Mud and Mud at Abbeyford

Ewart and I have to much time on our hands! With no water in the rivers there's only one solution, go biking.
We decided to head to Goldburn hill at Abbeyford, just outside of Okehampton. It's a great place, with loads of trails and northshore. But today there was also loads of MUD!

MUD

We enjoyed a great few hours riding all the trails and riding the 'shore. But the mud was a bit of a problem, making alot of the 'shore really slippery and making the lead in and run outs of some of the obstacles really sketchy!

Ewart drops of the northshore

Me dropping off towards the wall ride

Ewart foot-off mid wall ride

Me railing round the wall ride

After plugging the mud at the 'shore we set off across the hill to take on some of the single track, downhill, drops and jumps.

Me dropping off the 'coffin'

Ewart droping the 'coffin'

Truck-huck at woodbury

A few Days ago, well Chrisymas eve to be precise, Ewart and I went up to Woodbury for a spot of Dirt Jumping. When we arrived at our favourite line of jumps we discovered a Truck parked in the middle of the jumps. Well there was only one thing to do........

TRUCK HUCK

Ewart floats over the tabletop

Me soaring across the tabletop

It was fairly wet, and a bit muddy, but it didn't stop us. We had a great morning of jumping.

Ewart hucks the Truck

Me hucking the Truck

Well I didn't say it was a big Truck!!!

A few days off

Well it's the week before Christmas, and my wife, Louise, doesn't get much time off during the festive season. But some how we managed to get three days off together, so we went and had an enjoyable time in the sunshine.

Louise shreds triple three play wave

First up, we loaded up our paddling gear and headed off for a quick blast down the Dart Loop in our Canoe. There wasn't as much water as we expected, but there was enough for us to have a good float down the river.

Me, dropping into the wave

Well it wouldn't be a trip down the loop without stopping for a quick play at Triple three. There was just enough water to create a wave, and we both enjoyed a quick chance to paddle solo.

Me again, working the cross-deck

After that, we offloaded wet kit for dry kit, and headed on down to Falmouth. Where a posh (well it was posh to me!) hotel awaited us. And so we spent the next day and a half doing very little, except enjoying the sunshine, being lazy, and reading all the weekend papers. Brilliant!

On the way home though we did stop off at little out-of-the-way beach that I quite like. The surf report was only giving 1 foot, so I wasn't expecting much, plus at high tide the break crashes into rocks and cliffs and we were arriving maybe an hour or so before high. But the sight that greeted us was amazing.

The set's out back looked to have at least 6 foot faces, there wasn't a breath of wind, but there was no beach, just rocks and cliffs, so while it looked tempting there was no chance of getting in.

At the far end of the break, this beauty kept on peeling

We stood on the cliff top for a while just watching them roll on in. Quietly wishing we'd got out of Falmouth earlier. Then I could have enjoyed a few of them.

Another set drags it's way in

The One consilation was that the car park was totaly empty, so I was able to make the most of the gradient on my skate board. I Had hoped to get in some of the classic Falmouth castle longboarding, but it was a bit damp, and the roads were fairly busy. But I did manage to enjoy a quick quiet session in a deserted car park.

Cranking it over and trying to keep some traction

It was a little sketchy, there was no sun getting into the bottom of the valley, so the tarmac was kind of damp, there was also lots of gravel. Every now and then when carving hard the board would set off into a skid. Not too bad when padded up, but I wasn't, and not too bad when it wsa the back end that lost it, but I managed to loose the front a couple of times. But it was all good.

Unfortunatly all good things have to come to an end, and eventually we made our way back to Exeter. Ready for work tomorrow.

Gene 17 adventure paddlers weekend

This weekend saw the annual Gene17 Adventure Paddlers Weekend. A Paddling mini festival based at the River Dart Country Park, near Ashburton on the edge of Dartmoor. The Idea behind the weekend is to bring a load of paddlers together, close to some great white-water, mix with a few inspirational lectures and trip reports, a large dose of alcohol (very large amounts in some peoples case!) and hopefully some rain.

