Last summer we expanded our Cornish Kayaking trips to take in the stunning middle and upper reaches of the Camel Estuary.
This section of the Camel estuary is especially appealing because it is extremely peaceful, sheltered and has great birdlife. There is not much boat traffic in this section of the estuary and the surrounding rolling hills create a lagoon like effect which shelters the waters from the wind.
Smooth conditions on the Camel Estuary for a father and daughter team.
We use the tide to assist our journeys on our new A to B route Cornish Kayaking tours. On the incoming tide we begin our journey at Porthilly cove after getting kitted up at our base on Dinham farm Campsite and being dropped off by the minibus. We have a lesson on the beach to cover the paddle essentials and safety points for the trip. Once we are ready we jump on the boats and make our way around the small fishing and sailing boats buoyed up in this safe haven and head towards the Porthilly oyster and mussel beds. This area is great for bird watching as cormorants and other fishing birds rest of the buoy lines to dry off their wings in the Cornish sunshine (hopefully!).
As we leave Porthilly bay we come to a scheduled beach which is cut off to the world on the incoming tide. Gentle Jane, what a lovely name for a beach! It is the perfect place to skim a stone, have a rest and a swim and practice your capsize drill (optional)! We won’t make you capsize unless you want to but it’s a great skill to practice and build your confidence in using the kayaks safety. We use sit on top Kayaks from Cornwall Canoes which are ultra safe and stable so it’s unlikely you will capsize ‘accidentally’! From Gentle Jane we can also take in the sights of Padstow and see the Iron Bridge that was part of the old railway and now the famous Camel trail.
The next leg of our trip takes us along the edge of the waterskiing area which is fun to watch! There may also be a few waves coming off the ski boats as they whizz past, which adds to the excitement! Luckily there are markers inside which the boats cannot enter so we paddle close to the river bank and enjoy the show from a safe distance! The tide assists us on this leg of the journey and pushes up towards the abandoned Penquean slate quarry in times gone by slate was exported all over the UK and the world from here. There is often a large flock of Oyster Catchers on river bank opposite the quarry with their bright orange beaks and high pitched squawking calls. They mainly eat mussels and cockles despite their name.
We have a stop here to enjoy the great view of the Penquean Slate Quarry and Camel trail and it’s many visitors cycling by. There are also a number of abandoned barges in this secluded bay. The barges were used to carry goods up and down the Camel Estuary before the railway was built. The railway was eventually closed when haulage moved largely to the roads. The Camel Trail remains today as a bridleway linking Bodmin – Wadebridge – Padstow and carrying approximately half a million users a year mostly on bikes. The beaches here also make for another rest/ swim/ hot chocolate spot. Don’t worry, we packed the hot chocolate!
Our final leg of the journey is usually very quiet as few boats venture this far up the Estuary and this makes for a great area to spot larger fishing birds which are perched on the river banks and overhanging trees. We often see Grey herons and Egrets here, often wheeling above the fields are birds of prey such as buzzards. Along the estuary bank there are often flotillas of Swans which feed on the shoreline. Our journey ends at Dinham creek and from here it’s a short walk back to our base on Dinham farm and our car park. You will probably be feeling the burn by now and the recommended recovery is a pasty and a pint! These new Cornish Kayaking trips were a great success last summer in addition to our low tide routes that explore the mouth of the estuary towards the Doombar.
