Easter Weekend

Nicky paddling around one of the numerous headlands on the north coast

Paddling into one of the largest caves on the west coast

There are numerous historical sites on the island including this Martello Tower on the east coast.

Approaching Punta Nati, the north west corner of the island. This section of cliffs stretches for miles.

The civilised way to stop for a morning break!

Easter in the Mediterranean sounded really enticing, so we flew out to Menorca for a few days sea kayaking. The coastal scenery exceeded our wildest expectations, dramatic sections of cliffs dissected by numerous caves. In addition the opportunity to observe Egyptian Vultures from our kayaks was a real bonus. A return visit to complete the short section of the north coast we didn't paddle and to explore the south coast caves in further detail is a real possibility.

Jorgen and Dorit at Menorkayaking couldn't be more helpful for those paddlers who fly into thye island and are looking for both accommodation and kayaks.

Menorkayaking

Sea Paddler

Herm and Jethou

Platte Beacon in the Little Russel. It wasn't a big spring tide but there was still plenty of entertaining water to be found.

The west coast of Herm. Guernsey is visible behind as are the kayaks on the beach. Reminiscent of a tropical paradise


Chris leaving Herm for Jethou. Sark is visible behind

Crevichon, a small islet off the coast of Jethou. Stone quarried from here provided the materials for the steps of St Paul's Cathedral

Jethou and its house. Compton Mackenzie lived here in the 1920's before he left to find peace and quiet on Barra

Belvoir Bay on the east coast of Herm. It was time to stop for the inevitable ice cream.

Paddling through the Humps, to the north of Herm. Sea kayaking in the British Isles doesn't get much better than this in April!

Sea Paddler

Lihou Island

Approaching Lihou from the north

Lihou Priory

Looking east towards L'Eree Headland

The house which will provide accommodation for up to 30 visitors

Looking west from the main island

Jersey and Guernsey are the most well known of the Channel Islands with the small islands of Alderney, Herm and Sark also of interest to visitors and sea kayakers. There is a less well-known island though which will surely start to attract sea kayakers from more distant shores.
The island is located of the west coast in Guernsey and in 2006 the lease for the island was taken over by a group known as the Lihou Charitable Trust. The main house is being upgraded and will be an excellent facility for visiting groups, providing accommodation for up to 30 people at a time. At the same time a couple of the out buildings are being renovated and these will provide bunkhouse accommodation for visiting sea kayakers.
Lihou is a fascinating island, which rises to about 30 metres above sea level in the west and is approximately 500 metres long. The ruins of a 12th century priory, which was built by Benedictine Monks from Mont St Michel in Normandy, are waiting to be explored. More recently the island was one of the worlds major producers of Iodine. The bird life changes with the seasons but it is always interesting.
Linked to Guernsey via a causeway at low tide on springs, for much of the time the island is separated from L’Eree Headland by a channel through which the tidal streams flow particularly strongly. At times standing waves which are ideal for surfing develop in the gap. The west coast is exposed to the full force of the Atlantic swell, the next stop being Newfoundland.
Richard Curtis has been appointed as the warden and he can be contacted through the Lihou Island website. The waters around the island are fascinating for the sea kayaker, whilst the island itself is a great place to explore on foot. Those paddlers who “collect” islands should consider a visit to this attractive island off the west coast of Guernsey.

Lihou Island
Sea Paddler

Les Ecrehous

Peter Hargreaves en route in perfect conditions

The buildings of Marmotier seen from a distance.

Marmotier where the majority of the houses are located.

Looking north at low water

We all have our favourite sea kayaking trip and all Jersey based paddlers are fortunate to have a world class paddle on their shores. The Ecrehous is a reef which is situated about 5.5 nautical miles north east of Jersey, nearly half way towards the Normandy coast. Today in perfect conditions, apart from some fog banks we crossed to the reef in about 75 minutes, which co-incided largely with the low water slack. There were very few other visitors on the Ecrehous today, the 11.15 low water meant that many of the private boats based in Jersey were unable to leave the harbours.

The small houses, which previously were used by fisherman are now owned and maintained by a number of Jersey families. Anybody who is visiting the reef should try and read Warwick Rodwell's book "Les Ecrehous" which must be the definitive historical study of a small area. Providing a wealth of background information on this delightful reef.

The return journey was timed to utilize as much of the tidal streams as possible. On the larger tides the streams reach speeds in excess of 6 knots in certain areas but today they were limited to about 3 knots, that said it meant that the GPS was reading over 7 knots at times.
A great days paddle!

Sea Paddler

La Cotte de St Brelade

Ouaisne Common with the Jersey Round Tower, now used as a navigation mark.

Heading out past La Cotte Island

Pt Le Fret seen from the west.

Peter Wriddlesworth heading back to Ouaisne. The cave entrance is visible above the higher paddle blade.

It is not every day that it is possible to paddle past a settlement which is approximately 150,000 years old but that is the situation which exists when you paddle out of Ouaisne, on the south coast of Jersey. The ponds of Ouasine Common is a stronghold of the agile frog but we were more interested in adventures involving salt water. La Cotte de St Brelade is a cave formed when the sea level was much higher than it is today and was inhabited about 150,000 years ago by people who used to hunt mammoths and other animals which are now extinct.
At the time the edge of the sea was about 100 miles away to the west. Today this area is one of the wildest in Jersey, the paddle had a great start when a Peregrine flew steadily over our heads. The power which it exuded was incredible.
In addition to the history which stretches back thousands of years there is more recent evidence of human activity. There are numerous German fortifications which are a consequence of the German occupation of the islands from 1940 to May 1945.
The main headland is Pt Le Fret and this is one of the most under-estimated points on the island, it is exposed to the westerly swell and so is frequently the scene of breaking water. At times paddlers need to take a wide berth to avoid the reef breaks.
This is just a short stretch of coast but for the discerning sea kayaker and/or historian it contains a huge amount of interest. If the coast is explored on a June evening, the quality of light can be exceptional, combining with the granite and vegetation to create a scene which is truly memorable.

Sea Paddler