Alps Alternative Week 2 Central and Southeast Scotland. Day 03 River Tay – Stanley This is the most paddled section of river in Scotland according to the guidebooks. We headed off in 4 vehicles as the information said that parking was an issue. We navigated to get out car park which was much smaller than I expected. We met three retired paddlers from Edinburgh dropping a car off. We got talking to them and they informed us that the top car park was now locked and we had to contact the Scottish Canoe Association for the code for the gate. There was then some discussion of the fishing issues with paddling on the river Tay compared to open access across the rest of Scotland. Two redirected phone calls later and we had not been able to talk to anyone on the number(s) given on the SCA website. There was no one available in the offices. Stuart and I took a punt and went to take a look at the get on, it was down a long winding road with new no parking signs and even one ticketed car! The three retired guys had left the padlock open, while I distracted them with more chat, Stuart was able to observe the code. Just after this, another car with a playboater arrived. I opened the gate for her. The paddler said, “you know they have changed the code”. Oh, I replied, I didn’t know that. She then told me the code. We now had access to a warm, sheltered beach with flat pool and a safe place to leave the cars. A quick shuttle back to let the others know the planned trip was on. We paddled upstream to a small rapid to play a bit and practise our ferry gliding. After […]

Nominations for our 2021 Awards are now requested – If you would like to nominate a fellow paddler please send an email to: with a brief (no more than 60 words) summary of why they are being nominated and ideally a photo of them. (Please include any video or other material you may have.) Winners of our three Club “Paddler of the year” Awards will be presented at our Virtual Awards Evening and AGM on Monday 18th October 2021 Nominations close on 13th September and you will then be able to cast your votes to find the winners. During August/ September we will be taking nominations from club members for: 2021 Nominations for Paddler of the year (club member who has either made the most progress or achievement in paddle sport over the year) 2021 Nominations for Young Paddler of the year (Under 18 club member who has made either the most progress or achievement in paddle sport over the year) 2021 Nominations for Volunteer of the year (Club member who has given their services to help the club over the year) Historical Record 2020 Paddler of the Year 2020 Junior of the Year 2020 Volunteer of the Year Victor Leather Ella Clews Julie Brooks From a spluttering begoggled mess on the Sunday paddle, breaking his neck to get upright at the end of a paddle float, Vic has blossomed to my knowledge into a surfing veteran of a stormy Saturday morning at Crosby to an intrepid kayaker in the Scottish Isles, with a fish that he allegedly caught himself with a length of string and a bent pin. Amazing progress in such a short time! Ella is a regular and active participant in the Junior club and plays in the Junior Polo team. Despite having little river experience, Ella paddled grade 3 rivers in […]

LCC Alpine Holiday with Staycation Alternative for 2021 This year we were all set to go to France again. All the planning had been done, restrictions checked and most of us fully jabbed. With the third wave and a month to go we started to look for an insurance option, just in case. We provisionally booked campsites in St David’s, Pembrokeshire, and the Scottish Canoe Association Campsite on the River Tay at Grandtully. With two weeks to go the UK Government decided to add France to the Amber plus list, meaning compulsory isolation for all on return. Fortunately, we had our insurance option, Plan B as travel to France was now totally unrealistic. Alps Alternative Week 2 Central and Southeast Scotland. Day 01 River Tummel After meeting up on the Scottish Canoe Association Campsite on the River Tay at Grandtully the night before we confirmed that the River Tummel was still releasing. There is plenty of information on the SCA website. We drove up to the dam but first left a car at the get out (the large stone arch that marked the HEP power station car park. There were several rafting companies operating so we knew we were in the right place. We had to follow the river guides carefully as none of us had paddled the river before. Near the Dam at the top, we dropped off our kayaks and carefully parked our car – many of the roads had been recently converted to no stopping zones with frequent ticketing. Once changed we carried our kayaks down through the HEP dam, following some gates and flattered grass made by dragging the rafts. We put on below the dam and warmed up on the first rapid. The first sections were great – easy grade 2`s leading into a couple […]

