I was beginning to wonder whether my local patch of North Cornish coast would ever be calm again. For the last six months it has taken a relentless bludgeoning by enormous waves of record-breaking proportions. Just watching the ferocity of the conditions made my stomach feel knotted.
But I needn’t have worried. The last few days have seen zero swell and wall-to-wall sunshine, and as an added bonus to reward us for our patience, the sea has thrown in crystal clear water as well.
On the first day Simon and I paddled from Perranporth to Chapel Porth via St. Agnes Head and the Man and his Man rocks, situated a mile off the headland. These offshore rocks are one of the very few bits of SW coast I have not yet investigated, because last time I came here conditions weren’t so benign.
South of Cligga Head were a myriad of inlets, islets, caves and tunnels to explore. The largest was the ‘prison’ which was a huge cave with collapsed roof.
The adjacent cliff was perforated by a load of tunnel entrances from mining days which were alarmingly like the mines of Moria from Lord of the Rings.
We paddled two miles offshore to slingshot around the Man and his Man (great name) before riding the tidal current due south to St. Agnes Head.
I was, of course, full of expectation of seeing a large finned creature during this offshore jaunt, but none were forthcoming. I was excessively irritated to learn that a Minke Whale was seen in precisely this location a day later! Grrrr.
We enjoyed the vertical cliffs and green water and feeling of extreme adventure below the headland. I don’t suppose there are more than a handful of days a year it can be this relaxing.
Lunch was taken at the northern tip of Chapel Porth beach beneath the most photographed tin mine engine house in Cornwall, Wheal Coates.
We hugged the coast on the way back and had a chat with a handful of fellow kayakers and other water users. Everyone bore a wide grin. It was such a cracking day.
On this particular day wildlife took a back seat to the jaw-dropping scenery. However the appearance of a Cornish Chough, and its electrifying call, is always welcome.
The following day I couldn’t resist another jaunt off North Cornwall. I paddled out from Portquin to investigate the swirling waters of Rumps Point and the islands off Polzeath. Once again there was no swell and the winds were forecast to be even lighter than yesterday. My track looks impressively like a butterfly.
I stopped off at a quiet beach for a healthy energy snack.
The first island I came upon was bursting with birdlife. Large rafts of Razorbills, with the odd Guillemot, were socialising and cackling all around me as I quietly drifted past with the current.
What a fantastic close-up wildlife experience with a backcloth of some of the best coastal scenery in Cornwall! And what a great soundtrack. Sloshing water and the Razorbill croak.
But even better were four Puffins which were hunting in the current on the other side of the island. Seeing a Puffin always scores nineteen out of twenty on the excitement scale. Although they are regulars here during the breeding season, finding a day suitable for a kayaking across to the island is quite a challenge.
The surface was so incredibly smooth I couldn’t resist paddling directly offshore for the next instalment. I passed through loose packs of Manx Shearwaters that were circling and plunge-diving with quite a splosh.
I looked hard for a fin breaking the surface and eventually saw a porpoise at distance, which then just disappeared.
A couple of fast RIBs from Padstow Sealife Safaris sped past and stopped a couple of miles directly ahead of me. Then another two RIBs turned up and stopped so I guessed they must be looking at something. Half-an-hour later I arrived upon the scene, and was by now very hot indeed, dressed in thermals and wearing a full drysuit under the intense sun. It was worth the suffering however, because there were fins appearing all around the speedboats.
Dolphins! Half a dozen Common Dolphins were casually cruising about amongst the boats. They were well-scattered and I didn’t get a great view. I think they were already bored of investigating humans so soon swam off northwards. I headed inwards.
I pointed back to Portquin and started on the five mile paddle back to shore, dodging all sorts of pleasure craft on the way.
Day three (this morning) involved a spur-of-the-moment paddle for three hours along the coast south of Bude. As always, the effort was worthwhile and I did a major double-take as I saw a large long-winged bird overtaking me out to sea…OSPREY!
It cruised lazily along the coast towards Bude and then turned landwards and disappeared over the top of the cliff.
So, not a bad ‘haul’ of species over the two and-a-bit days on the North Cornish coast. Peregrines, Puffins, Porpoise, Dolphins, Seals, Chough and Osprey to name but a few!
Oh, I nearly forgot. I also came across half-dolphin, half-man near Bude this morning. Jack Davies!
The Lone Kayaker 