Photo by Peter French
Join Exmoor Adventures on 10 March from 9 am till 4 pm for a BCU Kayak 1* Course – Cost £65.00. A few spaces are still available, so better get in touch with Dan French as soon as possible!
You will be taught a range of skills and techniques to control a kayak as well as rescue techniques and safety considerations.This is a great 1 day course to introduce kayak skills on flat water.
An ideal candidate may be trying kayaking for the first time or have some previous experience.
With a range of skills, activities and a journey on Wimbleball Lake to cap the day off, you are guaranteed to learn more about the sport and improve your kayaking skills.
Minimum age for this course is 14 (parental consent needed)
Course location: Wimbleball Lake, Exmoor.
Course cost: £65 per person
All equipment is provided: Kayaks, cags, wetsuits and bouyancy aids.
Please e-mail dan@exmooradventures.co.uk for more information or to book your place.
Location : Wimbleball Lake, Exmoor
Contact : Dan – 07976 208279
Kayaking on Wimbleball Lake
It’s the school half term holidays and I have been very pleasantly surprised with the amount of parents rocking up with their kids to go fishing. In fact as I write there is a family on the lake right now and judging by the giggles, things are going well.
I experienced a similar day with 13 year old Oscar, from Kent this weekend. He visited on Saturday and I had the pleasure of teaching him for a few hours. His Dad was not sure where Oscar’s passion for angling comes from, but it was instantly apparent that this lad has got the bug bad. He had a small amount of sea fishing experience and caught the odd coarse fish, but what he really wanted to try was casting a fly.
My approach to this was to teach him how to chuck a little Mepps spinner. Armed with one of the mini Hart Addiction rods and a Shimano Catana reel I was able to show Oscar how to set up the tackle, make a basic cast, the importance of a controlled rod stop and correct release point for the line. All this can be done with a fly rod of course, but it is more difficult, and as we all know the only thing a novice child angler really wants to do …. is catch a fish!!! Spinning facilitates that.
Sure there may not be so many fly fisheries that allow the use of lures, but this is beginning to change and where it’s not possible to target Trout, there are always plenty of Perch somewhere close by (try canals for example) that will help to inspire a child to try fishing for the first time. Forcing kids to learn how to cast a fly which requires timing and coordination, while expecting them to wait for success rarely works in my experience, so I like to try and hook them from the off.
This worked a treat with Oscar and in fact after half a dozen fish on the lure I decided that it was time to give him a go with the fly. During the course of the day I found out that Oscar plays Tennis for Kent and so I had high hopes that his hand eye coordination may stand him in good stead as a fly angler. That was for sure! He was a natural and soon nailed both the roll cast and a very pretty overhead. The only problem I faced (and Oscars Dad!) was prising him from the lake as he proceeded to make a sizeable dent in the Lobbs Lake Trout population!
Keen young fisherman Oscar proudly shows off one of his Trout – this one was caught on a fly.
It was a tonic to see the smile on his face, especially after a rather depressing (extremely beige), angling AGM that I had the misfortune to attend on Friday night … more about that another time. The door chime has just broken me from my writing and its the family back to weigh in their fish. Great, they have some Trout for Tea but what’s most impressive is that the 11 year old son is furiously protesting about leaving … he wants to stay for longer. Brilliant! I love it! (Sorry parents, but it’s called “just one last cast syndrome” and so far as I know the only cure is to take your kids fishing, as often as possible)
Just before I sign off today, check out this website. Oscar’s Dad is involved with the business of producing amazing wall books aimed at children called What on Earth Books. They are not like anything I have ever seen before and my children have been totally absorbed by The What on Earth Wallbook of Natural History. Find out more at www.whatonearthbooks.com and how about a What on Earth Wallbook of Fishing?!
Makes my day to get a return like this made by an 11 year old angler earlier this week
Posted on February 19, 2013 by Nick Hart on his blog.
