I had a course scheduled in Kinsale Co. Cork on Valentines weekend and no classes penciled in on the Friday, so I decided to hit the road early and stop at Ballyhoura Mountain Bike Trail park in Co. Limerick on the way.

I had heard a lot about Ballyhoura in the media and I was keen to visit and see what it was all about.  It is a three and a half hour drive from Ballina so a one off day trip there is not really an option but as I was passing and I had time-it was a perfect opportunity to visit this specially built MTB park. With sea kayaks on the roof and mountain bike loaded into the back of the Paddle & Pedal van, I set off for Cork via Ballyhoura bike park.

This is Irelands biggest trail park with over 90kms of trails and looped routes ranging from 6km to over 50km.  Facilities on site include toilets, showers, bike hire and a bike wash station. 

I arrived at about lunch time and the weather was deteriorating as the day progressed with some heavy showers. Undeterred, I geared up and hit for the Brown trail. Measuring approx 16.5km it was the perfect length for a 1.5 hour ride. A nice mix of climbing, downhill, board walk and single track. The routes are all well maintained and very well marked. It was a pretty cool ride and if it had been drier I would have happily waited until dark, but I couldn't resist the lure of a hot shower when I got back to the trailhead.

Entry is €5 per day 
Showers €2
Bike wash €2

Check out Trail Riders for onsite bike hire. The guys are also very helpful with info on the trails and facilities. 

This is a beautiful mountain, situated only 30 minutes from Ballina,  that I admire every day I kayak on Lough Conn, which is to the North of the mountain. 

Last weekend (Saturday) I took advantage of the current high pressure over Ireland and climbed Nephin.

What a magnificent pristine mountain. Unlike Mayo's most famous mountain (Croagh Patrick) Nephin gets relatively few visitors. The trail is described as easy but it is challenging enough to keep you warm. I am not a hill walker or mountaineer and I have only ever climbed Croagh Patrick and Nephin(15 odd years ago) but I can honestly say that this is a much nicer climb than Croagh Patrick and has a more remote, wild feel to the area. 

I took the south western route to the summit due to the weather. You can find more details HERE about location and starting point. The trail on the mountain is very small and not easy to find however the terrain is fairly easy. There are a number of false summits on the way up, so dont get too disappointed if you think you are nearly there and realise its further on.  At this time of year the top of the mountain is usually covered in snow and it is cold and windy-so be prepared. 
The only negative point of the climb was when I reached the summit. Somebody had lazily thrown their orange peels on the ground! I know lots of people think they will degrade, but it takes a long time in those conditions and is a real shame to see litter anywhere, especially on such a pristine mountain.
So please try to  Leave No Trace. 

The ascent and descent took me just under 3 hours. But I was alone and a group would take longer. I would highly recommend this climb to anyone.  We are truly blessed to have such an amazing landscape here in North Mayo- lets keep it that way. 

Also check out Wild Nephin Mountain facebook page for more pics and info

I have recently launched a new website specifically for kayaking and cataloging some of my adventures. www.dhkayaking.com will focus more on intermediate and advanced kayaking courses and guiding.  I am currently in the early stages of adding content to the site so it is an ongoing project, but I have kicked of the blog with a record circumnavigation of Achill Island!

This blog has seen a huge amount of traffic since last year and I hope the new one can be as useful and interesting to people as this one.  I will continue to post here with kayaking and biking related posts. 
Please chick through and check out dhkayaking.com it would be great to hear what you think of the site and the brand.

Thanks David

I just spent the last few days paddling the Dagger Stratos 14.5S.  Its dubbed as a high performance ocean tourer that is ideal for beginners and expert alike which is a pretty broad spectrum to cover but I think they have pulled it off. I was in the market for a new sea kayak recently and I had decided I wanted a 14-15ft boat that surfs well has good speed and would be comfortable for doing daily tours, rock hopping and some day touring. After a bit of searching online I had a few contenders to consider.(The P&H Delphin, Venture Jura, North Shore Aspect and a few more.) Then I gave Colm in I-Canoe a call to see what he had available and he mentioned he was paddling the Dagger Stratos and really liked it.
To be honest I was a little surprised as I never think of Dagger and touring/sea kayaks. Anyway the feedback was good and it sounded like it was worth a try. The next day the boat arrived and a soon as it came out off the truck you could tell there was something good wrapped up. As soon as I got it opened I was impressed, the rocker profile and sleek lines looked great. I have failed to find a picture that does the boat justice and give a good sense of the rocker profile so I didn't include one. It really has to be seen in the flesh.

