Rhoscolyn, Cymyran Strait & the Beacon...

Last Thursday, Mike Owen, Graham and myself set off on an ebbing tide from Rhoscolyn. The bright sunshine and just a gentle northern breeze made for perfect paddling conditions. After a bit of rock hopping round at Silver Bay we found just enough water to get round the corner into Cymyran Strait. A bit of a swell and a few breakers from behind made this quite interesting.
The tide was still ebbing in the Strait so we parked up for coffee and tiffin and then headed back towards Rhoscolyn Beacon. A quick circuit of the Beacon (meeting a lone paddler who had just bought an Explorer from Nigel Dennis at Sea kayaking UK), a bit of seal spotting and we landed back on the beach. Great paddle. Thanks to all who came.

Philip Thomas.

Things aren't always what they seem!

Last Wednesday Mike Owen, Graham, Andy Short and myself set off from Rhoscolyn on what seemed the perfect paddling day: clear blue skies, an almost non-existent northerly breeze and a twinkling sea.

We headed north-east towards Rhoscolyn Head just at the end of slack water. Paddling against the ebbing tide was easy enough but ahead we could see the water starting to boil between the mainland and the islands of Maen y Sais, Maen y frân and Maen yr Esgyll. As we neared Rhoscolyn Head the sea became quite large and confused. The effects of the outgoing tide, wind on the nose and large waves rebounding off the rocks tested my paddling skills to the limit. Having rounded the head we found shelter in a small bay and discussed the route home.We decided to head directly for the Rhoscolyn beacon. The sea was still quite big and Andy guided us through the islands and out to the beacon. I think the pictures below illustrate how things aren’t always what the seem after setting off on a perfect day.
Many thanks to all the others for a very enjoyable trip. Thanks also to Andy for some very useful tips.

Philip Thomas

Rhoscolyn Beacon and Beyond…

It was one of those splendid hot summer days on Anglesey, perfect for a trip out to Rhoscolyn Beacon to say hi to the seals and to play in the races.

“ The coastal exposures around Rhoscolyn exhibit some of the finest examples of polyphase fold structures known in southern Britain and are amongst the most intensively studied sites of structural geological interest in the British Isles. Rhoscolyn Beacon tower stands on a small rocky island off the coast at Rhoscolyn, Anglesey, North Wales. The island is one of a group that are known as Seagulls' Islands (Welsh: Ynysoedd Gwylanod). The beacon has served as a navigational aid for well over a century. Originally the beacon would have been painted black and white. Seals are often found on the islands.”

After about an hour of exploring these isolated rocks we picked up the flowing tide and headed down the coast in the direction of Trearddur Bay, rock hopping and exploring the coastline along the way. Having reached to Bwa Gwyn,the White Arch, we found somewhere to pull up the kayaks and take a spot of lunch. We then took an open-crossing of about 4 kilometres to Porth Dafarch where we took another well earned break before heading back to Trearddur Bay where Terry, kindly acting as mother, supplied us with tea and biscuits and to talk about the many other journeys yet to be undertaken.

CAN’T WAIT!

Paul M ( Additional images by Philip )

Paddlers: Paul, Terry, Philip, Mike and Graham from Cybi Kayakers