Sea Kayaking - the real deal!

Well the holiday was incredible - just so much fun and on the ship you were just made to feel like the most important person in the world, regardless of which drinks package you had and even if (like us!) we didn't have a room with our own personal butler!

One of the best parts of the trip has to have been my sea kayaking trip - mostly because it's something I have wanted to do for so long but also, the weather was just incredible. It was unbelievable weather for the whole trip really. We went to Norway and it was really warm to the point of laying on sunbeds in our swim suits, sunbathing and even getting burnt. I know that that isn't too tricky for me really with the colour of my skin but given that you assume it will be really cold when you go to Norway (it was supposed to be!) we didn't think to take any sun cream or anything sensible. We were lucky really that we had taken shorts for the gym otherwise we would have melted.

Anyway, back to the kayaking trip. I didn't really get any photos of me getting ready or anything as the others all went off at the same time to do their own thing - a bus trip around the town with a stop at an aquarium on the way around. There is this one though which was taken by my hubby through the bus window.

I am somewhere in there in the middle of the group of people.

They were all double boats when I turned up which I was quite pleased about really, especially as I was lucky enough to get in the boat with the group leader who was obviously a really good paddler. It meant that we were always the lead boat so we got to see everything first and it meant that I got some good clear shots on my GoPro of the scenery too rather than of the back of other people paddling their boats. I was also incredibly lucky to have been able to go in the front of the boat, not only for the photo opportunitites (not just getting shots of someone's back the whole time) but also there is a rudder on these bigger boats that you have to control with your feet in the back to keep the boat straight. I think it was really a lot harder than everyone else made it look. I found it hard enough to keep paddling and just do my bit to help us keep going while I didn't have my foot rests in the boat adjusted quite right. One of them kept slipping away from me when I tried to use it.

As we were all getting loaded into our kayak's (me and the guide getting in first) we set off out into the water and started to gather everyone up around us.

Ooh - as we had been lucky enough to have great weather for the rest of the trip, this day was no exception. The temperature was in the early twenties and it was bright sunshine. With the reflection from the water the sun was really strong so I thought it was a really good thing that the kayaking company handed out suncream before we went out onto the water and suggested we use it. I covered my face and ears quite well and I was pleased, it was really needed!

Once we were all loaded in, we set off towards the first little island just off the coast, away from our ship that we started by.

Once around the first little island, we turned to face the mountains. Look at some of those views! Incredible. If I could have chosen for my first sea kayaking experience to be anywhere I don't think that you could have picked a much better place really.

And we did have a bit of time to chill out on the way around. Is this not like a classic sea kayaking photo that people post on the internet. This is what everyone imagines when they think of sea kayaking.

We stopped at various points on our way around where the other leader man who was in a boat of his own told us the history of the place and of Norway in general. It was really interesting at the time (and a nice break from paddling for a bit!) but I couldn't tell you anything that he said now.

Then we set off paddling back. I'm not sure how far we went in total but we were out for the full 3 hours that the trip was supposed to last.

One last little stop to look at the fish in a little quiet spot between two tiny islands and that was it, we were heading back towards the ship and back to the mainland to get out of the boat and to let our arms recover!

My technique definitely wasn't great on this trip as my arms were killing by the time we set off back. I had that shakey arm thing going on with the first drink I tried to lift to my mouth as I got back to the ship.

I would definitely love to go on another trip like this, however I'm not sure that a little lake in this country would really do anything for me anymore. I have been too spoilt with my first trip being such a pretty one.


This was also another tick on my 30 before 30 list. I have been wanting to go sea kayaking for ages. I'm really pleased that I can finally say that I have done it. Not sure what I would have done in an individual boat - I was grateful for the opportunities I had to take a rest every so often with the guide in my boat.