Kayaking The Bitches Wales
This place was a large part of Dave's paddling history. It is the Bitches off Ramsey Island, Pembrokeshire, on the west coast of Wales.
The Bitches are a series of rocks pushing out from the Ramsey Island back to towards the mainland.
When the tide is turning, the different tide heights at the top and bottom of the island create a tidal flow - a bit like a river.
In the photo below, you can see the rocks just under the water. Dave is paddling into one of the main flows to catch one of the surf waves.
The photo was taken on a long telephoto lens from the cliffs on Ramsey Island, Pembrokeshire.
Dave paddles a WW Rotobat out onto the main surf waveWhere are the Bitches?
The Bitches are located off the west coast of Wales near to the city of St. David's in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
The nearest put in to paddle out to the Bitches is the lifeboat station at St. Justinians, There is a small car park here:
Once changed etc, you can walk down the road and then the cliff path down to the put in on the rocky beach here:
You need to paddle south and the Bitches are here:
Please be absolutely sure of your route and the tide times as this is open sea and you can get into difficulties very easily.
Once on the water, the usual route to get to the Bitches is by paddling from the lightboat station like this:
When in full flow, the tide race runs from the bottom of the map to the top through the gap between the island and the mainland.
It is a tough old paddle to get to the Bitches especially in smaller play kayaks.
And timing was key too. The tide had to be flowing in the correct direction and you had to paddle over before high tide.
It's usually paddled over a couple of hours before high tide. That way, most of the flow was out of the main channel and it makes it slightly easier to cross.
It's ideal to launch three hours before high water at Milford Sound. Here's the tide times so you can check:
The route was to paddle up to the edge of the mainland and then ferry glide across to the first outcrops of the Bitches rocks (W3W).
Often the ferry glide would be choppy and you had to be careful not to drop too far down or you drift past the outcrops and have to paddle back up.
Paddling back to the mainland was even more tricky. Your ferry glide had to be bang on so you approached the mainland as high up as possible so you could drift back down to the lifeboat station.
There is a submerged hazard of rocks here and this creates waves and whirlpools. In high water, it is possible to go over this, but in lower water, you need to go round it.
Drop too low down the coastline and you will round the headland which was a disaster. A long paddle back up after an already strenuous paddle!
It is 100% commitment. Be sure of your route, be safe!
The legendary Andy Middleton, founder and Director of the TYF Group, was an early pioneer of kayaking at the Bitches, Pembrokeshire. His outdoor centre, TYF Adventure, is based in St. Davids and his personal involvement in rodeoing and kayaking at the Bitches is etched in stone.
The rodeos were new to kayaking and featured some key names at the time including Shaun Baker and Andy Middleton. The rodeos meant paddlers could show off their water skills by surfing and looping the kayaks.
Andy went one step further with his signature move – standing up in the kayak and surfing - a pioneer of SUP perhaps??
(c) Andy MiddletonIt was jaw dropping to watch and showed his incredible kayaking skills.
Being at some of these rodeos and camping on Ramsey Island were exciting trips and always ones where new friends were made.
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Dave is very happy to suggest products that will
help you in your paddling adventures.
These products cover kayaking, canoeing and
stand up paddle boarding.
Dave knows these products, has used them and can confidently
recommend them and they are from reputable suppliers too.
Some of the links are affiliate links - this does not affect the price you pay,
but does generate a small income to support this website.
Thank you for helping us!
PS. Paddlesports can be dangerous.
Read our safety disclaimer - here
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