Devon June 2007
From ICCC
People
Trip Report
A select group of Imperial College Canoe Club’s finest set off on a relaxing trip to North Devon. The forecast was for lots of sunshine and little surf, which is exactly what we got! The tone for the weekend was set with the first crate of beer being devoured between 4 people before we reached Devon. (Note the lack of man-boobs reference here…) This gave me the perfect opportunity for an evil power-trip over anyone desperate for a toilet stop (Rob). I believe Harry, Mark and Rik had a slightly cold night after discovering that they really couldn’t shut the Canada tent.
With only 7 people and not a huge amount of surf, breakfast was a relaxed and easy affair. We pottered down to Saunton Sands for the day where the morning was occupied with messing around on the miniscule surf.
Rik disappeared round the headland without telling anyone, so we contemplated at what point we would need to phone the coastguard. We tried (and failed) to play badminton, then were rather more successful with the volleyball. The boys dug a hole (manly activity), we all drank beer (another manly activity). Mark instigated hiding the beer to encourage a poor, unsuspecting soul to go back to the bus to find us lunch. This turned out to be Harry, who wasn’t very good at finding lunch and we ate crisps and haribo - a balanced diet I believe. Harry got buried, so did Mark, who also got a rather fetching pair of breasts. Rik reappeared, then disappeared again.
By this stage it was necessary to restock on beer… Barbeque and beer followed, as did a rather too energetic game of ultimate Frisbee (Rob, Alistair and myself won this by miles), and a bit of table tennis (ok, I didn’t win this one…). More beer, and sleep zzz.
Next day we headed to Putsborough, where the sea was so calm it would make Ralph appear up-tight. Off we went for a paddle round the headland which was really lovely. There were loads of caves, inlets, weird rock formations, jelly fish, birds and swells, one of which stranded Mark on a rock someway above the watermark (shame the tide was rising eh!) The afternoon consisted mostly of more Frisbee, this time in the sea. Entertainment was added by bungling each other, for which Harry, wandering into the sea with a beer, was a great target.
So, all in all, a great weekend. Not the most hard-core of paddling trips perhaps, but a rather enjoyable time in the sunshine.
