Day 1/2 - Giants Causeway/ Indecent Exposure

Paul "Golem" Mundy appears ecstatic about the unique
rock formation of the Giants Causeway

After a sleepless and uncomfortable night trying to get a kip courtesy of the harsh furniture of Irish Ferries we faced the 150ish mile trip north via Belfast to the Giants Causeway on the north coast of Northern Ireland. A quick gander at the unusual geological feature met with a mixed response from the team. Some marvelled at the structure of the rocks others, in fact most, thought the the gentle stroll was a complete and utter waste of their precious time which to them could have been better spent sipping whiskey in the near by bar. After tearing ourselves away from this wonder of nature we headed for Camus the venue of our launch. After bursting in the car park with three vehicles with thirteen unkempt individuals it was no surprise that the couple and small child made a hasty retreat when faced with certain paddlers changing into their canoeing lycra, wedding tackle swinging freely and brazenly for all and sundry to admire/laugh at.

The excited paddlers prepare for action  totally oblivous
to the distress they caused to local family

We all boarded the canoes without serious mishap and morale was high after setting of at a blistering pace up the river Bann. Unfortunately the enthusiasm waned somewhat as the strong current was against us and not only that, the wind had decided that it not be with us this day which made for very heavy going. I'd say it took me personally about half an hour for the forearms,biceps,neck,groin, and whatever other muscle you care to mention to tell me that this ain't gonna be easy! Morale had plummeted and questions no doubt cultivated into the tiny minds of the paddlers as to how we are going to cope with ten days of this ?. Except for Lone Wolf of course whom in times of hardship turned to his tried and trusted method of dealing with distress and self-doubt...... A half litre bottle of rough Irish Whiskey which was frequently shared by Kev K and Pete. We did eventually manage to complete the required stage and reached our camping site which surprise surprise was situated about twenty five yards from a local hostelry. Suddenly all thoughts of the gruelling days paddling were lost as the site of the pub lifted morale. Men were reduced to tears and openly rejoiced as they were now catapulted into their comfort zones. Lone Wolf particularly was overcome with emotion. Resplendent in a very fetching light green safari waistcoat number, he was in the zone. However a mixture of being absolutely knackered and lack of sleep resulted in most only having some food and a couple of pints before retiring to the tents for a well earned kip.