contents
- Date, Distance & Map of the Route
- Tide Times / Weather
- The Newquay to Cwmtydu Kayak
- Logistics
- Dangers & Issues
- Kayaks Used
- Wales Coast
- Summary
1. DATE, Distance & Map of Route
3 August 2019.
Launched from Newquay at 14:00. Landed back at Newquay 18:30.
1 hour stop at Cwmtydu.
3 hours, 30 minutes paddling.
7 miles circular sea kayak.
2. TIDE TIMES & WEATHER
It was generally overcast but quite hot with a high of about 23 Celsius. There were fairly light winds from the south east of between about 5 knots to 8 knots.
The sea was pretty calm with only a gentle swell of about 0.4 meters and with little no no chop on the water.
3. THE NEWQUAY TO CWMTYDU KAYAK
Kiva, Archie and I inflated our kayaks on the smaller Southern beach at Newquay on a quite overcast but very warm August afternoon.
We launched at about 14:00 and headed South on the calm, aqua-marine waters of Cardigan Bay.
As we rounded Newquay Head, the vast coastline of the southern half of Cardigan Bay stretched out ahead of us.
We passed a large colony of gulls whose squawking was not the most appealing sound to one’s ears.
There was a light wind from the South and the tide was going out so on the outward journey we had both the tide and wind with us, although frankly neither was that much of a factor.
About a mile South of Newquay we spotted a seal basking near a large cave in the cliff face.
As we paddled past his cave, the seal watched us pass by before vanishing under the water. He then popped up again behind us and watched us paddle away until he was satisfied that we posed no threat.
It is quite common to see seals on this stretch of Cardigan Bay and in fact on much of the West Wales Coastline generally.
We were about 2.5 miles along the route when we passed on the south side of which are the remains of an ancient fort known as ‘Castell-Bach’
Gazing Southwards, we could see the distinctive conical shaped hill of Pen-Y-Badell on the North side of Llangrannog. Pen-Y-Badell was the site of an important hill fort which was occupied in the Iron Age around 500BC.
Just before 16:00, we approached our destination at Cwmtydu. We landed on the rocky beach there and after pulling our kayaks up a safe distance from the waterline (the tide was still going out), we headed up to the car park for a break.
Kiva and I did a quick recon into Cwmtydu, which is a very small village nestling in a valley just above the beach. It’s not the best road, but Cwmtydu itself is a nice little village with a general store and not a bad place to start/end a paddle or hike or maybe to just have a stop off.
After almost an hour at Cwmtydu, we launched our 3 kayaks and headed back up the coast in the direction of Newquay.
Although we were essentially passing the same terrain we’d passed on the way down, the vista was quite different because we were looking up the coast towards the Northern end of Cardigan Bay.
All of a sudden I saw the unmistakeable form of a dolphin lunging out of the water a few hundred meters ahead of me. I then saw several more dolphins pitching through the water and they were coming down the coast straight for me!
I excitedly got my iPhone ready to get some footage as they came closer. In the foreground, a bit further up the coast, I could see another group of dolphins following behind.
It’s amazing how dolphins seem to be be playing and putting on a show as they jump, dive and swoosh about around you when you are kayaking. The first group passed within 5 meters of my kayak heading South.
Cardigan Bay has Europe’s biggest resident population of Bottlenose Dolphins.
The coast around Newquay is probably the best spot to see them although you can see them all over the West Wales coastline at times.
4 pods of dolphins passed right by us, one after another. Each pod seemed to comprise between 4 and 6 dolphins. It was an amazing, unforgettable sight.
As we got nearer to Newquay, we started to see some other people out on inflatable kayaks, mostly kids who were just out for a quick paddle off of the beaches.
At about 18:30 we landed back at the South beach at Newquay which was still quite busy.
We deflated our kayaks on the beach, packed them up and headed up to the village for a beer to celebrate a great kayak on Cardigan Bay, made even better by the show put on by the dolphins.
4. LOGISTICS
Since this was a circular kayak, the logistics were pretty straightforward. We parked up at a car park in Newquay and just paddled down to Cwmtydu and back.
We use inflatable kayaks which pack up into carry bags which are very manageable so there were no issues with access, transport etc.
The best launch spots are either at Dolau Beach on the South side of the village (which is where we launched from) or from the harbour, where there is a slipway down onto the start of the long beach which runs North from the harbour.
The map below shows the location of the 3 main pay & display car parks at Newquay. If you’re visiting at peak time then the 2 car parks further from the beach will be your best bet.
If you wanted to use public transport, then the T5 Traws Cambria Service runs up and down the coast stopping at Newquay.
5. DANGERS / ISSUES
Like any sea kayak, you need to check the weather and sea swell forecast before going.
We usually use www.surf-forecast.com.
While Cardigan Bay is of course tidal, the tide is nowhere near as much of an issue as it is with other section of coast we have paddled, such as the South East Wales Coast. The tide runs South to North in Cardigan Bay when it’s coming in. When it’s going out, it runs North to South.
6. KAYAK USED
We did this paddle in August 2019 when we were still using Pro Aqua inflatable kayaks.
The Pro Aqua kayaks were sold by Clas Ohlson but they have been discontinued for a while we believe. They are made from traditional construction techniques for inflatable kayaks using PVC tubular sides.
I have since progressed to a number of different inflatable kayaks and have done a Guide to Buying Inflatable Kayaks blog post and also a Youtube video Guide to Buying Inflatable kayaks.
7. WALES COAST
This 7 miles circular kayak on the Cardiganshire coast was part of the Kayak Crew’s undertaking to kayak around the entire 870 miles or so of the Wales Coast. We are breaking this up into sections which are generally between about 6 miles and 12 miles.
The below shop shows where this Newquay to Cwmtydu kayak was on the Wales Coast.
I am writing up blogs for all of my paddles around the Wales Coast Page and are also uploading videos to our Youtube Channel.
8. SUMMARY
This was a great circular kayak on a great section of the Cardiganshire Coast.
If you wanted to do a longer paddle then you could launch at Aberporth which is about 5 miles up the coast from Cwmtydu which would be a circular paddle of about 17 miles down to Cwmtydu and back.
Alternatively, you could go from Newquay down to Llangrannog which is about 7.5 miles (15 miles circular route).
It is the best section of the Wales Coast to see dolphins on and you will likely see other wildlife such as porpoise, seals, and sea birds.