The outfitting is simple but very comfortable. The leg lifters are a really nice feature and provided great support. I had it fully set up in about 5 minutes.  The only negative I could find with the outfitting and the boat in general was the tight braces. They are a bit flexible but once set up correctly they are not to bad.

That evening I headed straight for the surf. 5-6 ft with lots of reformers and a long slow shoulder was perfect conditions to test this boat.  It surfs great! Very easy to turn, accelerate and catch waves on the fly. The rocker means it doesn't peril even in the whitewater.  Paddling out is a joy, the bow cuts through breaking waves and rides high over foam piles. 

I have to say this boat has surpassed my expectations, it looks fantastic and is a real joy to paddle. Definitely worth considering if you want to put some fun into your (sea) paddling or are looking for a good all round kayak.  It is well equipped with full deck lines, two hatches and skeg. Not bad for RRP €1000

Did I mention how good it looks? so good!

If you have paddled this kayak and have anything to add please leave a comment.

Check out this quick video I put together below. This is 3ft surf at Enniscrone Beach in Co. Sligo

I am delighted to announce that I have joined with Kokatat as a Regional Ambassador. These guys make the best kayaking kit in the business and are the market leaders when it comes to staying dry and safe on the water. Kokatat are probably most famous for there dry suits especially there Gore-Tex models, which are without doubt the driest suits on the market. They also provide a customer service that is second to none. 

A company with high standards for quality and community, Kokatat have stayed true to there founding ideals in this age of mass production and still produce over 90% of there products by hand in Arcata USA. I have been using there kit for about 5 years now and I have first hand experience of there customer service, craftsmanship and dedication to keeping you dry. The work that is put in to servicing your old suit is phenomenal. 


With new designs coming in January and a dry suit that is set to change everything I am already looking forward to 2015!  
Check out I-Canoe for all Kokatat products in Ireland.

I managed to get to Down Patrick Head on one of the best days of the year so far.  This is a local spot for me only 18 miles from home and a world class piece of coastline.  A fantastic headland steeped in history and folklore with an impressive 60 meter sea stack Dun Briste broken away from the massive cliffs.  The headland is dissected by a long cave that is only accessible a few days a year and on low tide.  Half way through the cave is a huge blow hole called Poll Na Seantoine.  This is an exposed piece of coastline and challenging on the finest days.  Definitely not for the inexperienced. 

Check out the video.

The Cliffs of Moher are world famous and attract about one million visitors a year but only a hand full of people get the opportunity to kayak under these 700ft  goliaths.  This is a trip that ranks high on most sea kayaker's to do list and its one I was fortunate enough to bag on a spectacular Monday afternoon in June.

I have decided this year to take every opportunity the weather and work gives me to tick off some of Ireland's best sea trips.  So a quick text or two on Sunday evening and a clear diary for Monday saw myself and Michael hit the road for Clare. 

The forecast was for a 0.9m swell in the morning dropping in the afternoon to 0.8 and a light NE breeze.  The temperature was forecast 22c-24c.  I think it was more like 30c.  The plan was to drive to Doolin and do an out and back trip to Hags Head in the afternoon sunshine. So that's exactly what we did.

We left Doolin Pier just after 2:30pm with a light breeze on our backs. I had to ditch my short cag within about 10 minutes I was sweating so much in the heat.  We got some nice runners to carry us along to the cliffs which kept our minds occupied and the anticipation at bay for a little while longer.  Neither of us had been to the Cliffs of Moher before so we were a bit excited.

