Adventures in Wales, England and at the Sea Kayaking Cornwall Symposium
This year’s travel schedule has been non-stop, and the past few weeks have been no exception. We started the month in North Wales, and were thrilled to have a few days of stunning weather. We took advantage of it, and hiked up Tryfan, which is a mountain in the Ogwen Valley in Wales. Clear skies provided wonderful views in every direction.
Mark enjoys the sun and the spectacular scenery.
A pile of rocks provided a nice place to take a break. This seagull seemed to be enjoying the day as well.
That weekend we ran some classes on Anglesey, and then we headed to Portmeirion, a village in North Wales, and the location where the hit television show, The Prisoner, was filmed.
Portmeirion.
Watch out for strong currents and quicksand while strolling along the beach.
The following week we headed to Stonehenge, and were once again blessed with beautiful weather.
It was really interesting to walk around this prehistoric monument, and ponder over the many mysteries that it holds.
The stones were much larger than I expected.
After leaving Stonehenge, we headed to Cornwall for the Sea Kayaking Cornwall Symposium. It was my first year at this great event.
Many of the participants camped at Tregedna Farm, which served as “base camp” for the event.
This little guy couldn’t wait to get in his kayak.
It was great to catch up with Mats (from Sweden), Steve (from Wales) and Jeff Allen (one of the symposium organizers).
P&H Custom Sea Kayaks was one of several vendors at the event.
Event organizer, Shaun Rodgers, made some pre-class announcements.
Throughout the weekend Mark and I coached two Traditional Paddling and Greenland Rolling Days.
We found a quiet indoor space to talk about traditional skills and do some on-land stroke work.
Then we headed to the beach for a short Yoga for Paddlers warm up.
Throughout the weekend, we worked on everything from first rolls to the Elbow Roll.
Dirk worked on his forward to forward norsaq roll.
The harbor was a great place to work on Greenland strokes.
The Maritime Museum in Falmouth Harbor provided some shelter from the wind.
There were lots of smiles.
Another smile.
And still another.
Happy rollers!
Special thanks to Shaun, Jeff and Simon for taking such good care of us!