Hi everyone, Just a reminder of the annual Hilbre Island Sea Kayaking event run by Liverpool Canoe Club in partnership with Dee Sailing Club is at 2:30pm on Sunday 12th September 2021 All the usual events on Sunday 12th have been taken off the calendar as the people who run those sessions are usually involved with helping with the event. We still need some helper and volunteers. Eg safety kayakers, car park helpers, timers and general help on the day so if anyone would like to volunteer, please drop me a quick line. If any more club members would like to enter any of the events, please just enter via the club website. https://liverpoolcanoeclub.co.uk/hilbre/ Juniors and new paddlers can enter the West Kirby Event which is along the shore and approximately 2 lengths of the docks. If you want more of a challenge then try the round Little Eye event. The compound will be open in the Morning and later in the afternoon to borrow club boats – just book the type of craft you want before the event…. Why not consider paddling as a group of 3 for the Hilbre event – this is new the year. Even if you do not want to help or take part it is a great afternoon out with good access to the beach and faces the sun. The bar and a BBQ at Dee Sailing club will be available for all club members – just make your purchases as a required. It will be great to catch up with everyone and is an ideal family day out on the Wirral. Kind regards Keith Steer Liverpool Canoe Club

Alps Alternative Week 1 Pembroke. Day 5,6 & 7 (Cardiff WW Course 4 and 6 Cumecs, Surfing at Whitesands Bay and Cardiff WW Course 10 Cumecs) Day 05 Cardiff WW Course 4 and 6 Cumecs Some went to the beach surfing, some walked around the coastal path and mooched about. Later that day most of us loaded up the cars and headed off to Cardiff for that evening`s “park and play session”. Some of the artificial rocks had been taken out to compensate for the lower flows. The course was on 4 Cumecs for the first hour and 6 Cumecs for the second one. At this level it was less intimidating but there were more kayaks and rafts on the course for the midweek session. Soon everyone was up to speed with the course layout and paddling around in laps. We began to play with each feature, popping out, surfing waves and getting ever tighter breakouts. Some of the features were very shallow but the directed flow was at speed over the smooth concrete artificial bed of the course. The speed of the water meant that the depth was irrelevant here as you were speeding over a film of water only 6 cm deep and then into a deeper section. We kept going until after 8:15pm when the water and escalator were turned off. The handy retail park and Maccy D`s allowed us to enjoy a chat and some food before we drove the 2hrs back to the campsite. Click for more photographs……. Day 06 Surfing at Whitesands Bay Roy had been up all-night checking “Magic Seaweed” and the surf was going to be up – 4-6 feet and massive. Excitedly Roy exclaimed that we must go – he was going to take all 4 of his surf toys on […]

Alps Alternative Week 1 Pembroke. Day 4 The Bitches, St Justinian’s to Whitesands Beach, Surfing at Whitesands Bay and Coasteering at Blue Lagoon Day 04a The Bitches The tide was an hour later today, so we headed down to the car park at St Justinian`s at 8:30am. It was too late, and all the places were taken. We dropped the kayaks off, and I was not prepared to pay the £5 for the overflow car park so dropped the car back at the campsite and walked the 1km down to the lifeboat ramp. We paddled in the back eddy as far as we could before heading over to “the bitches” again. We were a littler earlier today and the waves seemed to be a little larger. Here a fishing boat came over to take a look. We played and surfed for a while and then attempted to get onto the main wave on the middle rock. The rocks were extremely sharp as we tried to pull ourselves forward in the eddy. The sea was pulsing all the time and we briefly managed to get on the wave for a few seconds. As the tide dropped off, we went to explore the caves and waterfalls on Ramsey Island before paddling back to St Justinian`s to meet the others. Click for more photographs……. Day 04b St Justinian’s to Whitesands Beach We met the others just after 11:30 at St Justinian`s lifeboat ramp. They had been snorkelling around the rocks and caves below St Justinian`s. Once all on the water we paddled north around the headland to explore the cliffs and caves. There was a slight swell an this made rock hopping interesting. We could see the North End of Ramsey Island in the distance, and we rounded the corner into Whitesands Bay. […]

