Daily Picture - 58

Headed to La Pulente to watch the Wales - France match and on the way home came across a few of these little creatures as I came around the headland at Petit Port.  Normally I only see them in the autumn so it was a treat to see a few on the eve of the start of the meteorological spring.

Looking forward to kayaking tomorrow but the forecast looks more like winter than spring.

Jersey Cycle Rides

As the remnants of Hurricane Bertha brushed past the Channel Islands, leaving a showery, blustery airstream in its wake, it was clear that conditions were going to be less than pleasant for a few days. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to get the bikes out and to see something of the interior of the Island as opposed to the coastline. 

What a revelation, we cycled down roads we had never been down before saw hardly any traffic and had a couple or really memorable days.  We followed Route 1 and Route 3, information about the routes is available from Jersey Tourism, but we were pleasantly surprised how clearly signposted they were. 

 Corbiere, with a sea state which isn't typical of August.  Just heading out on Route 1, 40 miles right around the Island

Heading around Petit Port headland, one of a couple of short sections which were off road.

A steady climb out of St Ouen's Bay.  I had never been on this road before.

 We stopped off at Greve de Lecq for breakfast.  It would be great one day if the island authorities put up a sign which encourages you to enjoy the beach.  Everything on these signs is telling you not to do something.

 Hamptonne is in the middle of the Island.  There are exhibits regarding the agricultural heritage of the Island.  Route 3 passes by the entrance.  It is one of a number of properties which are looked after by Jersey Heritage

 The entrance to one of the finest passage graves in Europe, at Hougue Bie.  Another fascinating stopping point on Route 3.

 Another short section of off road, a hidden corner of St John's

 This stone is supposed to be in the centre of Island.  Cycling the other way you would miss this.  It is part of Route 3, which winds its way through the centre of the Island.

 On Route 1 you spend a considerable amount of time wandering around the narrow lanes of St Martin's.  Some of the climbs are pretty steep. 

Mont Orgueil Castle sits overlooking Gorey, on the east coast of the Island.  It is well worth a visit if you are cycling Route 1, it is one of the finest castles anywhere.

Jersey in the Snow Part 2

After a quick return home to warm up it was a surprise to see that the snow had turned to freezing rain.  Everything was coated in a layer of ice, including the windows of the house.  With unusual weather conditions like this, I always feel that it is important to get outside and make the most of it.  This time we walked west towards Corbiere, along the cliff path, before heading towards St Ouen's Bay.

The view from the conservatory window.  Freezing rain had coated everything in a layer of ice.

The beach close to the desalination plant.  In places on the cliff path crampons would probably have been a useful item of equipment.

 A small beach to the east of Corbiere.  Landing here in a kayak would have been an entertaining challenge!

 Gorse covered in a layer of ice.  Conditions like this poses significant problems for some of the wildlife of the area.

Corbiere looking slightly different to last Sunday, when we paddled around the outside of the lighthouse

 Petit Port, snow doesn't lie on the beach that often in Jersey.

Some of the hundreds of Lapwings which were flying over.  Probably driven south by harsher weather conditions further north.

St Ouens Bay with an unusual coating.  It was time to head into the warmth of La Pulente for lunch.

An unusually large swell

When Magic Seaweed predicts a swell in excess of 10 feet with a 17 second wave period then you know that something pretty interesting is going to occur.  As I prepared breakfast there was a rumbling of breaking waves in the background and the car was covered in a light coating of salt spray.

It didn't take long to find out why, as I drove around the corner at Corbiere there was just line after line of huge surf approaching the coast and numerous people staring out to sea.  Large surf acts just like a magnet, attracting people to the shoreline.

The photographs don't give a true idea of the scale of the surf but I was in a hurry, so I didn't have too much time to compose the pictures, as I was off paddling at Bouley Bay.  Although the Bouley Bay was sheltered from the largest of the swell I have to admit that the conditions were still large enough that I didn't really want to take my hands off the paddle, hence no pictures of my time on the water today.  Suffice to say that we had a good time, although a few people did end up practicing their front crawl!

 Looking towards La Rocco Tower

 18 hours earlier there hadn't been a ripple on the sea in this area.  This would not be a good place to launch from today.

St Ouens Bay was full of lines of enormous surf.  Its difficult to judge the scale as some of the waves are a couple of miles away.

 It doesn't look too big but the offshore breaking wave is probably well in excess of 10 feet.

Stand up Paddleboard

To take advantage of the first week day evening after the clocks switched to British Summer Time, we headed down to Petit Port, a reef break just to the north of Corbiere, to take play on the swell.  My paddling partner was Chester from Absolute Jersey who is considerably more competent than me, its always good to know that there will be somebody looking out for you!

It was only my third go on a SUP but I feel that as sea kayaker I have a number of the skills necessary to control the board, for example, being able to J-stroke but I lack the ability to move my feet around with any degree of confidence.  Its something to work on.
I did manage to catch a number of waves but next time I head out on the boards it might be better to choose a non-surfing venue and get some miles in.

Paddling out at the start of the session.  The breaking wave at the front is the normal Petit Port break, used by surfers when the tide is higher.

 Climbing back on after catching the previous wave.  I didn't make it through the break!

If you haven't tried stand up paddleboarding then look for an opportunity  during the coming months.  It is great fun and surprisingly hard work.  An hour on the board seems to be much harder work than an hour in the gym and its certainly a more pleasant environment in which to train.