The Bitches 25-28 March 2005
With the spring tide coming in over the bank holiday weekend, Dave, Martyn, Rick and Andy decided to head off to The Bitches in Pembrokeshire, South-West Wales. After many weeks of 'planning' and getting kit together we set off for the four hour drive to our holiday cottage accommodation.
Friday morning we went down to look at the surf and then headed over to St. Justatines for The Bitches at high spring tide. The Bithces are formed where the incoming tide is channelled between the mainland and a large island about a mile off-shore. The incoming tide flows over a set of under water rocks which produces large standing waves and a large hole. The speed and volume makes The Bitches a grade four trip (probably not actually a grade four paddle but the consequences of a swim could be serious, hence the grade). Prior to this he had sought advice from TYF who humorously told us we shouldn't go unless we were 'suitably qualified'. We laughed in the face of this potential danger.
We paddled the very (very) long way round the headland to a monster ferry across the incoming tide. The speed and volume of the water was quite something. After almost an hour of paddling to get out we found big standing waves which with the swell would rise and fall between about two feet and probably about ten feet on the swell. Unfortunately with the swell it was difficult to get on and stay on the front wave, we mostly ended surfing the second wave which wasn't always that retentive. The hole on river left varied from nothing at all to absolutely huge. We had a bit of a tentative play but were mostly fairly intimidated. Martyn did his best impression of someone that wanted to swim by (repeatedly) letting go of his paddles and hand rolling, complete madness if you ask me. After playing around for a couple of hours we made the long paddle back to the mainland. This naturally involved some scares involving horse rock and Andy Wicks deciding he couldn't be arsed to paddle hard and getting swept right out and round the main head land. We were briefly concerned. By far the most demanding/physical/tiring paddling I've ever done, we were totally knackered by the time we got back to shore.
The weekend followed in much a similar vain with one more trip out to The Bithces, although this time walking round the headland which was easier than paddling (if you've got a light boat). We also went surfing with some nice four/five foot waves coming in.
We were a little unlucky with the large swell which made The Bithces very surgy and not very clean, would be nice to go back with smaller/no swell for the nice glassy waves which appear. All in all one of those things which is more about the experience than necessarily the paddling, a damn good weekend though.
Pictures at http://andy-wicks.fotopic.net/c488559.html
Friday morning we went down to look at the surf and then headed over to St. Justatines for The Bitches at high spring tide. The Bithces are formed where the incoming tide is channelled between the mainland and a large island about a mile off-shore. The incoming tide flows over a set of under water rocks which produces large standing waves and a large hole. The speed and volume makes The Bitches a grade four trip (probably not actually a grade four paddle but the consequences of a swim could be serious, hence the grade). Prior to this he had sought advice from TYF who humorously told us we shouldn't go unless we were 'suitably qualified'. We laughed in the face of this potential danger.
We paddled the very (very) long way round the headland to a monster ferry across the incoming tide. The speed and volume of the water was quite something. After almost an hour of paddling to get out we found big standing waves which with the swell would rise and fall between about two feet and probably about ten feet on the swell. Unfortunately with the swell it was difficult to get on and stay on the front wave, we mostly ended surfing the second wave which wasn't always that retentive. The hole on river left varied from nothing at all to absolutely huge. We had a bit of a tentative play but were mostly fairly intimidated. Martyn did his best impression of someone that wanted to swim by (repeatedly) letting go of his paddles and hand rolling, complete madness if you ask me. After playing around for a couple of hours we made the long paddle back to the mainland. This naturally involved some scares involving horse rock and Andy Wicks deciding he couldn't be arsed to paddle hard and getting swept right out and round the main head land. We were briefly concerned. By far the most demanding/physical/tiring paddling I've ever done, we were totally knackered by the time we got back to shore.
The weekend followed in much a similar vain with one more trip out to The Bithces, although this time walking round the headland which was easier than paddling (if you've got a light boat). We also went surfing with some nice four/five foot waves coming in.
We were a little unlucky with the large swell which made The Bithces very surgy and not very clean, would be nice to go back with smaller/no swell for the nice glassy waves which appear. All in all one of those things which is more about the experience than necessarily the paddling, a damn good weekend though.
Pictures at http://andy-wicks.fotopic.net/c488559.html
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