Piggins' Paddling 2011
The majority of the paddling we do as a club (or at least would like to do if it would rain a bit more...) is on moving water on rivers. There are a fair few rivers in Northern Ireland that we can paddle, most of which do not suffer problems with access like our friends in England. Although there are not many rivers with high grades of rapids, there is enough moving water about to make it interesting! We also do at least one trip every year over to Scotland or the continent to find some bigger, faster water!
Surfing
Ireland is blessed with some of the best surfing beaches in the UK. We have none of the crowds of Newquay, but we definitely get as good (if not better) waves. It's not always quite so warm though... As a club, we surf for fun whenever there is no whitewater to keep us amused, on weekends away in Donegal or the West coast of Ireland - none of us are world class, but we enjoy it. The key to enjoyable surf kayaking for us is keeping away from swimmers and other surfers, riding the waves and trying to stay upright! Surfing is the best way to perfect your rolling skills!
Calmer Canoeing
It's not all about frantic whitewater or pounding surf. We also paddle on loughs and calmer rivers, mostly in open boats. This means we don't have to get dressed up in wetsuits or drysuits, can bring the family along if we wish and generally kick back, relax and take in the scenery. That said, there is a great satisfaction to be had in making an open boat do exactly what you want, in peace and quiet, so the skill level and personal achievement can be up there with running the most gnarly bit of whitewater - it's all in the head.... Calm water, great scenery and good company. In the summer, we often take to the sea in a variety of boats. Most of the paddlers in the club also have sea kayaks which are much more suited to paddling long distances in open water. However, given that most of our trips are just day trips around the coast or out on Strangford Lough, the shorter whitewater boats can sometimes be just as good. We like to explore the coastline, looking in sea caves, watching the wildlife and then finding a secluded spot for lunch. The coastline of Northern Ireland is absolutely fantastic and well worth exploring by boat. Blue skies, blue sea and caves to explore.
During each year, we always try to plan a trip away to do some paddling in places that leave us with life-long memories. This year it could be the high Alps of France, or perhaps Slovenia!