Sea Kayaking Isle of Man - Lofoten Cod.

Not everything in Lofoten can be stunningly beautiful. Certainly the remnants of the annual cod slaughter, with fish heads and deeply blood stained snow, go some way to introduce a sense of reality to this fairy tale landscape. But there is something fascinating about this very uniquely Lofoten tradition of hanging up the salt cod in the Winter. This year the whole process has been delayed and many of the racks lie empty. All this despite there being huge numbers of cod available to catch off this chain of islands. A combination of snow and freezing weather has delayed the salting and hanging process. One local told me that too much frost on the fish ruins the quality. Nor has the fishing industry escaped the global financial crisis with markets and prices down! But for the first time today Spring has arrived, a thaw is in progress and all over the Lofoten Archipelago men are hanging salted cod.
www.KAYAK.im

Sea Kayaking Isle of Man - More Lofoten Photos.

A few more Lofoten pictures snapped on a glorious day yesterday. You can read about getting to Norway and paddling in Lofoten here.
www.KAYAK.im

Sea Kayaking Isle of Man - Winter.

We didn't feel that the Winter weather back in the British Isles had been harsh enough! To rectify this we've travelled up to Arctic Norway; the Lofoten Islands to be precise. We've been here and written about Lofoten many times before and so I won't repeat myself. We just wanted to experience these Islands in all their frozen glory!
www.KAYAK.im/

Sea Kayaking Isle of Man - Remote.

I left the Isle of Man nearly a month ago. Initially I found myself as far south in Scotland as it possible to go, right up next to the English border. Now, and unexpectedly, I am at the very top of Scotland, as far north as it is possible to venture whilst still remaining on the UK mainland. The photographs above were taken today in Sutherland, just west of Tongue. It was pretty enough in the border country, but nothing can compare to the desolate, harsh beauty of the north coast, especially on a cold crisp day such as today. This is the place to come if you really do want to get away from it all. It would be very easy to meet no one and simply enjoy the absolute silence which can be experienced here. When I wasn't enjoying a bit of quiet I was staring at the simply perfect waves rolling in at the entrance to Tongue Bay. I didn't bring my kayak and so I couldn't take advantage.
Below are some more of Shane Stigant's photos of Ian, Jess and myself on a memorable tidal race surfing day back home on the Isle of Man.
www.KAYAK.im