When
Stuart messaged me with the offer of a free lift to Pembrokeshire coz I"m skint, it would of been stupid not to take him up on his offer.
So there I was, up at 05:30AM to get to Stuarts early on Saturday for the drive down.
Arriving at Newport Sands the conditions were perfecto :) We were meeting up with James, Gareth & Simon who got in touch via the
Sea Kayak Cymru Facebook page.
With the car ferrying done we get on the water for what was soon to be one of the best days kayaking i've ever done!
First cave, this was to become a feature of the day & a very welcome one.
Waterfalls were plentiful too.
Framing Dinas Head in the far distance.
We carry on with the final destination of Poppit sands some 10 miles'ish away.
Stu spots a seal on thew beach.
And a big male comes over to tell Stu to piss off!
Stu & James looking small under the huge cliffs.
Bwn Bach Arch.
What I affectionately called the raining cave due to the water dripping down from the roof.
Time to find the Witches Cauldron a huge collapsed cave with several anti chambers.
Not in here?
This looks more promising.
Yep, Awesome!
A lone pup on the perfectly sheltered beach within the cave.
An amazing side chamber. I've previously explored here as best I could on foot & was itching to get down to this spot.
The main opening of the cave. Its pretty huge!
Hide & seek.
It actually led to a very magical cave. the Pagan name for this place seems very appropriate when you can enter these magical hidden places. I'm a very happy Pagan today :)
Moving on we head for Ceibwr Bay but first have to negotiate more caves & tunnels too.
After some awesome deep tunnels we emerge into the light once more to be confronted by the stacks at Ceibwr Bay.
Before we stop for lunch we have a play on a small cascade. I then head straight in for lunch but Stuart, Gareth & James check out a blowhole before coming in. You'll have to check
Stuarts blog for those pics, they were pretty impressive!
Back on the water after a brief break & the scenery wasn't letting up at all, we're evan treated to some swell for playing around the rocks.
You can just make out Stu under this huge folded rock formation.
Still finding more caves to explore. Wish I had my head torch.
As we approach Poppit we pass Cardigan Island. Me & Stu will leave that for tomorrows paddle.
With no surf we make an easy landing & start looking for vantage points to take some pictures :)
Before the sodding long carry back to the car park & farewells.
After a cold night at Poppit Sands I awake to another stunning day & cant wait for the suns rays to rise over the horizon & warm my bones.
I slept in the tent, just the inner as the night was clear. I saw an amazing meteor last night, trailing smoke & flames & shooting very low, Magic!
Dawn at Poppit Sands.
Stuart still doesn't seem to understand camping? He's probably got a mirror in there too :s
Ready for day 2 & we had some surf to contend with.
After a brief play Stuart spots a lull, swaps roles with me & decides we should head out to the Island, evan though it means having to land through the surf again later. "Hey, I make the stupid decisions around here!"
we head out to Cardigan Island situated in Ceredigion, new territory for Stuart.
We pass the inside first. That cone shaped hill is Mwnt, a lovely beach.
On the seaward side its livelier with the swells running through.
I spot what looked like a sick seal. I stroke her back & she didn't flinch? It really looked like she was drawing her last breath? I then stroked her paw looking for a reaction & she wasn't bothered at all which was worrying. I drift a little & as I paddle back she springs to life baring her teeth which was a big relief for me, guess she might of just been snoozing?
We kept well wide of this spot, it was rising about 10-15 foot & then dropping 10-15 foot in a dramatic cascade. Don't want to be too close then!
We make an undramatic landing between sets at Poppit which was a relief as some of the swells were huge. Further out we could see the curve of the sea as the swells passed beneath us.
Another long carry to the van & coffee & biscuits & we were ready for the drive back to South Wales after a very awesome weekend.