Tag: kayak

Day 1478 kayaking around Tayvallich with Lindsay!

We had a lovely meal last night in the Tayvallich Inn.

I went to order the only veggie option on the menu, when the waiter asked if I was vegetarian….. I went bright red and said eh yes kind of…. When he produced a whole other menu.

The food was amazing. I highly recommend it!!

I had fiery cauliflower bites to start.

Followed by Tagliatelle Napoli.

And finally Salted Caramel Brownie and the most amazing ice cream…. It is under there, honestly!

We went for a walk after dinner and heard the bagpipes playing, carried over the water. It was so lovely, so surreal.

I love the lights in the houses as it gets dark. There’s not a breath over the water.

Reflections!

I stood here and listened as the piper played. I’ll share a reel later. It was just so lovely. There was a ceilidh on in the village hall so I think this piper was rehearsing before he went into the hall.

It was a lovely walk as it got dark.

I had the best sleep in my tent. I went in to bed about 10.30 and woke at 4.30. I seemed to fall back a sleep until 6am when Bhruic literally tried to get into my closed tent… she tried to get through the outer door then found she could get under it to the inner door then just kept on trying to get in. There’s no punctuation in that sentence 😂😂 I shouted Crai, who was just outside and he opened up the tent so she could jump all over me!!!

Craig and Bhru had tested out his new sleeping area in the back of his car. I believe it went well! He is loaded with the cold though and trying to make the best of it.

Lindsay and I went off out for a run at 6.15am… we ran from our campsite in Tayvallich (which I’ve only just realised, had two ll’s and not one. 😂) to Carsaig beach and back. It wasn’t a long run but about 3.5k.

This beach was beautiful but it would have been even better in the sunshine. The sand is white and the water would have been turquoise in the sun. 🩵

It’s still a lovely day. There’s no sun and it’s misty but it was so mild and atmospheric.

My legs were heavy this morning but I’m still so pleased we did that.

We went back to the campsite for a coffee then got into our kayaking gear… which means I borrowed all of Lindsay’s.

Euan and Lindsay are so good to us. They let us use all of their kit and give us free tuition too! They could charge a fortune!!

Check Bhru in her wee life vest.

And we are off.

Sadly Bhru wasn’t a massive fan… she did really well but it wasn’t her favourite pastime.

She wanted to see if she would walk on water.

I pulled alongside Craig so she could see me…

That made her so happy that she climbed out Craig’s canoe and had all 4 paws on my kayak!!! There are no photos as safety mode kicked in and she was swiftly removed back into the safety of her canoe!

Craig decided that it was all a bit too much for her so he’d head back in and let her play in the water and practice getting her in and out the canoe. Euan stayed with Craig.

Lindsay and I decided we’d head on her planned trip for the day… she sent me her Strava route. We paddled 10kms.

I love love love love loved it.

I am so proud that I can keep up with her… actually she will paddle at my pace obviously… but I love the peaceful calm of being out on the water.

It was so misty and grey that my photos aren’t great but it was the most beautiful scenery… the water was very dark green along the coast line.

The rock faces plunged vertically into the water in places.

The trees are all different colours as they start to bud at different times. The dark sea is teeming with baby jellyfish. It’s flat calm, mill pond like in places.

There are small waves and splashes in others.

There are geese nesting on the back of small islands for shelter. There were seals lying basking on the rocks in calm inlets, while the geese watched on.

In all the hustle and bustle of life. This beautiful place has just stopped. There was no bluster, no noise apart from birds, no stress, no people…. Just the two of us chattering away as we paddled and explored.

I loved it.

If I’m really honest the amount of effort involved in prep and cleaning up would put me off if we didn’t have such great friends to do it with. There is a lot of work involved to do this safely.

Thank you so much Lindsay for the planning and the time you take with me when we’re out. Thanks to Euan too for allowing us to use all of your boats… and especially the new paddle! Which floats apparently… thankfully…

I’ve always wanted to sea kayak.

While we were doing all of this, poor Craig was feeling really rotten as the cold he tried to fight through, really took hold. He had no energy at all.

As Lindsay and I headed back into Tayvallich for lunch we decided to call it a day on the paddling, as I felt I should stay with Craig. We had a picnic lunch by the sea but ultimately decided we should head home.

Euan tied all the boats together and brought them over to a cleaner part of the beach… as you do Mr I can paddle 4 boats!!

Poor sick boy is on the couch in a duvet while I’m hiding in the dining room having made dinner and writing this.

I am now officially shattered.

A lovely night away and the best day.

Stay safe everyone 🩵🩵🩵

Day 1358 kayaking in the Firth of Clyde from the Largs Pencil to Hunterston Pier and back! 🛶🛶

What an amazing day. Oh my word…. Just out of this world.

I am SHATTERED writing this but that could be because I had to sleep on the couch again last night due to my bad knee…. And the fact that Lindsay and I have kayaked 10.7K today from the Largs Pencil to Fairlie Pier, Fairlie, Hunterston Pier and beyond… then back.

It’s been a beautiful day, wall to wall sunshine and a real warmth to the sun, time spent with the best mentor and great chat!!

Now I’d like you to take the time to read this and remember that it’s only a few years since I sat in Gran’s chair and could barely manage to shower, clean my teeth or walk the dogs.

Here I am this morning in my dry suit! (This was gifted to me by a random lady we met in Castle Semple car park in Lochwinnoch, saving me about £300!)

We parked at Largs Marina and got the kayaks all ready to go. That’s the Largs Pencil in the distance, with the Largs ferry a tiny dot on the horizon!

The sun was so low we couldn’t see a thing to take this photo but apart from a lot of teeth, it work out fine! 😂

The sea was like a millpond.

I’ve missed this beautiful weather so much over the last few months.

It was actually quite warm in the sun.

Following Lindsay! She’s a great teacher and has all the safety equipment to keep me safe. This is my first time in the sea and the sea is not to be taken lightly.

We kayaked carefully, past the entrance to Largs Marina and carried on down to the Fairlie Pier.

And went right under it!

And out the other side!

We stopped for lunch on Fairlie Beach.

It was just beautiful.

Had to get the obligatory kayak photo in the water! That’s the isle of Great Cumbrae in the foreground to the right, Little Cumbrae to the left and Arran in the background.

Looking back to Fairlie as we leave.

We watched two tugs move this massive barge, full of large rocks, over to Great Cumbrae, to help build its flood defences.

Now heading to the Hunterston Pier.

Lindsay got some photos of me, just to prove I did it!

How beautiful is this?!?!? The view…. Not me 😂

We came back under both piers.

Honestly I have another million photos but these were some of the best.

I have had THE most amazing day. It’s not lost on me that for so long I thought life, as I knew it, was over.

My life is SO much better than it ever was. I have ALWAYS wanted to kayak out in the sea. We never knew Lindsay and Euan back then. Now we do, and they are so kind to lend us their equipment and help teach me.

Lindsay was so patient and safety conscious…. There’s not need to be scared. I was slighly anxious last night but absolutely buzzing ALL day today.

Life changes in ways you will never believe it possible.

It’s important to keep believing that.

If it’s bad for you just now, just be patient and try to be as grateful as you can, for all that you currently have.

Stay safe everyone 🛶♥️🛶