Last trip of 2012, and it was a classic. Had already been down Kayaking for 2 days, and decided to come home, very cold, windy, and I had a bit of a virus, felt very cold inside. On the road journey home, got to the place where Puffin Island came into view............and the Sea was like a mirror!!! The opposite side of Anglesey was white water everywhere. A very swift U turn, and headed for Puffin Island, but it was too late. So down to Moelfre, and Seal Island, and as the footage shows, it was totally flat calm......but too late. So stopped over again, and decided on one last go in the morning. It was fantastic, one of those 'Ultimate Days' in winter, The Puffin Island trip, last January was the same. The big plan was, head out of Traeth Lligwy, follow the coast to the site of the 'Royal Charter' shipwreck, pick up the last of the tide, to take me West to Seal Island (Ynys Dulas.) But as usual, the Sea had not read the script. Inshore the Sea state was flat, but at a certain point, probably the Eddyline of the main Tidal Stream, the Sea state roughened considerably. Usually this occurs, when the wind opposes the Tidal stream...........but there was very little wind. My plans were in tatters, so I decided to just head straight for the Island, and play it all by ear. This is usually always the best course of action, in my experience. The journey out was just sublime, the blue sky, glassy sea, and deafening silence at times, was heavenly. The views out to, Puffin Island, and Snowdonia were superb, I really, really enjoyed that part of the trip, just didn't want it to end. Within half a mile of Seal Island, a very strange, localised wind got up from the North East. It was a biting wind, and it had the effect of roughening the Sea from flat calm, very rude and inconsiderate of it!! The Seaward side of Seal Island, is usually the calmest, and it's were most of the Seals haul out, but this day it was strictly out of bounds. The Tide race at the Eastern tip, was excellent, but I didn't want to risk getting wet, as I was chilled to the absolute core 2 days previous at G.t. Orme, never, ever been that cold, whilst Kayaking. Landing on the Island, and exploring the Beacon was just one of life's real treats. It's quite easy, when conditions allow, but it still gives that sense of achievement. It certainly isn't the North face of the Eiger, but it's still very rewarding, and out of the remit of 99% of the population. I've been out here 4 or 5 times previously, but only this time did I spot the diamond shaped stone, at the foot of the Beacon. What a lovely touch that was, leaving that there. The inside of the Tower has it's own unique atmosphere, the smell of the Sea, and Guano, and masonry is the kind of smell that can give you deja vu, when you get a similar whiff, years later. The Island itself, is like a stone Stegasaurus, and is formed from the same Limestone as Great Ormes Head, and seperate from Anglesey. Yet again, this trip was an education, no matter how many times you put to Sea, and think you can predict what will happen with the Tides, and wind direction, it always throws a conundrum up, like this. All the seaward side was off limits, and the area to Point Lynas was rough as well. Fortunately, all the area back to Traeth Lligwy was calm. I set off back, and the wind got up proper, and I had to surf in to the beach, not big surf, but I was wary of getting wet, as the wind chill was already biting. And so I concluded my paddles for 2012. It will long be remembered for being perhaps the wettest year of our lives, it truly was atrocious for the most part, but it hasn't stopped us having some truly classic paddles, all amidst shockingly bad weather periods, this is amongst them, for me, I loved it.

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