Having promised my wife some time away and accommodation in a B&B, and a lighthouse Hotel, we headed off for a cycle adventure for 4 days in August. Little did she know that Joe Stalker was organising and leading a sea kayak weekend off the Galloway Coast of the Rhins. Welcome by Joe, due to the expanding numbers and predicted Caribbean weather, I was dumped outside New England camp site, Friday lunch time, with offers of lifts home on the Sunday. The Rhins was a brand new coast line for me, with x3 lighthouses in place on the west side of the Peninsular and some great village harbours - Port Logan, Port Patrick, Port William etc - to start and finish trips. Most of the quiet cycle roads did not enable access to the hidden coast line or were in and down, returning the same way. So an element of adventure and fresh coastline to explore was on my list. As the weather predicted low winds and wall to wall sunshine, we were spoilt for choice, so ran with Joe and Marks decision to start and finish at Port Patrick - exploring the coast North on Saturday and on Sunday Port Logan South, returning back to the same Port, avoiding any shuttles. The group was large, so we split into 3 small groups, with a couple of experienced and qualified leaders in each group, ensuring safety and personal attention for the participants. On both days the coast line did not disappoint, with plenty of rock hopping to be done, caves and arches to explore and a small tidal race to play in, around one of the many mini headlands we explored. The groups were relaxed, well covered up with sun hats and sun protection and the atmosphere was that of fine holiday weather. During both lunch stops, swimming was the essential theme, to ensure everyone could cool down - quite unique for most of the Scottish sea kayak trips over the last 10years! On the Sunday we hit upon a sandy surf beach, where a number of paddlers shared their surfing techniques and moves, to the pleasure of the onlookers, eating their sandwiches and tasting some single malt whisky. It was idealic, relaxing and fun. However - as predicted - after lunch we were expecting the winds to pick up and the temperature to cool down, which it did to order. For many this took the relaxed edge of the weekend, as the leaders kicked in swiftly with group management, positive encouragement and alternative routes back to Port Logan. Thankfully, the squall like weather soon settled down and we all completed another great days sea kayaking with no incidents and happy smilie faces. What a superb coastline, offering potential for a 2/3 day wild camping trip, ports to shelter in and lighthouse to explore, not to mention the natural scenery to explore from our kayaks. Thanks Joe for introducing us all to the Rhins of Galloway - a coastline to return to for sure and so close to Cumbria. As Chairman of Cumbria Canoeists, a big THANK YOU to all - participants, organisers and leaders - and I am looking forward to next seasons sea kayak programme. Mike Sunderland PS: The Rhins are located to the East of Stranrar - just over 2hrs drive from Carlisle We have some amazing clubs in Cumbria and it's great to see that these are starting to be recognised by British canoeing.
Here's a snippet taken from their latest article, which you can read in full here, regarding Carlisle canoe clubs quality club mark. The feedback from these clubs has been great. Here's what they had to say about the process of becoming a Quality Club: "At Carlisle Canoe Club we are proud to have achieved “Quality Club” status. We recognise the importance of good governance and leadership in providing a safe framework in which to operate. The work we have done to achieve this is built on the strong foundation provided by the previous quality and club marks. The easy to follow Quality Club process caused the club to focus more on what we do off the water just as much as on the water. The process has steered us to improve how and where we document our policies and processes so they can be handed on to future club and committee members more easily to ensure that our good practices continue and our standards are maintained. Formalisation of our safety briefings and the introduction of a committee members handbook are the two most significant improvements. The club is looking forward to including the new EDI criteria into our standard operating procedures." - Norrie Brown, Carlisle Canoe Club As some people may be aware Cumbria Canoeists sea kayaking team regularly use Muck as a base and have a great relationship with the people who live there. Very sad news to hear that the Laird passed away recently. Below are some tributes.
www.obantimes.co.uk/2022/05/26/tributes-paid-to-lawrence-macewen-the-prince-of-muck/ Update from TrafficTeam.West@cumbria.gov.uk
I am writing to inform you of the decision reached with regard to access to the private site on Ennerdale Lakeshore, accessed via How Hall Farm. The restricted byway leading to How Hall Farm and Ennerdale Lake Shore is owned and managed by the National Trust, with access agreement for United Utilities and the local farm. The byway in question is privately owned, however unauthorised use is common, with frequent camping, anti-social behaviour, littering, the leaving of human waste, and damage caused to the land by campfires and barbecues. This increased misuse of the land, led United Utilities to contact Cumbria County Council on behalf of their partner agencies seeking permission to place physical barriers across the restricted byway. Historically, the National Trust have permitted access to certain groups who respectfully use the lakeshore for leisure. However, the aforementioned issues have exacerbated over recent years, leading to the decision to seek to place physical barriers and prevent access altogether. A consultation on this proposal was undertaken in 2021 to establish views. The initial proposal was for the introduction of a “Kent Carriage Gap,” consisting of 4 separate bollards. However objections were made drawing attention to documents published by the British Horse Society (BHS), indicating that the “Kent Carriage Gaps” are no longer supported. Upon consideration, United Utilities agreed to modify their proposal to consist of only 2 bollards, at a height of 330mm and 1550mm apart. This revision was made in line with advice by the BHS on erecting vehicle barriers on routes used by horse riders and carriage-drivers. Secondly, clarification was sought on what access, if any, would be permitted to members of licensed groups. Cumbria County Council asked if consideration could be given to permitting access to licensed groups, on the proviso that the National Trust and their partners could reserve the right to withdraw access permissions at a later date if the site was seen to be disrespected. After consideration, the land owners agreed to allow permissive use to Copeland Canoe Club and Whitehaven Harbour Youth Project, with both being local clubs to Ennerdale and existing users of the site. A suitable licence agreement will be drawn up by the National Trusts Land Agent. Any other vehicle access requests from individuals or groups would be advised to use the two nearby public car parks, from which the lake is accessible. With the above conditions agreed, the bollards have now been approved for erection on site. If you have any queries relating to this, please let us know. Kind regards, Traffic Team West Highways Assets and Strategy | Highways and Transport Economy and Infrastructure Directorate |Cumbria County Council | Highways Depot | Joseph Noble Road | Lillyhall Industrial Estate | Workington | CA14 4JH t: 0300 303 2992 www.cumbria.gov.uk |
Pictures from some of our adventuresArchives
April 2024
Categories |