BY JEN PERKS
Knightshayes was stunning in the spring sunshine on Sunday! Lots of spring bulbs which were absolutely beautiful, particularly the snow drops! First we decided to have a wander around the grounds and find one of the geocaches located on site. Tom, our son, enjoys a challenge and geocaching is an activity that gets us all out into the fresh air but with a purpose. This particular cache was located in a lovely spot, but we can’t say where or that would be giving it away! If you haven’t tried geocaching its a great family activity and you can visit www.geocaching.com for more information.
Following some fresh air we visited the house originally designed by William Burges for the Heathcoat Amory family. The house was absolutely amazing and full of very rich decoration and treasures! The butterfly trail was great for us, because it ‘slowed’ down the children and meant that as a family we could learn more about the history of the house. For me, the most interesting room was the Burges Bedroom which was redecorated in 2002 following the original Burges scheme by the National Trust. I think it
was probably partly due to the volunteer guide who was so enthusiastic and explained the design and furniture in such an interesting way. The story behind Knightshayes is fascinating and it’s definitely worth asking the guides lots of questions!
The children they enjoyed the animals throughout the house in various paintings, carvings and ornaments. Probably the piece the children were most interested in though, was the table in the drawing room with a central hole, which was originally designed to have a grape vine growing through it, so people could sit and pick and eat grapes! They thought this was a fantastic idea!
Thanks for a great day – we are members of the National Trust, but this was our first visit to Knightshayes and we will definitely return!
Click here to find out more about Knightshayes Court.
Duck Race (Photo Ken Blakey)
Local kayak manufactures FATYAK couldn’t resist taking their kayaks out in the snow…. And here is their report!
It seemed the snowfall was too good an opportunity to pass up for some of our guys in the factory. We sent them out on our Fatyaks to see how they faired in the snow. Their reports as follows:
Fatyak Surf – The surf is by far the best. Easiest to carry back up, can turn by shifting body weight, but a paddle helps. Brakes (feet) will stop you on most slopes quickly, and on a medium slope you can get up to 40mph ish.
Fatyak Kaafu – I think the Kaafu would be great to try standing up!!!
With a bit more practice I reckon I could start carving through the snow, I managed to get some turns in a little – but the surf is the kiddie!Fatyak Mahee – Mahee is for speed only. No control but a great thrill. All boats are fast, but the bigger you go, the more fear you experience. The Mahee is not for the weak hearted.
the valley and back up again (aerobic exercise guaranteed; sensible footwear essential).At snowdrops time, there is a park & ride bus service from Wheddon Cross, organised by our Parish Council. Parking is in the village car park (next to the pub), where there’s also a special information point with people to give directions and advice. The narrow road to Snowdrop Valley is closed during this time (otherwise there might be traffic problems as it’s single track and there are no passing places). So, you need to either walk or get the bus in order to see the snowdrops (people with disabilities can make special arrangements). In 2013 the park & ride operates from 2nd to 24th February and the road remains closed for an extra week after this.For more details, including a bus timetable, an information leaflet to download and regular updates, visit the Wheddon Cross snowdrops page
Book dinner, bed and breakfast at Exmoor House and make a few days of it. You could stay over Valentine’s Day for a really romantic break (we’ll even order champagne and local chocolates for you if you like!).
As usual, we’ll be opening our lovely guest dining room (which has a great view of Dunkery Beacon, and by the way was once the village tailor’s shop) as a tea room for the whole of Snowdrop Valley season. Frank’s scones have become legendary and there’s a good choice of more substantial food too (e.g. mega ploughman’s lunches, hot soup, sandwiches. Everything is of course home-made, including all our bread. Home-smoked chicken and real corned beef are two popular sandwich fillings…
The West Somerset Railway’s Snowdrops and Steam excursion was such a success last year that they’re running it on more dates this time. Find more information at their website.
If you are doing the train trip and would like to have lunch here at Exmoor House, it may be advisable to book, especially if there are four or more of you.
To see more of Rosi’s Snowdrop Valley photos, pop over to Facebook.
Warmer Days on Exmoor by Dave Rowlatt
Exmoor 4 all 