Doune chasing rainbows has been posted to YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40bXnflV9xE
Fantastic river, great company - worth a paddle !
Tim Pickering
http://www.canoehebrides.com
Living in the world's biggest adventure playground - The Outer Hebrides
CanoeHebrides.com - Sea kayaking Expeditions
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Hebridean Weather
December 7, 2007 on 7:51 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments
The end of the week draws near with the prospect of some red wine in front of the fire but what a week. The weather has been typical December weather, wild and windy, the ferry doing its dance with the gales.
I have been ‘first aiding’ teaching two courses this week and watching the weather through the windows, so not all bad. I have been itching to get the bike out and try it out on the roads here but I guess it will have to wait. There is a prospect of surf over the weekend and I am teaching power boating next week and hopefully I will get some pictures.
There was one stunning moment when I was out running at lunchtime (we have entered the Might Deer Stalker in March - a moment of weakness) and as I ran I caught a glimpse south down the Minch towards Keppoch Head with the gun metal grey water and the headlands diminishing into the dark brooding sky and it made the pain worth it.
Tim Pickering
http://www.canoehebrides.com
Living in the world's biggest adventure playground - The Outer Hebrides
CanoeHebrides.com - Sea kayaking Expeditions
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Wild Winter Days
December 4, 2007 on 10:44 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments
I am sat in the office listening to the wind howling round the house, I am just off the phone to Murray from SeaTrek and we were planning the powerboat training we have to do over the next couple of months. Lucky Murray is off to Antarctica to drive boats for six weeks !
There was a bizarre moment when we were talking about this weeks work and Murray commented ‘and the wind is easing to 28 knots so we will be able to go out’. 28 knots is a force seven! Described in the Beaufort Scale as a near gale. It is interesting how your perception of things becomes warped depending on what you become used to.
Tim Pickering
http://www.canoehebrides.com
Living in the world's biggest adventure playground - The Outer Hebrides
CanoeHebrides.com - Sea kayaking Expeditions
BikeHebrides.com -Quality Mountain Bike Hire
