Saturday, January 31, 2015

Skomer Island

Myself and Elan made a trip west with the promise of some fine weather.  We left a car at Dale with the intention of paddling out from St Brides Haven, around Skomer and Skokholm, cross over to St Anns Head and into Milford Haven to land at Dale.
 Ready to launch at St Brides Haven.  We made a beeline straight down onto Skomer Islands north coast hoping to catch the last of the southerly flow that would take us down the west side of Skomer and onto Skokholm.
Grey Seal
 Skomer Island is a wildlife haven and within minutes we were surrounded by many of its residents.

 Puffins

 Porpoise
On Skomers western point we enjoyed a close encounter with a pod of Porpoise.

We explore the rugged western approaches of the island but it soon becomes apparent that the low wind forecast was not entirely correct.  A stiff wind blew up from the south meaning if we wanted to carry on with the intended plan it would be a battle into the head wind all the way. 
The wind on tide made for some interesting conditions in Little Sound where we decided to make a break against the flow back onto the sheltered northern side of the island. 
 Original plan aborted we decided to take a relaxing paddle back along the old red sandstone cliffs to St Brides Haven with a lunch stop at Martins Haven.
Conditions couldnt have been more different as we weaved in and out of the kelp covered boulder fields admiring the beauty of our home coastline.


 Not the intended route today but the close encounter with the pod of porpoise easily made up for it.
Posted by jouriege at 11:47 AM

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