A Welsh circumnavigation
Words:
Margarita Felixberger
Margarita Felixberger

Margarita Felixberger

Photos:
The Round Wales Team

The Round Wales Team

The Round Wales Team

A Welsh circumnavigation

We were sitting in a static caravan in Prestatyn, refreshing the weather forecast yet again. The storm had finished, but the swell was still large, and we were about to venture into the treacherous Dee Estuary full of shifting sandbanks.

Mumbles near Swansea
Two weeks before, our team of paddlers had set off on a circumnavigation of Wales from the Mumbles near Swansea. We had started off making good progress, but the weather had forced us to sit out a few days, and we were keen to get going again.

Some might ask how you circumnavigate Wales, considering it is not an island. Well, it is surrounded on three sides by coast and the north coast can be connected to the south coast via canals and rivers.  The inland section route requires paddling from Chester to Wolverhampton on the Shropshire Union Canal and then continuing on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal to Stourport-on-Severn. From Stourport, the Severn flows south, bringing you to the south coast.

Our team consisted of Tavi, a seasoned expedition paddler with an Ireland circumnavigation and a Roof of Britain circumnavigation under her belt; Russell, who had dreamed of a Wales circumnavigation since he was 14; Margarita, who loves local adventure and was easily persuaded to join; and expedition novice Alison, who wanted to paddle as much of the coast as possible in the limited time she had available.

So, how do you plan a big adventure like this?
We spent ages discussing different start locations. However, there are so many variables that making detailed planning in advance is difficult. In the end, we printed 1:50k OS maps of the route and annotated the coast section with tidal flows and the inland section with portaging information.

Calm weather
Anticipation, excitement and fear of the unknown mingled as we set off from the Mumbles in early May. Our strategy was simple: paddle hard when the weather is good and sit out adverse weather. So, we made as much progress as possible while the weather was calm. This meant long days of paddling across bays or estuaries to get as far around the coast as possible. We didn’t intend to beat any records, so while the weather was bad or the wind was against us, we did shorter paddling days or rested altogether.

We were lucky that our start coincided with five days of sunny, calm weather and spring tides. This allowed us to get around Pembrokeshire, with its strong tidal flows and committing headlands, in just a few days by braving some long crossings. A real highlight in this section was watching pods of porpoises play near our kayaks.

By then, our paddling fitness had not entirely caught up with our ambitious paddling, and some of us were nursing blisters and tight back muscles. This meant we were not too upset by having to sit out a bad weather day after New Quay, especially as the wonderful Gareth and Alix Bryant of Llandysul Paddlers were able to accommodate us in their bunkhouse.

Feeling rested, we continued north along Cardigan Bay for a few days, debating when to cross to the Llyn Peninsula. We decided to go from Shell Island, making this a 26 km crossing, thinking it would take us maybe 4-5 hours. However, the weather had other plans, and an unexpected headwind slowed us down, which took us six hours instead. Mentally, this was one of the more challenging days as you prepare for a certain crossing duration, and any delay seems to make it go on forever.

Rockpool Kayaks
Purchase the printed Paddler 78

Team spirit
These harder days did foster our team spirit. We did not know each other well at the start, but we were beginning to gel by now. We had open and frank conversations addressing some issues like differences in paddling speeds or how to share the tidal planning. We were fortunate that we got on very well. We had different opinions and preferences, and each paddler had their quirks, but we were accepting and supportive of each other.

We really enjoyed the coastline of the Llyn Peninsula. The tides forced us to have a few shorter paddling days to and through the Menai Straits, which gave us more time to enjoy the beautiful wild camping sites we found.

Soon, we were on the less paddled north coast of Wales, where Alison’s time ran out, leaving three of us to continue. Then, the largest storm of our trip made us seek shelter in a static caravan in Prestatyn. We were keen to get going again once the wind and rain had abated. However, after refreshing the forecast yet again, we took the safe option and decided to spend the next day in a café waiting for the swell to die down. We finally left Prestatyn on the evening tide for a short hop to our next camp spot on the Dee Estuary en route to Chester.

Many portages
Once on the canals from Chester onwards, our progress was less dependent on the weather, but what slowed us down now were the many portages. We had trolleys, but we needed to get the loaded sea kayaks out of the canal and onto the trolleys, wheel them around obstacles like locked gates or right-angle bends, and then launch back into the canal.

Sometimes, the locks were bunched together, and although it was tough to pull a kayak uphill for a few kilometres, at least it got many locks done simultaneously. It was worse when the locks were spaced one or two kilometres apart, and we paddled just 10 or 20 minutes before we had to repeat the portaging process yet again.

After 3.5 days on the canal, the Severn was a relief with its flow and manned locks. Then, half a day on the Gloucester Canal brought us to Sharpness. We were glad to be near salty water again. Back in familiar territory, friends and family were able to support us with overnight accommodation, and we had a wonderful welcome back into Wales by Seren Dwr club members! By now, we knew we would be able to finish our circumnavigation. Before bad weather loomed again, we paddled hard for a few last days before landing on the same slipway we had set out four weeks before.

Would we do it again?
It was a fantastic experience. The mixture of coast, inland, and estuaries made the journey varied and interesting. The four-week expedition made it feel like a proper adventure, but it still fitted in around work responsibilities.

Some of us are already planning the next big trip, while others will stick to shorter, more leisurely expeditions.

Our highlights:

  • Getting on so well within the team.
  • Finding amazing wild campsites by potluck.
  • Making the most of strong tidal streams and courageous crossings to cover more distance than planned.
  • Getting back to our starting slipway after having paddled around Wales!

Statistics:

AS Watersports
Purchase the printed Paddler 78

Tips:

  • Do not plan too far ahead. Wild camping allows you to be flexible, making progress when you can or abandoning it when the going gets tough.
  • Do not pack too much. Our kayaks were very heavy to start with. Every time we met friends or family, we reduced our kit until the boats were a lot more manageable at the end. The problem is always packing everything you need while not having anything essential missing. Being able to offload stuff on the way is very useful, as by then, you know which items you really need.
  • Ensure you are comfortable in your boat for hours, but don’t stress too much about the paddle training. You don’t need to be super fit to start an adventure. If you want to paddle less each day, just allow extra days or choose a shorter challenge. Your paddling speed does not matter if the team is matched or if the faster paddlers are happy with a slower speed. You will get fitter as you go along.
  • Do practise your camp skills. You might think the paddling is the hard bit, but camping life can also be a challenge. Eventually, we got quicker at setting up and breaking camp. We cooked delicious meals on our Trangia, which we occasionally supplemented with pub food.
  • Please check the firing times of the military ranges on the Pembrokeshire coast. We chose our start point to clear the military ranges on the weekend when there was no firing scheduled.
NRS
Purchase the printed Paddler 78