Alps Alternative Week 1 Pembroke. Day 03 “The Bitches” There were big springs this week and ideal for a trip out to “the bitches”. These are a series of sharp rocks blocking half of Ramsey Sound. All the tide sweeps through between the Island and the mainland and pours through between and around the rocks producing a lot of white water and waves. These are a fantastic play spot, but you do need to know your tides, only venture out in calm conditions and look out for everyone in the group. We dropped the boats off at the top of the steps leading down to the old lifeboat house and parked the cars in the few remain car park spaces. Once changed we carried down and launched on the small beach beside the lifeboat ramp. There were numerous “RHIBs” loading with people for the highspeed tour of Ramsey Island, the wildlife and rough water. We took the strong back eddy up as high as we could and then started our ferry across the to “the bitches” rocks. We were not sure we would make it as the tide was extremely strong – at least 6 knots but probably faster. We all made the first eddy behind the outer most rock and gathered our thoughts. We then began to start to play and get used to the water. Aleksander and Stuart caught the best waves while Roy searched for the infamous large green surf wave behind the middle rock. After a while we all ferried across to the arch with the tide flowing through. It was still far too strong to try and paddle through but provided some fun. We then explored the coastline of Ramsey Island. We found a waterfall and several caves and arches – one of which was […]

Alps Alternative Week 1 Pembroke. Day 02a Cardiff WW Course 8 Cumecs Most headed off for the WW course again, still pumping 8 Cumecs it was at a good level. Most of the newcomers were soon up to speed and flying around the course with ease. It really was a blast. Although relatively shallow in places most of the features had plenty of water at this level and the holes while friendly were still powerful and deserved respect. The only things to watch out for are the blue plastic rocks as they can be a pain if you bang an elbow or other part of the body if you get the breakout wrong. There seemed to be plenty of space and only a few of the 50 public places were taken. There were rafts and inflatables on the course with centre staff, but these only numbered 3 at the most. You really do get a lot of paddling in when paddling on an artificial course with an escalator. This was really turning out to the be Alternative Alpine Rivers trip we had all hoped for. Click for more photographs……. Day 02b Abereiddy Beach to Porthgain (Sloop Inn) and return A few Alpine paddlers had broken with the tradition of paddling the boats they were going to take the Alps and had also brought long pointed boats with hatches on. This alternative group paddled along the rocky coasts and headlands to Porthgain, stopped for a while for lunch and then paddled back again. Apparently, the Sloop Inn was the highlight of the trip – It must have been fantastic as the coastline here is truly beautiful. Porthgain HistoryThe village of Porthgain has a wealth of historical relics from its time as a prosperous industrial harbour in the early 1900s. At one time, […]

LCC Alpine Holiday with Staycation alternative for 2021 This year we were all set to go to France again. All the planning had been done, restrictions checked and most of us fully jabbed. With the third wave and a month to go we started to look for an insurance option, just in case. We provisionally booked campsites in St David’s, Pembrokeshire, and the Scottish Canoe Association Campsite on the River Tay at Grandtully. With two weeks to go and the UK Government decided to add France to the Amber plus list meaning compulsory isolation for all on return. Fortunately, we had our insurance option, Plan B as travel to France was now unrealistic. Alps Alternative Week 1 Pembroke. Day 01 Cardiff WW Course 8 Cumecs Some of us left early and took a slight detour to visit Cardiff International White-Water Course. This was to be our river option for this week with 4 days where the course was offering “Park and Play” sessions for paddlers. 6 of us met at the course for the afternoon session. It was pumping 8 Cumecs (cubic metres a second) and true to form the course filled up and we had a great time doing laps. On getting our wrist bands we put our boats on in the bottom pool and took the escalator to the top and set off on the course. Some of the drops and eddies were exciting and the boiling water gave a few problems for some. We had all watched the safety video beforehand and there were two people from the centre on the middle island with throw ropes to rescue any unfortunate swimmers. At this level several of the other playboaters were performing 360-degree forward loops. As our confidence grew, we started to play a little more in each […]

Congratulations to both LCC teams who did a sterling job representing the club at the National championship. Both teams fought hard in the open league against division 1 sides with LCC Brunswick winning 1 and losing 2 in their group stage. LCC Dukes lost all 3 group games but did score in everyone. Due to the way the National Championships is run LCC Dukes came 4th in their group and was entered into the shield competition on the Sunday after winning their knockout game 6-0 they unfortunately lost their semifinal but did win their remaining game to come third in the shield competition. LCC Brunswick were entered into the the Bowl competition after a really hard fought knockout game Brunswick were unable to secure the victory but continued to put in a fantastic effort against some hard opposition to come 6th overall in their group. In the open league both teams improved their overall seeding (out of 36) seeing LCC Brunswick move up from 28th to 24th and LCC Dukes move from 32nd to 30th place. Good effort from both teams did the club and themselves proud.

