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F-O-N Gower Trip 5-6th Oct.
justal - 9-9-2002 at 06:46

We're planning a trip to The Gower (S. Wales) for the weekend of the 5th and 6th October.

Everyone welcome.

There are no real plans as such, but we'll meet up in the Kings Head Pub (Opposite PJ's Surf Shop), Llangenith on Friday evening and then head off to whichever beach looks best given the weather conditions... I'm sure people will actually head in different directions depending on what they actually want to do.

For those of you who don't know, The Gower has it all. Good surfing beaches from easy beach breaks to gnarly reefs, long sandy beaches perfect for windsurfing (from complete beginners through to expert wave sailors), plenty of kiting and kite-buggying opportunities and even some good hills overlooking long sandy beaches from which people hang-glide.

Theres a campsite near to Llangenith, which is probably where people will stay, so bring your tents and all your toys and we'll see you there.

Let us know here if you are likely to turn up and we can keep an eye out for you. I'll be in my big blue Transit Van as usual.

Who else is up for it??

Al.

nicp - 9-9-2002 at 09:43

damn, I would've been but I'm going to be in Ireland

justanna - 16-9-2002 at 09:21

Anyone else up for it then!??

Looks like it could just me me and Al at this rate!

Hopefully see some of you there
Anna

ajdesq - 16-9-2002 at 10:42

Seriously maybe considering thinking about it...!

Joe - 16-9-2002 at 13:30

If all goes well I will be there to go for some good windsurf sessions.

I'll bring the family too. Anyone else out with family or non forces of nature activists?

Hope to meet many whom I only read about in the forum.

Joe

Ian - 16-9-2002 at 16:50

Would Love 2 come but I have 2 pick up my motorhome that w-end!!!!!

ajdesq - 17-9-2002 at 11:28

Sounds like a good excuse to try out said motorhome! Will probably be staying myself at the Caravan Club Site at Gowerton (open to non-members). Call me soft (go on! But I already know!) but I do like my HEATED shower blocks and mains hook-ups....

justal - 22-9-2002 at 07:56

Just a quick note to let you know that the trip is still on...who knows, with the lack of wind and surf we've had lately, it might just be saving up for something special during this weekend.

Quite a few people have shown an interest and the people that are (supposedly) coming so far are:



Any other takers??

Al.

justanna - 23-9-2002 at 09:07

Robbie will be coming at this rate if you don't find someone to look after her!

paul - 24-9-2002 at 21:07

Hows this for a tease on the long range forecast........

paul - 25-9-2002 at 12:24



It's all gone pear shaped.........

Ian - 26-9-2002 at 11:37

don't u know that u should never look at the forecast out of 3 days......the met men only ever forecast 3 days at a time...the crap they give on the country file is to please the farmers and give a VERY GENERAL view of whats going to happen...It could still happen though

paul - 26-9-2002 at 13:35

very true, but it's hard not to look

I did meteorology at Uni for a year, and the only thing that ever made sense was the final lecture when the guy said "if you only remember one thing, it's that the ONLY accurate forecast is - that tomorrow's weather will be the same as today but slightly different"

and thats a fact !

Ian - 26-9-2002 at 16:45

How very true the other accurate wx forecast is the 1 u see out of the window...as the met man once told me

justal - 26-9-2002 at 19:02

Hi Ian...Haven't seen you online for a while... Are you coming on the Gower Trip??...How about Rob??

Al.

Ian - 26-9-2002 at 21:04

Hi Al,
no as i said up the to a little i'm away that w-end collecting my New Bus!!!!!! so unable to make it

Froggy - 28-9-2002 at 17:27

Just found this site off the Boards site. Comprehensive stuff. Strangely I was planning a Gower trip myself with a couple of mates over the next 2-3 weeks (I was there about 3 weeks ago too). Probably bodyboarding and kiting, as my windsurfing can't cope with the surf there. - Anyway we might say "Hi" if we're there at the same time. We'll be camping/in the kings head.

justal - 29-9-2002 at 20:38

Froggy...You may as well bring your windysurfing kit as well...Not all the beaches have surf, Oxwich should be fine, and even Llangenith can be flat...especially while we're there.

Al.

justal - 30-9-2002 at 19:08

Right, a few more details...

The campsite is Hillend Campsite: Tel: 01792 386204
I was going to give you a grid ref for the campsite, but my map seems to be buried in a pile of junk that I haven't lookrd through...It was here a couple of days ago... Anyway, I've never used the campsite myself, but as far as I know, it has all the facilities, but they are a little basic.
Give them a ring before hand to make sure theres room for you. The site itself is nesteld behind the dunes of Llangenith beach, not far from the village

The pub is the Kings Head in Llangenith..we'll meet there Friday and Sat evening. I've never been in here before either, but its the only pub in Llangenith so it'll have to do!

There doesn't seem to be much wind forecast (but that could change), but the surf could be OK...for those of you without surf boards I'll try to bring along a spare, and there a surf shop in Llangentih (PJ's) where you can hire boards.

If theres no surf and no wind then we'll still find something to do...maybe some coasteering, or just some exploring along the cliffs. If all else fails, theres always the pub!

