Alpine pastures

During the Tour de France all the big Alpine climbs are lined with campervans galore, and some of the beautiful minutiae is lost.  However, during my solitary climb of the Galibier, I was struck by the extravagant colour of the flora and had to stop to take a photograph (and have a rest!). And on the way down? ..... A marmotte, stood on a rock, surveying his kingdom. A memorable moment.

Its been a long time.

Months without a post, and then a random picture of the Galibier. I'm clearly not the world's greatest blogger. And yet I do love writing, I do enjoy plenty of adventures and do have the photographs to prove it. So I'm going to attempt to be more frequent with the visuals to make up for the literary shortcomings - often about cycling, frequently about life generally and often about nonsense - stuff that just appeals. Here we go ..... blogging part 3.

Box ticked!

Finally! At the Col du Galibier, but not as fast as Andy Schleck. Still, a great moment in the Cahill list of cycling achievements.

Ocean Kayaks - keeping a family afloat.

       Further thoughts on family kayaking - in no particular order.

 

·       Wetsuits. We started by wearing shorties wetsuits, but as we became more adventurous we switched to full wetsuits – particularly good when kayaking in the spring and autumn months, and when surf kayaking in the summer. That said, if paddling a dry trip, I roll the upper part of my wetsuit down and wear a ‘skin’ under a drycag. Otherwise I get far too hot!
 

 

A beautiful morning at at Michael's Mount, Cornwall.

 

·       Drycags. My boys have been happy to paddle for hours, as long as they’ve been warm. Windproof drycags have done the trick.

 

 

·      Drybags and bungee cords. Very useful for carrying all things! Warm clothes for those onshore drinks/food stops. Small one are good for carkeys/cameras/phones et al! Ortlieb make great drybags. It’s possible to bungees the bags in various places on the kayak without compromising  its integrity.
 

 Ollie paddling on the River Wye

 

·       Trangia stove. We wouldn’t be without ours. probably the single most useful item in our outdoor store! That said, we have strapped a grill to the back of the kayak in order to grill sausages in the past.

 

·       Mackerel lines. There is no greater fun to be had than to be gently paddling  200m offshore towing a mackerel line. Not the cleverest of fish they seem to love being caught! Once we have enough for a meal we stop – and onto the beach for filleting and frying – on the Trangia. So .... a sharp filleting knife too.

 

 

·        Hats and suncream. Essential for a long day on the water - my hat's a Tilley, a long term favourite.  Sunglasses too - at sea I take mine off and put them in the drybag when I’m launching and landing - just in case.
 

A particularly difficult launch!

 

·        Bouyancy vests – essential.  Mine has pockets for suncream and a whistle.

  

 

·        Paddle leash – essential, particularly when surfing. Buy the best ones possible – I bought a useless one once, got flipped in a big surf, the leash snapped, the kayak tumbled into the beach and I spent the next ten minutes being beaten black and blue by the waves trying to get back to the beach – scary. The Ocean Kayak paddle leash seems virtually indestructable and has kept me in firm contact with my boat whenever I’ve been wiped out in the surf - often!

 

·        Ocean Kayaks. We’ve loved ours. The Malibu 2 XL is highly recommended for paddling with a child up front, and the sleeker fishing kayaks are fantastic for longer paddles and trips down the river.

 

 

·       Knowledge – I have been fortunate enough to attend a Plas Y Brenin Sea Kayaking course, and this has stood me in good stead for all the years I have been out on the sea with my family. Paddling out with the tide and timing the journey to return with the tide has given us some great trips out. The first thing we do when we arrive at the coast is buy the tide tables and start planning!

 

 

·       The River Wye – Fairly local and a great venue for many family paddles, our favourite being an April two day journey with a camp in the middle – at the most basic of campsites at Hoarwithy, with a tremendous public house next door - The New Harp Inn. Drinks and a cardgame followed by a campfire, marshmallows and a toasty sleeping bag.

Jo and the River Wye swans.

 

 

Finally - One great day Trip. Paddling from the Isle of Purbeck ferry terminal circumnavigating Brownsea Island in the middle of Poole Harbour. Landing on the far side of the island and then strolling down through the woods to the National Trust Cafe for Earl Grey tea and Carrot cake. Back through the woods, looking out for the giant ants nests, before paddling back to the ferry terminal. Then off to the Scott Arms in nearby Kingston for a well earned cider and a great meal – their cooking is outstanding!

50 things to do with the National Trust!

Getting ready for school this morning, and Radio 2 presenter Chris Evans is on the early show reading out the newly updated National Trust list - 50 things to do before you are 12.

It's a great list, and one to aspire to - wether you're a parent, child or simply looking for a good time!  I'm going to use it as the inspiration for a few blog posts, and on this occasion leaping straight to number 50, 'Canoe down a river'. A family favourite!

You can view the complete list  by clicking on this link:  50 things to do before you are 12


No 1 son Jonny is ten years of age and he and I are paddling our tandem sit on top kayak across Bala Lake in Snowdonia. The sit on top is a fantastic way to introduce children to kayaksport. They're incredibly stable and easy to climb back onto should you tip over. No fears of getting stuck underneath them in a cockpit.  You can leap on and off them at will, and they are superb to fish from on a warm summers day.

We have used our kayaks frequently to paddle away from crowded beaches  to find hidden coves, drybags attached laden with food and drink - Swallows and Amazon type picnics in remote spots only accessible from the sea.

 

 

 

 

We've paddled into huge caves, backing in carefully in order to keep our eyes on approaching swells. A little dip of the paddle is all that's needed to allow them to pass safely under the boat without pushing you too far into the back of the cave.

 

In this cave  we came across Arthur, a grand old man of a seal, who followed us around the coast for the next half hour, playing around the boats and even coming close enough to nibble away at the carrying toggle on the front of the our kayak!

 

 



Colour in the Cotswolds

Harmonious colour in Whittington village. Queen Victoria postbox!

Popped out of school at lunch time today for a cheeky little dash into the Cotswolds. But not before nipping into the dining room to line up my egg, sardines and couscous salad to provide nutrition upon return.

• No arm warmers today! Or windproof socks inside my cycle shoes! Gilet on .. more than comfortable!

D - 64 until the Tour de France 2013!

I've just been checking out the Tour de France website and they now have a super cool little countdown thing. Only 64 days to go!

 

And to keep us all satisfied we have the Giro about to start on Saturday - hurrah!

 

Will Bradley go for the win leaving The Tour open for Chris Froome? Who knows?  We're all disproportionately excited about it in our house!

 

The Cahill family holiday is now sorted. Cross the channel to Le Havre and then three days in the Loire before a night spent in Annecy - there we'll we'll almost certainly do the round of Lake Annecy before heading off down to Le Bourg D'Oisans - campsite booked near the foot of the Alpe D'Huez ready for Stage 18 when the peleton have to to do two ascents of the Alpe!

We'll be there, Union flag flying somewhere just above Dutch Corner - the orange swamped bend traditionally adopted by thousands of noisy, excited and often quite well 'oiled' Netherlanders! Fabulously friendly, riding through them is one of cycling's great experiences.

 

Between now and the beginning of the Tour I'm going to post various pictures and tales that we've enjoyed in our visits to the Greatest Race on Earth.

 

Commencing with this fellow in orange - having made his way up from the bend below - Dutch Corner - shaking hands all the way. It's scenes like these that make the four hours by the road waiting for the riders to go through so absorbing - there's always something happening!