The 7th and 8th August witnessed the largest triathlon in the world return to London for its 22nd year and Swim Safety provided the water safety crew of over fifty who supervised the swimming event at the iconic Royal Victoria Dock. Four members of Liverpool Canoe Club were part of the water safety team.The weather was challenging with persistent rain on the Saturday, a suspension of the swim course due to a lightening threat and strong winds. The rain and strong winds continued in the Sunday. The London Triathlon hosted 10,200 triathletes who swam, ran and cycled to raise money for charity, with some of the city’s most iconic landmarks serving as their backdrop. Estimates suggest that some 30,000 spectators provided support and encouragement for the determined athletes.This year, the money raised will be donated to Great Ormond Street Hospital and Macmillan Cancer Support.All competitors swam in the Royal Victoria Dock and ran around the London Docklands. The bike route varied depending on the day and distance chosen.The races all started at the ExCeL Centre, Royal Victoria Dock and each will follow a slightly varied route across central London.The length of the triathlon route depended on which event the athletes took part in: • Olympic – Saturday & Sunday: Swim 1500km, Bike 40km, Run 10km • Olympic Plus – Sunday: Swim 1500km, Bike 80km, Run 10km• Olympic Team Relay – Saturday: Swim 1500km, Bike 40km, Run 10km • Sprint – Saturday & Sunday: Swim 750km, Bike 20km, Run 5km • Sprint Team Relay – Saturday: Swim 750m, Bike 20km, Run 5km • Super Sprint – Saturday: Swim 400km, Bike 10km, Run 2.5km https://www.facebook.com/thelondontri/videos/887555015191932

Scotland Sea Kayak Trip – June 2021 Day 6 and 7 (Catriona Hare) Day 6 Camas na Croise to the island that shall not be named (about 22km) We set off about 9:30, after breakfast which came with one of our few midge experiences of the trip, although still far less than I could ever have dreamed of. Andy was developing a new habit of being on the water before the rest of us and looking disapprovingly at tardiness. He needs to practice his disapproving look for it to be effective. Like the rest of the week, we set off in glorious sunshine and flat calm conditions, I am still not convinced we were in Scotland. The day before we had decided not to cross over to Mull due to fog in the shipping lane, looking back towards Mull this morning it looked like it was foggy again and the risk averse decision for a change of plan the day before seemed more justified than ever. We headed up the western shore of Loch Linnhe which gave us some very different scenery to the rest of the trip, with the larger mountains of the mainland running into the loch. Before long it was time to stop for food and a philosophical debate on the timing and meaning of the words breakfast and lunch. Elevenses, brunch and possibly “linner” were considered superfluous. Anyway, it was our first relaxing meal stop in the sun of the day. We carried on up the coast getting some really good views of a golden and a white-tailed eagle and lots of wild goats. Roger was excellent a spotting wildlife. We stopped at Port a Ghearrain, our most northern point on Loch Linnhe, for our meal of choice and more relaxing in the sun. Although it […]

Scotland Sea Kayak Trip – June 2021 Day 5 Thursday 01/07/2021 by Ian Bell Lismore east coast and crossing to Camas na Croise (About 24Km) by Ian Bell Having spent the night at the south end of Lismore, we had plans and aspirations of crossing over to Mull for a night before starting to wind our way back to Oban. However the fog had rolled in and following some debate as to how long we could delay departure and still take advantages of slack water to cross passed Lady’s Rock we decided on a cut off time or we would revert to plan B,C,D,E whatever. As the time approached, we saw the fog lift only to descend again. There was some doubt in group as to the whether we should chance it and play Russian roulette with the Cal Mac ferries so we decided we would leave Mull for another time and paddle up the east side of Lismore and spend the rest of the trip exploring up into Loch Linnhe. Of course, as we set off, the fog lifted again and soon we were commenting on the heat of the morning sun. However, we were now committed to paddling north. As we paddled, we commented that this part of island was less inhabited than we expected and identified several other possible camp sites. It was also noted that at some point some of the group would need to find and top up water supplies. This noted I suggested as the ground was dry, we would be best calling in at the ferry terminal as it was the most likely option for a tap. On the way Andy suggested exploring Eilean nan Gamhna and its siter Eilean na Cloiche, so we headed out to them for elevenses or lunch. We […]