Dave 'dangerous' Carrol and Simon Westgarth

Once again work stopped me from getting out during the Saturday, but I managed to make it down to the Park for Saturday night. The highlight of the weekend. A whole host of lectures from a range of paddlers, about their trips to some wild and un-charted white-water in a range of exotic locations. Plus the chance to catch up with loads of paddlers of a beer or two!

DC Handing out some freebies

Paddlers traveled from all over the country to be there, and there was quite an impressive turnout.

Lectures and crowds

There was also the chance to have your ears check to see if you had "surfers ear". Lots of people took the oppurtunity to have their ears checked out. Not only was it helpful and informative for paddlers, but the results were also going to be used by the nurse involved for her Msc. I didn't envy her, having to look into ear after ear all night long!

Paddlers getting their ears surveyed

As the beers flowed things got madder and badder! the following pictures can only be looked at and wondered at!

Roger and Ewart try and check their ears simultaneously!

Ewart as a giant bunny. Very disturbing!

Roger as a giant drunk bunny. Even more disturbing!

My Wife, a really Angel, not looking like the sober driver!

Exeter Indoor Bike Trial

This Saturday there was an indoor bike trials competion held at the Matford Centre in Exeter. It had been organised by the guys at Saddles and Paddles in Exeter.
I was supposed to be working, but Ewart and I managed to bunk off for a little while to watch some of the action in the afternoon.
It was great to see all the Guy and Girls on their little 26" and 20" wheeled bikes, hopping and popping all over a wide range of obstacles. The skills on display were truely awsome.

Unfortunatly I forgot my proper camera, but I did manage to snap a few shots on my camera phone.

The various sections that the riders had to complete were varied and interesting. Ranging from a varriety of parked cars and vans, to big logs, to giant tyres, to massive cotton reels, a heap of skips, some scaffold pltaforms, and of course a good range of pallets!

For those that don't know much about bike trials (and I confess to not being an expert myself) the idea is to ride over the obstacles staying within the limits of a pre-set route, without putting your feet down. The competitors had to ride three laps of the 6 sections. At the end the person with the least dabs (technical term!) is the winner, simple really!

More pictures from my lunch break!

On Sunday, when we got to Triple on the Loop, there was a chap stood on the river right bank taking Photos. He spotted the AS Watersports stickers, and the word DEMO written on the back of the Wavesport Project I was paddling, put two and two together, and emailed them to us at AS. What a thourlghly nice bloke!

me pulling a silly face

me getting a face full

me getting spat off of the play-wave

Another lunch break on the Dart

I was working at the Dart shop again this Sunday. So with our "special" lunch break, designed with just enough time for a paddle. I set out for a quick run on the loop. There was plenty of water after Saturday nights storm. There was also plenty of trees about. One tree had fallen across the road just before Newbridge, blocking the road completly. Meaning a huge de-tour just to get to Newbridge! However our efforts were rewarded. The River had been huge, but was dropping off. But there was still plenty of water for us. Some people went for a run down the Upper Dart. I went for a paddle down the Loop, so that I could get out at the shop and go back to work.




The sun shone, and a small group of us enjoyed the best the river had to offer. The Top Wave small-ish but still very rip-able.



James Hawker (in Orange G-Force) once again showed his surf skills, with some great slashing cut backs, blunts and flip turns.

Dan Westaway, having finally found a boat that fits him, was loving being out on the river and ripping!

Jemma and I bobbed down to Triple drop, where we found the play wave quite big, and not a little cheeky! We both gave it a go, and we both got a bit of a beating in-between some great surfing action. As ever Nick East showed us how to do it, launching big blunts in both directions.

And then it was on down to RDCP, and back to work. Oh well!!

Ewart "in" a kayak!!!

I'm sure it's a bit of a faux pas to post embaressing pictures of your work mates, but these pictures of Ewart lying in a kayak were too good not to post!



We were having to strip the fittings out of one kayak, and put them into another. Somewhere along the way Ewart ended up climbing into the boat. He was trying to undo the bolts that held the grab loops onto the boat. We did however find an easier way of doing it, get someone with long arms to do it!!!!!

Not a view you get to see very often, an arse sticking out of a cockpit!