ron-t kayaking blog
06 February 2015 ............ The Stacks
Another nice day, a bit less wind than two days ago, and right at the height of the Springs - time for another shot at the Stacks.
It was an ebb tide from lunch until late afternoon, and I launched just after high water.
Easy paddling out to Dinas Stack and Penrhyn Mawr, and this time I could get a photograph of South Stack - looks like the natives are sending smoke signals !
It was a straightforward and quite quick paddle across Abraham`s Bosom to South Stack - under the bridge, looking at the current flowing through the narrows.
My ageing muscles found it quite a struggle paddling through the narrows against the current, but I can say the experience of river paddling at grade 3/4 is a definite asset when taking on this kind of current.
I had to go quite a long way round and into Gogarth Bay before I could find a quiet enough bit of water from where I could photograph North Stack, so this isn`t the best view of North Stack, but does give a good impression of the size of the cliffs around Gogarth Bay.
Up at North Stack now, sitting outside Cathedral Cave, looking back across Gogarth Bay to South Stack.
I am afraid that looking into the sun has rather highlighted the smudge on the lens - coming across Gogarth Bay it was a bit rough at times, so everything was wet, and I had nothing with which to dry the lens.
I headed through the sound between the island and the mainland of North Stack until I could see the Skerries lighthouse and Carmel Head, then turned and headed back.
Just down from Cathedral Cave, there is another narrow, but very deep cave - and it has a window above the front door -
A bit further on, and another cave - a somewhat confused cave, as it has two entrances, a big arch, and a long deep section as well.
I went in, but somehow it was picking up the swell, so it was all a bit too lively for me to take a picture from inside.
And so back across Gogarth Bay to South Stack, round the outside of South Stack where there was barely a race, and headed across Abraham`s Bosom to Penrhyn Mawr.
Here it all went a bit pear shaped - I paddled and paddled - and went almost nowhere. I just couldn`t get away from South Stack.
I eventually realised that there is a massive eddy in Abraham`s Bosom, and it didn`t seem to matter how far I went out, I couldn`t escape it.
I got across eventually, but I think I could have gone round close to the shore in a considerably shorter time.
By the time I got to Penrhyn Mawr, the flood tide had just started, but it was still low water - I was well out beyond Penrhyn Mawr, so I went to say hello to the Fangs - the Fangs are somewhat elusive - they are the summit of a ridge of rock about 100 metres out from Penrhyn Mawr, and they only show at low Spring tides.
At the lowest Spring tides, a second summit appears - sometimes a seal or two uses them for sunbathing.
Back at Porth Daffarch, and well chuffed that I got out to the Stacks right at the height of Springs - and a rather nice sunset to finish off the day.
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