Our original thoughts were a sea trip off the West Wales coast so we planned dates and were off, unfortunately wind and sea conditions were against us and instead Captain Hywel decided (thankfully) it was more sensible to paddle the Cleddau Estuary.
After the worst shuttle ever looking for a place to get out, getting caught going the wrong way through one way streets in Haverford West and a our small group of cars getting split up, we eventually arrived back at the get in next to the Jolly Sailor in Burton, just up estuary from Neyland. By this time Hywel (who wasn’t part of the shuttle but stayed at the get in on his own waiting for our return) was climbing the walls and not in the best of moods but nevertheless held his cool and more or less said ‘’lets just get on the water I’ve had dinner warmed up three times, been for a walk, and looked for something else to do, now lets go’’.
By this time the wind had picked up and was terrifically strong, with the waves not huge but very strong being helped by the wind.
I was first on the water Hywel yelling ‘’paddle hard, fast and straight’’. We had to get out past a jetty/pontoon before turning up estuary and didn’t really want to get blown into it.
It was quite a task with the wind, the current, and the strong waves to cope with, trying to compensate for one, then the other, anyway Emlyn and then Grant followed and then Hywel, all of us turning the corner past the pontoon ok where the paddling was a little easier, but still hard going.
We paddled not directly into the wind but battled with quite strong odd squall winds, and changes in the direction of it etc for about 20 minutes until we were inside the land masses of the estuary and a little more sheltered. The going was still fairly hard and because we had taken so long with the shuttle we were eager to make good time before the tide changed.
After we had changed direction, following the estuary, the paddling became easier and the weather became much better, the wind having now dropped quite a lot and the sun trying to show its face from time to time. We were now more or less in the river not the sea although the estuary is still very wide at this point.
The countryside and estuary is very beautiful here and we passed Lawrenny Quay on the far side before stopping at Llangwm for a break and snack.
Hywel was doing the tour guide stuff, map reading and keeping up to date with our progress in relation to time and the change in tide direction.
We paddled fairly hard then for ¾ hour or so to the sound of Grant singing Calon Lan until we got to the ‘river proper’ where it narrowed and followed the valley up to Haverford West and the get out. There were a lot of fishermen along the bank here but no problem whatsoever. Then we shuttled back to the pub at Burton for a bar meal and then for a drink later.
Thanks Hywel for a good trip even though we didn’t get out to sea, very far!!
JN.
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