Anna and I will get there around 7.30pm on Firday and meet people in the Kings Head. If you plan on arriving during the day of Sat or Sun, then e-mail me and I'll give you my mobile number so you can find out where we are.

I'm not expecting loads of people, as this is the first Forces-of-Nature trip, and the forecast doesn't look great, but hopefully we'll still be able to have a good weekend and meet a few new people.... Who knows, we may even start organising the next one.

See you all there.
Al.

justal - 1-10-2002 at 07:00

Dazzamuffin Wrote:

quote:
Al the long range forcast doesnt look good
how ever the east coast is looking very good

may be worth a venue change.


Darren, just had a look at the forecasts this morning and there doesn't seem to be much difference between the two...certainly not enough difference to change the location based on a 5-6 day forecast!!

At the moment, both are forecast to get SW Force 5-6 on Friday as the dirty great high pressure out in the Atlantic moves over us and gets squashed by the Greenland-Newfoundland Low. Saturday looks set to swing NW and ease a bit, and Sunday is still anyones guess! It does look like the East coast will get stronger winds, but they'll be offshore (SW-NW) and gusty and the sea will be flat.

At least with some SW's there should be some sort of lumpiness to the water in the Gower...Of course, all this is just speculation as the forecasts aren't great until about 2 days before the event.

On top of this, we have to consider the other people coming...The Gower is more likely to produce a range of conditions that will suit all. from flat water blasting and sheltered locations for beginners to full on wave-sailing in cross-on or cross-off conditions if theres a swell (unlikely) for the wave-heads. Plus of course MUCH more chance of some surfing for those who don't windsurf.

And...its a bloody long way to the East coast from here!!

we'll stick with the Gower whatever the forecast... I'm sure we'll find something to do.

Al.

dazzamuffin - 1-10-2002 at 17:19

weathers changed again not sure where the sw come from dont show it on mine

but as you say its early days

lets see what the week brings

justal - 1-10-2002 at 17:27

What forecast do you look at Darren??

Whatever the week brings, it doens't really matter as there will be plenty to do in the Gower and it'll just be good to have a weekend away with a group of new people.

Al.

Ian - 1-10-2002 at 20:24

No its only 2 1/2 hrs to sunny Hunstanton fm here 3 to Well and the same to Brancaster which on a good day will produce better than the west coast for waves
I suppose if you put your time on top then it may be longer but for us central people the east coast is just as quick

justal - 1-10-2002 at 20:39

Which is why I said its a bloody long way from HERE!!

It'll be about 6 hours to the East coast from here I'm sure.

As far as waves go, on a good day Brancaster may be better than Borth, but not better than (or as consistent as) you can get on a good day in the Gower. Everywhere has its day, but the Gower is particularly good from a 'suitable for all' point of view
As the Stormrider guide says:

quote:
The Gower is unique in that within a five mile radius, you can blast along on perfect flat water conditions at Oxwich Bay, test your skills in mast high waves at Llangenith or have the best of both with flat water and waves at Horton and Port Eynon (and all on the same day!)


And, The Gower was pretty much equidistant for everyone interested (2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hrs).

But don't worry, there'll be plenty more Forces-of-Nature trips in the future to all the corners of the UK (and maybe even beyond!). The first one had to be somehwere, and it just happens to be The Gower.

Who knows where we'll go next...N. Wales? N. Devon? Cornwall?

Al.

P.S. just had confirmation of another 4-5 people coming.

justal - 2-10-2002 at 18:28

Looks like the conditions may actually be just about OK for the Gower this weekend after all... Surf wise that is:

Soul Surfers report (the most accurate surf report around) says:

quote:

SOUTH WEST AND WALES (and south western ireland)

The precursor swell should start to show later today with mostly southerly offshore winds for the north coast. Winds may freshen and turn westerly a bit as the main swell starts to come in tomorrow but they should stay within reasonable bounds and quieten down by Friday and then turn slightly easterly bringing some excellent surfing conditions over the next four days. Now's the time to take a bit if extra Autumn holiday and head to the South West 'cos that's where the action is. The waves will be big on Thursday and Friday so unless that's really what you want, lesser mortals may be advised to look for slightly more sheltered spots. The swell should still be solid for Saturday and small to medium on Sunday. South coasts and West Wales will be smaller but should get a good rideable wave. North Wales and south east Ireland will get a small amount of wrapround that will arrive rather later. High tides are around 5-7 AM/PM they are getting very big and headed towards the biggest tides this century on Monday and Tuesday so watch out, your favourite breaks may behave a little unusually.

EAST COAST

Poor. Your best bet is to head south west.


Make sure you bring your surfboards!!!



Al.

justal - 8-10-2002 at 19:23

Well, the Gower Trip was a success... Did anyone go to the East Coast in the end??

What was it like?? You couldn't have had less wind than us, thats for sure!

Al.

Froggy - 16-10-2002 at 18:50

Ha!, you should have been there this weekend just gone.
We had force 4 onshore on saturday and a 5+ offshore sunday. Only one problem, I didnt take my board!. Doh!Still, the kiting and surfing was great.