My day coasteering on the North Highland Way

Tina Irving    trekkingholidays     Caithness, coasteering, Dunnet Head, north Scotland, scotland

Most folk would not choose to go up a hill by the wettest route, but that is precisely what I did when I went gorge walking and coasteering near Dunnet Head, the most northerly point of the UK mainland. Coasteering is a mixture of scrambling, swimming, climbing and jumping off cliffs while traversing the coastline. The rocky coastline of Caithness lends itself to coasteering and there are many fantastic sites all along the coast.

Coasteering is a leap of faith. Image: Flickr/ Scott Hamilton Photography

We had selected Dunnet Head as our first point of call, and a group of us set out with our guides, Tony and Mark, who had travelled from Inverness one beautiful sunny morning determined to get the best out of our trip to the far north of Scotland.

We walked out to a great site on the eastern side of Dunnet Head for our first experience – there are some superb spots with coves and geos of differing heights which are great for beginners. It is not necessary to be able to swim to go coasteering, as buoyancy is provided by the neoprene wet suit and there are experienced people to help if you get into difficulties. You will certainly need a wet suit in the cold waters of the Pentland Firth, even in the summer months!

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The North Highland Way: 10 Adventures in Scotland

Tina Irving    ash, trekkingholidays     coasteering, diving, Sailing, scotland, Surfing, trekking, Windsurfing

The north coast of Scotland is a great playground for extreme sports.  The background of the turbulent Pentland Firth and the magnificent coastline offers great facilities and opportunities for getting out and about.

Crossing to Orkney is an experience in itself when the seas are rough!  I have lived at Dunnet Head, the most northerly point of the UK mainland, for 11 years. And I am currently logging the walking route between John O Groats and Thurso with a GPS and a camera – it’s the first part of my trek across the north coast to Fort William!  Below are some other activities which can be enjoyed in this area

Dunnet Head from the air

Rib rides at John O Groats

For the real thrill seekers, take a trip in a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) ride at John O Groats – explore some of the great sea caves on Stroma and along the coast.  The sea conditions can be very exciting with swells and high water most of the year!   The swirling currents of the Merry Men of Mey make the rib ride even more thrilling and even the  ferry to Orkney must take care in the  dangerous conditions.  You will be in good hands though, as all the boat handlers are experienced seamen with years of knowledge of local conditions.

Coasteering at Dunnet  Head

The area around Dunnet Head is perfect for coasteering, which has become very popular over the last few years.  Rocky outcrops and geos provide the perfect conditions for a combination of swimming, climbing and trekking along the coast to Dunnet Bay.  Wetsuits are recommended!

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Can extreme sports prove Olympic success starts in school?

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     BMX, coasteering, extreme sports, football, kitesurfing, learning sports, mountain biking, Norway, Olympic games, olympics, parkour, Skiing, united states, Vancouver

Everyone remembers school sports. And unless you were very lucky, there was the very familiar list of ‘choices’ which then filled our Wednesday and Friday afternoons. Only recently have schools started to lighten the curriculum and include a new range of sports – some have gone further still and brought extreme sports to sports afternoon.

Now, there must be a correlation between which sports are taught in schools and the Olympic medal tables? We’ve long seen the summer Olympic tallies dominated by the larger countries. But will this remain true with the integration of extreme sports events?

It’s about support: How much do governments support emerging sports; do they invest in training programs and do they even insist that children take part in sport at all? read more

Coasteering: What is it?

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     coasteering, Dorset, Swanage, united kingdom

Jumping off random cliffs into the sea is not clever. However, there is a sport that uses local experts to help groups navigate around the coast so they can then jump safely – and it’s a whole lot of fun. The sport is: Coasteering.

If ever there is country that is perfect for Coasteering, it’s the United Kingdom. We’ve rocky coasts and coves aplenty, and no shortage of cliffs. So what is Coasteering ? Surely, it can’t just be jumping off cliffs?
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