Sea kayaking in North Devon

For my birthday last month Ben and Claire gave me a sea kayaking session - an ideal present as I have always enjoyed kayaking but have not done much on the open sea. So yesterday Ben and I, together with Rob, our guide, launched kayaks from the beach in the picturesque hamlet of Lee, near Ilfracombe in North Devon. Conditions were ideal - the high cliffs protected the sea from the south easterly force 4 wind so the waves were relatively small. Visibility was excellent - we could clearly see the Island of Lundy 12 miles away and the coast of Wales across the Bristol Channel - the Gower Peninsula (25 miles) and Pembrokeshire (35 miles). The water was clear and about 16C - not too cold and the sky was overcast so not too warm either. This stretch of coast has one of the biggest tidal ranges in the world (about 26 feet or 8 metres) and the tide was at its lowest as we started our journey west. Under Rob's direction we spent some time "rock-hopping" - using the currents, tide and our paddles to steer quickly through narrow channels between exposed rocks. We saw scores of sea birds of many varieties before landing on a small beach, inaccessible by foot. Rob got out his stove, served hot chocolate and boiled an edible crab's leg he had found. The journey back was exhilarating - we each lowered our skeg (like a small outboard keel) to prevent us moving sideways and, assisted by the wind and incoming tide, paddled quickly back to base. So quickly that we almost overshot it. It was all great fun - the only down side was having to carry the canoes 400 yards from the car park to the sea and back again. Sorry I have no photos - its almost impossible to hold a camera and keep it dry whilst wrestling with a paddle in a rocking kayak. If you'd like to know more about expeditions with Rob look at the website of SeaKayakingSouthwest