Anglesey tides
Anglesey is world famous amongst sea kayakers for its large tidal range and strong tidal currents. Sea kayakers travel from far and wide to challenge themselves in these tidal conditions. However, with many years of local experience and knowledge our guides will enable you to explore these areas when conditions are favourable.
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Geology
Anglesey, known as Mam Cymru (Mother of Wales), is recognised as a 'Geopark'. It is formed from some of the oldest rocks in the world, many of which are hundreds of millions of years old. There are numerous interesting rock types that can be seen from the coast, such as the melange rocks of Cemaes Bay in the north and the 'pillow lavas' of Llanddwyn in the south west. In our kayaks we can often see the dramatic contorted bedding planes much better than you can from the coastal path. We can also kayak into caves and under dramatic rock arches.
History and prehistory
The Irish Sea equivalent of spaghetti junction, Anglesey boasts maritime history that dates from the Stone Age through to the twenty first century. It is believed that when most prehistoric monuments, including burial chambers, were constructed on Anglesey it was possible to navigate very close to them on water. Exploring Anglesey's coastline from the sea helps us to understand how both human and geomorphological changes shaped the landscape we can see today.
Famous for the druid battle to prevent Roman invasion, Anglesey also boasts monuments associated with the defence of the island by the Romans against the Irish and other invaders.
The area boasts the 'Castles and Town Walls of Edward in Gwynedd' World Heritage Site. This most obvious legacy of Medieval history is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the plethora of sites in the area associated with this time. Evidence of more recent historical development is abounds with fine examples of modern architecture such as lighthouses and bridges, quaint churches and less obvious examples of everyday living.
We will interpret the sites we visit by putting them in their historical and Welsh context.
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Nature
The varied nature of the North Wales coast provides a plethora of habitats to explore. Dramatic cliffs provide ledges just big enough for nesting birds such as guillemots and razorbills, whilst remote beaches provide habitat for ground nesting birds such as terns.
Rocky coastlines are home to a wide variety of seaweeds and crustaceans that in turn provide food for foraging birds. Our seashore safari trips are timed so that we can explore these rocky coastlines by kayak. At lunchtime on foot we can carefully explore the hidden worlds created by the seaweeds and rock pools.
The mammals most commonly seen on our trips are Atlantic grey seals. However, with luck, we also may see porpoises and occasionally dolphins.
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