GO SEA ROAD: It's a beautiful spot but, if kayakers get their timing of the tides wrong in Carlingford Lough, they are in for a tough time, writes GARY QUINN
THE VIKINGS fought amongst themselves over it, Queen Meadbh and Cú Chulainn battled in the hills overlooking it and former taoiseach Charles Haughey faced down the British navy in it. So why did it take me so long to realise how exciting a place Carlingford is for kayaking? I’ve walked the hills on the Cooley peninsula many times. I know how beautiful it is and how well served for all sorts of tourism but somehow, on the water, I had simply expected a calm paddle around a lovely lough. As I’ve been planning my routes I’ve been pushing Carlingford down the list, searching for the bigger waters of Donegal and Kerry. As I launched under blue skies at low tide last week I had no idea that I was about to face into one of the biggest skill tests of this series so far.
That low tide should have been my first warning. Seán Pierce, when he recommended this route, told us to head out on an ebbing tide. That is, paddle with the direction of the tide as the water flows out of the lough. But, because we slept late, made a few diversions, went for sandwiches in Carlingford and generally had a lazy start, we pushed out into a flooding tide.
Our plan was to make it out to Haulbowline Lighthouse, a round trip of about 18km from Carlingford and that sits at the mouth of the lough. Conditions were good: light breeze, blue skies, no wind over tide. Paddling against the tide would be hard but we didn’t mind that. We’ve been training for stamina and distance so this would be a good test.
We headed first for Greenore, feeling the pressure of the building tide in our arms and legs. We knew that the tide would be particularly strong at the head of Greenore so we decided to ferry glide against the tide and cross the bay. We knew that speed of flow could hit five knots or more at this point so it was best to avoid it. Sea kayaks rarely get above four knots, unless they’re sprinting, so trying to push into that would have been misguided.
The ferry glide was still hard going. The tide was strengthening and, as we crossed, the clouds started to close in around us. There are a number of small islands in Carlingford that uncover at low tide. We knew they would slowly disappear as the tide increased but one entire island was wolfed up by the sea in the blink of an eye. We literally looked the other way and suddenly it was gone. Exciting stuff – the sea is a crafty opponent – but good reason to pick landmarks that are really on land. It was at this point that we were sure it wouldn’t be the easy paddle we had expected and bizarrely began to enjoy it even more.
WITH THE CLOUDScame a squall of wind and rain. Finding yourself pushing into an unexpected squall can be exciting – if you're prepared for it. You have to use all your skills to stay on track, push through the wind, ignore the rain in your face and still make progress over tide. You have to keep a watch on your group, read how the weather might progress and identify and communicate a way-station to regroup and plan your next move.
As the rain was now torrential we decided to pull in. We laughed at the view behind us. The blue skies had been engulfed by black clouds and the mountains were almost invisible. We ate our lunch in the teeming rain, trying to stay warm and watched the seals play in the tidal forces pushing between the small rocky islands around us. We talked about why we do it, what makes us come back and find enjoyment in conditions that most people would run a mile from. We didn’t find an answer.
But the sea was still calling. We could see the Haulbowline Lighthouse now on the horizon and to get to it would be a coup, especially since we would have to work for it. We pulled out into the current again, sticking close to the land in the hope of finding coastal eddies that might help propel us forward. We headed for New England Rock, a peninsula on the northern side of the lough about 30 minutes paddling time.
The tide was in full flow now and ferocious. Reefs were churning the water out in the lough but we wanted to get to Haulbowline. It is a beautiful construction. It stands on a small rocky island but at high tide it seems to literally float on the water as this rock is submerged. We paddled hard, pushing further and further into the tide. We came broadside on the lighthouse and – psychology again – I glanced to one of the others and saw that no matter how hard he paddled he was being pushed back. We were literally fighting to stand still, the sea alive and kicking. We tried hard to get around, we could almost touch Haulbowline’s thick stone walls. It seemed so unfair to have got so far and be constantly pushed back, but this is the sea. It doesn’t do fair and so, reluctantly, we realised that reaching the lighthouse would be as far as we would get, for today.
But, on the up side, the ride back on the tide into Carlingford would be great. With a laugh, we turned around and rode the tide back into port – and it was a fast bumpy ride. We will definitely return to Carlingford – lovely lough no more.
All about Carlingford Lough, Co Louth
SEÁN PIERCE
SEA KAYAKING in Carlingford Lough is different to many of the other routes in this series.
The backdrop of the Cooley and Mourne mountains teases and pleases the eye throughout the day while the lough offers a range of challenges and opportunities for skills training.
You can launch from many points around the lough but most prefer Carlingford or Greenore on the southern side or Greencastle on the northern shore. Carlingford village is the most picturesque and the paddle to Greenore allows for a warm-up before the real action.
My recommended route goes east from Carlingford towards Greenore on an ebb tide. The lough narrows between Greenore Point and Greencastle Point and tidal flows run strongly, especially in spring tides off Greenore Point. Speeds of 5 knots are recorded at these times and thus provide a great place to practice/teach boat control skills, ferry gliding, surfing and rescue training. Even in neaps, tides run strongly in mid flow. River kayakers will be in their element here as river skills come into their own crossing over and back the “honking” tide races.
Crossing the lough to Greencastle allows for training in calculating passage times, boat speeds and basic coastal navigation. In summer, the low-lying Green Island just east of Greencastle has a large population of breeding sandwich terns to provide interest (but don’t land and disturb them).
Following the north shore to Soldier’s Point both Blockhouse Island and Haulbowline Lighthouse come into view. The many navigational lights allow for more mental arithmetic and chart work but it’s the shallow ground around the lighthouse, Cooley Long Rock and Limestone Rocks, that is the real destination. As the ebb tide flows out of the lough it swirls and eddies around the shallow areas and runs strongly in the main channel. This is a top spot for sea kayaking challenges.
Lunch break is at Cranfield Point where a good rest can be had before the tide reverses and the lough comes alive again. The afternoon route heads out into the flood tide to see Haulbowline Lighthouse and its picture window facing east. This area has a good population of grey and common seals, and black guillemots.
The route back swings around Cooley Long Rock towards Greenore before catching the tidal flow back to Carlingford.
For beginners the inner lough provides very safe and attractive kayaking while the challenges increase towards the outer reaches for more experienced and trained sea kayakers.
Seán Pierce is a level-five sea kayaker and selected the routes for this series. E-mail sean@shearwaterseakayaking.ie