Scotland Sea Kayak Trip – June 2021 Day 4 – Eilan nan Caorach (Poo Island) to SW Lismore – Andy Garland We departed our island campsite around 9:30am and left our feathered friends (and appreciable amounts of avian poo) behind. The sea was calm, it was warm, and the scenery was fantastic. What more could you possibly want (apart from Second Breakfast)? We glided across the water to the island of Lismore and followed its west coast southward. Our course took us around the tiny islands off the shore of Port Ramsay, and we took care not to disturb the attendant seals with young pups. The coast continued to pass us by on our left-hand side…all was mellow, all was calm, we were at one with the world, but I needed Second Breakfast! Just before my stomach started digesting my head a superb breakfast-eating bay came into sight, next to the ruins of Castle Coeffin. We relaxed in the sun and took in the serenity of it all. It was wonderfully peaceful. The only sounds that could be heard were me munching a tin of sardines, crisps, a mars bar and one of those cereal bars that are marketed to people who are too lazy to cook a proper breakfast. It would have been a wonderful spot to camp, but a notice from the landowners made it quite clear (in a very polite way) that they would much prefer people to camp on common land further to the north. We continued our trip south until it was time for First Lunch. This was taken at the site of a disused limestone quarry in the bay at An Sailean. We explored the abandoned lime kilns and quarry buildings and imagined what it must have been like working here while it was […]

Day 3 Kerrara to Eilan nan Caorach ( about 31Km) Sheena Davies On Tuesday the 29th of June we left our beautiful campsite on the west coast of Kerrera at 9.30am. Our first stop was ‘Little Ganavan’ , a sandy beach just north of Oban where I immediately struggled out of my dry suit as it was so hot! It really was as hot as it looks in the photo. I was also relieved that we had successfully negotiated the shipping channel between the north of Kerrera and the mainland. We had our second breakfast here, or was it first lunch? Our next stop was Dunstaffnage Marina where we filled all available containers with water from a tap on the pontoon. Unfortunately, a lady (trailing a little dog called Peanut), upset me by informing me that that water was contaminated. Roger sensibly pointed out that it would be more unhygienic to source it from the toilet cisterns as she had suggested! The marina staff, however, were lovely and more than happy for us to use their facilities. We had a ‘lumpy’ but wonderful kayak from Dunstaffnage to the jutting out piece of land beyond Tralee bay then paddled all the way up the Lynn of Lorne to Eilean Nan Caorach where we settled for the evening and overnight. Catriona answering her phone in the channel, Ian was getting closer. We must have had a second lunch stop en route but I was too tired to remember it! Ian Bell kayaked from Port Appin this evening to join us and we had a lovely time amidst masses of squabbling seabirds and goose poop!!

Scotland Sea Kayak Trip June 2021 First day (The extra-long alternative) by Ali Watt Sheena and I had decided to travel down from Skye early on the morning of the first day of the trip.  Like all early morning starts, they sound ok in the planning, but much harder when the time comes and you have to leave your bed at 4am.  On the road for 5am and a clear road south got us to our departure point at Dunstaffnage Marina, outside Oban, just before 9am. After just short of an hour’s packing, we had managed to cram in the kitchen sink and everything else required for a week’s self-supported paddling, and we were out of the gates and off.  Heading south Catriona thoughtfully contacted us by text to let us know that herself, Andy and Roger where on the water about the same time as us, paddling in the same direction as us, but a good 12km ahead. We had a great paddle past Oban bay, where we managed to avoid the fishing boats and Calmac ferries by sticking to the Kerrera shore.  Once into quieter waters we crossed to the mainland to stop for a second breakfast at Kerrera Slip. Managing to curb the desire to eat like a whale and consume more than we’d packed for the day, we continued our journey south, trying to avoid seal pups and angry oyster catchers as we went.  The weather was good, just a slight head wind which I was very glad of as it slowed my companion’s pace to one I could enjoy. The Island of Seil came into view, and we knew that we weren’t too far from the rest of the team, in fact we could almost smell them!  Onwards we went, into the deep south, rounding […]