A Bit of Quiet Time

For the past week or so I have been going out of my mind. I haven't been able to work due to the weather and I've been stuck in the house with two bored kids. Hannah wasn't in work till 12 today so I had a couple of hours to get out for some time off.

It was an early start from Aberthaw after digging my boat out of the snow and prising it free from the decking. I ventured out against the flow of the spring ebb tide toward Barry.

Beneath the cliffs of Fontygary caravan park huge icicles clung to the overhanging cliffs.

It became quickly obvious that I wouldn't be going far today as I made slow progress into the flow at 2-2.5 knots.

I haven't noticed these tunnels in the cliff before, there's a stone quarry is just over the cliff.

The weather was a bit dull and misty, no chance of a sun rise today.

There's Peregrine Falcons up on this cliff here but I couldn't see them today, just here their screeching.

It looks cold but I felt a little warmer today than past paddles, some of these icicles must be more than 10ft long.

Around Knap Point and into Barry harbour marked the turn around point, it had been a very slow 2 hours.

There was a cold wind blowing into the harbour so I paddled back around into the Knap for a coffee break.

Paddling back I made a beeline for Rhoose point taking advantage of the tidal flow. That's more like it 6-7 knots!

Within 45 mins I was heading back in to Aberthaw Bay looking for a place to land that wasn't sinking mud. It was now low tide and boiling hot water was spilling into the sea from the power station. The water was like a bath and the birds were dive bombing for fish all around.

Another half hour walk through mud, seaweed, freezing rock pools and snow covered steep boulders to finish. Becoming a habit this is! A short 10.6 nautical mile trip in quiet tranquility!