2023 LCC Celtic Sea Kayaking Trip Day 12 Wednesday – Casteltownbere to Adrigole Harbour by Chris Bolton

We left the rather good value campsite at Allihies (8 Euros a night) and drove for half an hour along very narrow lanes to Casteltownbere. Parking spaces by the harbour were found, but the slipway was used by the ferry to Bear Island, and we had to get on the water quickly to be clear of the ramp before it arrived. We managed this with seconds to spare, despite the distractions of the local pie shops.

We paddled out of the out of harbour, keeping away from the main channel and looking out for commercial traffic, discussing whether the ‘bere’ in Casteltownbere and the ‘Bear’ in Bear Island were pronounced as ‘beer’ or ‘bear’. The consensus was in favour of ‘bear’.

We crossed from Pipers Point to Bear Island and quickly spotted some interesting-looking cliffs with holes. These turned out to be a big through cave – and then another back out – and a channel back in. There was a gap between the last two, with each swell forming a pour-over, sometimes with a hole on both sides. Keith, in a plastic boat, paddled it neatly from the outside; Ian in his composite boat considered it from the inside and concluded that it wasn’t really a good risk.

The first through cave on Bear Island