As we neared O'Brian's Look Out the scale of the cliffs starts to hit you.  The next thing that stuck me was the bird colonies and the strong smell.  I have never seen so many birds in one place.  It felt like we were in a David Attenborough documentary!

We managed to get inside Branaunmore the sea stack at the base of O Brian's Look out.  Just a few small breaking waves to cool us off and on we went.
There were lots of ferries packed with tourists spinning under the cliffs as well. They actually helped give some perspective.

We stopped at the next small stack for a short break.

When we reached Hag's Head I was surprised to find 3 passages through the headland. The first is very narrow and only possible in flat conditions but looks fantastic. The second is much larger and we skipped through without much hassle. We did get some exciting clapatus at the exit but it was fine. We looped back through the third passage which is a fantastic sea arch that can be seen from the start of the trip.

We made our way back to Doolin Pier keeping a few hundred metres off the cliffs. Total distance was about 18km and 4 hours on the water.
A highly enjoyable trip that ranks with the best I have done.  Check out the video below.

David Horkan

It is nearing the end of May and the past two weeks have seen strong southerly winds change to stronger cold northerlies and a lot of cancelled tours and training sessions.  So on Sunday morning while driving to a race I was surprised to get a call about a proposed trip around Achill Head on Monday morning.  I hadn't taken much heed of the weather forecast for improved conditions to move over the country Sunday night as its been so wild lately.

That evening when I returned home I was eager to  get out my new edition of OILEAIN and see what it had to say about our proposed trip;

"This one day expedition round Achill Head has to be one of the foremost Irish paddling trips, to be grabbed when conditions allow and with caution"

So the plan was set to meet in Ballina at 9am and drive to Doogort on Achill Island. Myself, Helen Fairbairn and Michael Gallagher were joined there by a fourth member of the group-Vali.  She kindly called in a favour from a friend and the shuttle was taken care of, so all cars could be left at the get out at Keem Strand.

I have been to Achill Head before.  Last year myself,  Helen and Colin paddled out from Keem to the Head.  I recall poking around the Head and looking up at Saddle Head to the North West and remarking about how exposed and unforgiving it looked.  Back to the trip.  The forecast was for a small (0.8m)  swell from the North West and a light breeze from the North East and this is exactly what we got.  We got on the water at 12:20pm and paddled for approx. an hour and a half to Annagh Strand where we had planned to have lunch. This was the first leg of about 9.5km and it felt like a bit of a slog.  Lunch was brief as we started to get cold.  Back in to the boats and away we went.  Not far away was Saddle Head. As we rounded the head a pod of dolphins came racing along side us.  This really lifted our spirits and the pace as we paddled after them around the head land.  We didn't take much notice of the sizable increase in swell and clapatous with all the action.  There is a large slab of Saddle Head that is best avoided, we went outside it.

After the excitement of the dolphins it was back to the the task in hand with the Head now in sight-we were on the home run.  The landscape along this section is not very interesting.  It consists of  shear and sloping cliffs with little punctuation and  no exit points,  so its probably best not to hang around anyway.

At this point the two ladies in the group fell behind a little so myself and Michael waited right at the tip of the Headland in some bouncy conditions before we all rounded Achill Head at 16:30. We were met by very strong tidal streams running west that surprised us all with their show of force. These were easily paddled past as we made our way along the last section of isolated cliff face to our exit point.  The sea state on this side of the Island was flat, calm and a nice relaxing way to finish the trip.  We pulled into the beautiful Keem Strand at 17:30 and we were drenched in glorious sunshine as we packed up for the drive home.  A very enjoyable trip that was challenging enough to keep me interested and everyone working hard for the reward of completing it.  Given its remote , exposed coastline and committing nature it is not for the inexperienced paddler and should only be done if weather allows. 

Below is a map of our route.

Kit List
Boat- Wilderness Zephyr
Paddles- Orka Outer wings
Thermals- CRAFT
Outer wear- Immersion research cag, Kokatat dry pants.
BA- Astral Willis
Footwear- Astral Water Tennies
Safety- Various