A Bonne Nuit Sunday

Bonne Nuit was the venue for today's sea kayaking with Jersey Canoe Club.  It is always an issue which way to head, to the east lies Belle Hougue, with its entertaining tide race whilst the coast to the west has a number of interesting physical features.  Today felt like a day for geography so we headed west in the bright October sunshine.

 One of the convenient aspects of paddling from Bonne Nuit is that even at low tide it is a pretty short carry.

 A rather faded plaque on the habour wall was unveiled by Chay Blyth in 1991 to commemorate the 25th running of the Sark to Jersey rowing race.  This annual fixture in Jersey's sporting calendar finishes at Bonne Nuit.

 Although the cliffs aren't totally vertical the slopes are steep providing a spectacular backdrop to the kayaking.

 There are plenty of small channels to explore but the swell was arriving in sets, at times catching people unaware.

 A quick swim was followed by the emptying out offshore.

 Rock type certainly influences scenery.  The dark rock to the left is part of the St John Rhyolite formation whilst the red of the granite is clearly visible to the right.

 Approaching to workings of Ronez Quarry.  The old pier structures are to the right.  Ships no longer weave their way through the offshore rocks to collect their cargo of stone.

 John paddling close to the rocks off Sorel headland, the most northerly point of Jersey.

 Jim approaching Le Mourier Valley.  An isolated section of the north coast.

 Looking into Devil's Hole.  Although a tourist attraction on the north coast, very few people see it from this perspective.

 Heading back towards Bonne Nuit.  Belle Hougue is in the distance but we will be turning right just past the first headland to return to Bonne Nuit.  With SE Force 7-8 forecast for later it was an opportunity grasped.

Greve de Lecq

One of the most popular bays in Jersey with both visitors and locals is Greve de Lecq, located on the north west of the island. It is also a firm favourite with local kayakers. The concentration of caves is second to none, many of them significant physical features.
We were fortunate today to have light easterly winds and no westerly swell so we were able to explore the caves with virtually no risk. As we paddled along the base of the cliffs there were a number of Fulmar's soaring on their stiffened wings, always a pleasure to see at this time of the year as they have returned to prospect their nesting sites.
A couple of hours exploration and we were ready to retire to the Moulin de Lecq for the Jersey Canoe Club Christmas lunch. A pleasant end to a Sunday morning paddle.

The coast to the east of Greve de Lecq is riddled with caves, some of which are surprisingly large. We managed to get 15 sea kayaks into one of the caves today.

This is the gap between Ile Agois and Col de la Rocque headland. The land on the left side of the photograph is actually at stack, Ile Agois. On the summit there are the remains of a number of stone huts, which is what remains of a 5th century Christian settlement.

Pete passing Devil's Hole, a significant feature along this stretch of coast. It is a huge blow hole and has been a tourist attraction for years. Unfortunately in these health and safety conscious times access to the bottom of the hole is no longer possible by foot. We were fortunate today to be able to paddle through the tunnel into the base of the blow hole. A Kingfisher flew past as we paddled this section of coast, always a pleasure to see when out on the sea.

Le Mourier Valley was our turning point. The small stream was certainly spectacular today.