A Viking burial site was discovered at Ballyholme Bay on the North Down coast in 1903 suggesting that the Vikings landed there. Although the Belfast Kayak Club landed there, too last weekend on their Christmas outing, they certainly didn’t grab land or take any slaves. And their method of transport in the ninth century was very different from those Viking ships and Santa hats hadn’t been invented.
Belfast Kayak Club at Groomsport
Thirty-five paddlers turned out for the Christmas paddle from Groomsport, just a couple of miles east of the landing site at Ballyholme. The wind was just enough north of west to give a bit of a swell but that didn’t bother the raiding fleet. On arrival at the eastern end of the Bay, the paddlers enjoyed their lunch and hot mulled wine on a very cold day. The return paddle was somewhat easier with a following wind and tide.
The kayakers form a sunflower during their paddle to Ballyholme Photo: Billy Carnduff
Belfast Kayak Club was founded by John Napier and Mike Totten in early 2000 and became a charity in 2003. However, in many respects, the Club is significantly older, dating back some 12 years when Paddy Boyle and Brian Maguire ran canoeing sessions in the Robinson Centre in East Belfast, since renamed the Lisnansharragh Leisure Centre. It now has 192 members. BKC has storage facilities at Shaws Bridge on the River Lagan in Belfast and Groomsport.
The kayakers come ashore
Kayak events are held throughout the year, and the first in the 2023 calendar is a Coastal Navigation and Tide Planning course on Saturday, 14th January at Groomsport.
Belfast Kayak Club prepare the mulled wine on the shore at Ballyholme Photo: BKC
