Still plodding along the east of Scotland. Progress to date here.
Archive for July 2009
Greetings from Banffshire Leave a comment
Fair Isle, Cromarty, Forth, Tyne … 4 comments
Very self-indulgently, for this post I’ve borrowed a couple of photos of myself paddling locally, taken recently by friends. I probably should have asked them first, cheeky of me. The picture above is by Eurion Brown and shows a tunnel in Worbarrow Bay, whilst the photo below is by Maria Dolton and was taken below the cliffs approaching Lulworth Cove.
The school year is nearly over! I just have to take 70 Sixth Formers to Plymouth Uni this week, and assuming I survive that experience, I’m flying up to Edinburgh next Sunday. From there, it’s a short (eight hour) train journey up to Thurso. My kayak is already up there, having been shipped to local paddler Cailean.
I then have just over two weeks to head back south towards the English border; ideally I will complete the east coast of Scotland (about 300 miles), but this is of course in the hands of both the weather and the state of my battered and increasingly unreliable body.* Incidentally, for the benefit of foreign types; the heading of this blog post refers to the Shipping Forecast areas that I will hopefully pass through en route.
If I can still bear sea kayaking by then, I’ll be meeting up with my wife and heading north again; this time to paddle together for 3-4 weeks among the Orkney and Shetland Islands. All good.
Whenever I can, I will be posting updates as to my progress here.
See you in September …
*A spectacular mountain bike wipeout the other day didn’t do it any favours.
July Days 6 comments
I’m spending all of my weekends paddling near home recently; partly because I need to save money and get (slightly less un-)fit for my summer holiday paddling … but also because I really do rather like it around here.
This weekend saw various friends visiting to paddle, walk, swim, run and cycle around the Isle of Purbeck. I paddled the splendid Kimmeridge to Swanage trip, but also managed a bit of walking and a couple of quick dips in the briny. My new toy – a birthday present from Heather – is a shiny black triathlon-style wetsuit. Although you’re unlikely to see me entering into that sort of fitness nonsense any time soon, I’ve really been enjoying our recent series of sunset swims around our coast.
Two weeks left before I fly north to spend several weeks (hopefully) getting down the east coast of Scotland, picking up where I left last year. If I survive that, I’ll then be meeting up with Heather to head north into the Orkney and Shetland islands for several more weeks. My kayak is already up at Thurso, having been shipped up to Cailean a few weeks’ back.
All good, just need to survive these last two weeks at work without going insane.
PS Enjoy a little bit of diversion, from Deb Pinniger. It’s about the beach at Falmouth, Cornwall. Highly recommended.
