After a particularly windy night, we had to get up just after midnight to take down the Tipi, we awoke to sunshine but conditions which were likely to prevent us paddling particularly far. We decided to visit the location of an old settlement, which I knew was nearby. The strong northerly wind certainly aided our progress and before long we were landing on the beach.
Having visited the area before I knew that with a little bit of investigation there would be plenty to discover ranging from the sites of small huts to communal graves, all of which would be treated with the utmost respect. What was interesting is that I had camped here several times in the past and it was while exploring the area that I realized our requirements were exactly the same as the inhabitants of Greenland hundreds, if not thousands of years ago. They are flat land for camping, a drinking water supply and easy access to the water for kayaking. The icing on the cake were delightful views of a whale swimming past, as we sat on the rocks absorbing the view.
The paddle back to the campsite was a bit of a slog into the increasing headwind but it did give us great views of the seabird colonies on the eastern edge of the bay. We only paddled 7 nautical miles but we felt somehow that we had connected with the previous inhabitants of this beautiful corner of Greenland.
It is a delightful campsite, with some huge seabird colonies on the cliffs on the left hand side of the bay.
Arrival on the beach of the old settlement. It had been a quick crossing with the wind behind us, it wasn't going to be so easy on the return journey.
There is plenty of evidence of an early settlement, including numerous graves.
Whilst we were exploring the area a whale decided to swim past! A real treat.
On the return paddle we passed reasonably close to some of the seabird colonies in the area. Kittiwakes were just one of the species we saw.
After a few hours on the water Andy found the perfect place to relax.
Others found a more conventional way of relaxing. The gusts of wind can be seen on the surface as cats paws.
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