Product Description

The south-west coast of England is described in 50 great sea kayaking voyages, from the Severn Estuary to the Isle of Wight. This book also presents all the navigational and tidal information a sea kayaker needs on this magnificent section of coast. This means that it can also be used as a kayaker's 'pilot' for any journey they might wish to undertake in this area.It follows the successful format of other Pesda Press sea kayaking guides, presenting the information in a user-friendly fashion and making lavish use of maps and colour photographs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #51057 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

About the Author
Over 20 years ago, Mark Rainsley was the only scout in his troop to capsize and swim when they tried kayaking. Undismayed, he enrolled for an 'intro to white water' course run by the current owner of Pesda Press, who threw him upside-down in his kayak over a Welsh waterfall. Mark has since paddled white water in over 20 countries on six continents and made first descents. He also sits on the BCU Expeditions Committee and created the most popular UK paddling media, the UK Rivers and UK Sea Kayak websites. Unfortunately, the humiliating wipe-outs and swims continue. Mark grew up near Britain's most inland point. For this reason, the sea has always retained a special allure for him, whilst retaining its air of mystery. After moving to the coast, Mark addressed this by buying a sea kayak and paddling solo around the South West. This 1997 paddle still ranks among his most cherished experiences. He has since sea paddled fanatically and has evangelically converted many other white-water paddlers.

Customer Reviews

A 'must have' for any Sea Kayakers paddling in the South West.
South West Sea kayaking is the new guidebook from Pesda Press, written by Mark Rainsley. It is the first, in-depth guidebook for the Southwest coastline and Islands and has taken 12 months to research and produce.

Mark is undoubtedly one of the great authorities on Sea Kayaking around then South West. He describes three great routes on one of Simon Willis's podcasts and his blog is testament to his knowledge and obvious enjoyment of the excellent paddling available in the Southwest.

The guidebook is, to be blunt, outstanding. Having a large collection of 80's/early 90's climbing and walking guides I was expecting to find a similar black and white, text heavy book with hand drawn maps. More fool me! The layout and quality of the guidebook is superb. Fantastic colour cartography, clear and interesting colour photographs and a modern, crisp, clean design combine to make this a visual feast.

The content is as impressive. Concise and accurate when it needs to be, yet in depth enough to provide the information needed. Each section begins with an overview of key info such as grade, distance, tidal information, start/finish points and coastguard details.

Mark then skillfully describes the route in detail. These descriptions cover a range of information. From anecdotes and history to geology and wildlife. He does this with a great sense of humour which raised more than a couple of smiles.

The photographs illustrating this guide are generally superb. They give an up to date insight into the routes and points of interest and for me prove have been a great source of motivation for getting out on the water.

The accompanying maps are wonderfully produced and provide more than sufficient detail for basic route planning, however OS maps are referenced for each section and are obviously required for comprehensive planning purposes.

It is obvious that Mark has taken a great deal of care to document to 50 or so routes that make up this guide as accurately as possible. As a recent review in Canoekayak magazine states:

Author Mark Rainsley paddled each trip and has done an excellent job of capturing the essence of the south coast in concise and informative descriptions, and the additional notes on local history, wildlife and geology mean that you can practically smell the sea air whilst reading it.

This is a superb guidebook and one that despite its high quality finish should not adorne your bookshelf, but sit thumbed, dog-eared and annotated in your kit bag as you work your way through the routes.

A great achievement
As a man who lives in Cornwall and has been in and around its seas in various craft, and who has just realised a long yearning for exploring the coast by kayak by purchasing both a single and a tandem in which to begin the adventure, I was really looking forward to receiving this book. I couldn't have been any more impressed. Mark Rainsley's book somehow manages to describe a passage of the entire coast from the Needles to the River Seven (including the Isles of Scilly and Lundy) in some 50 stages in a surprising amount of detail. The information is practical and interesting and is very well organised, covering historical, ecological, and nautical angles. There are maps for each stage/route and a bounty of colour photos. My only worry is that it may help spawn a plethora of kayakers to swarm the presently un-crowded waters around the South West. Other than that it's a great achievement.