A Different Perspective

After having been kayaking with a number of archaeologists over the summer months, linked to the excavations at La Cotte de St Brelade, I have started to look at the island from a completely different perspective.

On Saturday we paddled around the north west corner of the island and as usual, swell permitting we entered a number of caves.  Previously I had always looked at the caves wearing my geographers hat.  What processes are at work to produce such dramatic physical features?

Nowadays I always think geography first but then I wonder whether the caves could have provided habitation in the same way that La Cotte de St Brelade did.

A number of academic institutions in the UK have combined in a project known as the The Quaternary Archaeology and Environments of Jersey project (QAEJ).  It makes interesting reading and helps, us as sea kayakers, to understand the backdrop to the environment in which we spend so much of our time.

I had paddled into this cave numerous times but until Saturday I had never realized that there was a tunnel leading through another section of the coast.  The tide was too high to go through the tunnel on Saturday so another visit, towards low water is necessary.

 A beautiful cave, close to La Cotte a la Chevre, which was known to have been inhabited, thousands of years ago.  It would be interesting to see what is on the shelf, above the kayakers head, but access looks like a challenge.  Extreme coasteering?

 Another cave which is close to slightly above the present high water mark. Conditions look favourable for a return visit towards the end of the week.  Today we have force 7 gusting 50 mph mean this area would look slightly different to when this picture was taken.