The idea of starting a paddling blog has been floating around for a while now, mainly to record trips and keep track of skills learned and sights seen… The winter weather has restricted the opportunities for being out on the water, so it seemed a good time to begin and write up up some memorable [...]
We love the lake in Loughrea… Locha Riach nó Locha Riabhach, arís ag brath ar an duine – variously translated as the grey, dappled or speckled lake. It’s a spring-fed limestone lake, about twice as long as it is wide, and shallow enough in spots – perfect for two new kayakers! There are lots of slipways thanks [...]
We spent the first week of August in Cleggan, a small fishing village on the wild west coast of Connemara. My Dad’s a Connemara man, so since childhood a part of every summer is spent there with family & friends – walking, fishing, swimming & soaking up enough of the Connemara air to restore sanity [...]
So, most of July was spent on the all important job of buying 2 kayaks! Makes & models were endlessly discussed, reviews read, pros & cons weighed up… skeg or rudder? what shape hull? what length? what paddle? wetsuit or drysuit? Budget was a factor, and more so because secondhand kayaks are like hens teeth, [...]
Sometime last May, J was sitting by the river in NUIG waiting to sit an exam. A kayaker paddled by heading upstream & J had a lightbulb moment… as soon as the exams were out of the way he started looking for ways to get on the water. His enthusiasm was infectious & I was [...]