We are currently doing some essential maintenance to our web store.

We are sorry for any inconvenience caused, you can still use our ebay shop through facebook or direct through ebay. You can also contact the shop on 01286 879001 or info@surf-lines.co.uk with any retail questions or to place orders.

Sorry for the delay but here is the calender for the Adventure Gym for May.

Sessions are coming a little more regular now so here’s a brief summary of what to expect on a weekly basis:

Monday   Boot Camp 6-7pm – An outdoor circuits types class £5

Tuesday  Supported Swim 6-7pm – Various distances covered, with a safety kayaker on the water £5

Wednesday Core Conditioning 5.45 – 6.30pm – A class focusing on core strength £5

Thursday  Supported Swim 6-7pm – Various distances covered, with a safety kayaker on the water £5

Saturday  Supported Swim 9.30-10.30am – Various distances covered, with a safety kayaker on the water £5

Saturday  2 Star Series 11am -1.00pm – Working toward your WCA/BCU 2 Star award

Sunday  Running Club – Touch the Tunnel 10.00am  Lake Chase 11.00am – FREE

Sunday  Supported Swim 2-3pm -Various distances covered, with a safety kayaker on the water £5

For anyone that is swimming in the lake, you can now come and use our changing rooms, lockers and showers for only £1 per person.  Please feel free to drop in at anytime to make the most of our facilities.

We are currently trying to sort out another Yoga session.  If you are interested, could you drop us a quick email to express interest as it will help us to plan.

We are aslo keen to host an informal Cycling club in the same way that we do with the running club.  We are thinking a Sunday session after the run with either a tour of Snowdon or up and down the pass.  The main emphasis is the social aspect, but we are also happy to take and record times to help motivation to improve speed.   Again let us know if this would be of interest.

There’s lots of demand for the more adventurous Swellies swim and Puffin Island swims.  We are simply waiting for the temperature to raise a little first.  We’ll keep you posted here and on Facebook with dates.

Don’t forget the Nutrition for Health Workshop on the 26th May at 10.00am and Pilates on the 31st May 12-1pm, both with Dr Claire Tuck.

Adventure Gym members get all the group sessions for free plus access to all of our boats including Stand Up Paddle Boards, Sea Kayaks, River Boats, Sit-On-Tops, Open canoes and touring boats, free of charge.

5. May 2012 AG Calendar

We have some ex-demo white water  kayaks, sea kayaks and an open canoe up for sale. They are all in good condition, the white water kayaks will have been mainly used on the lake with some grade 2 action, whilst the sea kayaks have the usual launching and landing scratched but are in good condition. We don’t sell out boats with air bags and they are sold as seen, but you can try them before you buy on the lake here in Llanberis. The following boats are for sale-

White Water Kayaks

Dagger mamba 8.0 Red (creek seat) £520.00 (rrp £849.00)

Dagger mamba 8.0 Red (adjustable seat) £520.00 (rrp £849.00)

Big Dog Force 7.7 Orange £499.00 (rrp £745.00)

Pyranha Burn (M) 2011 Blue/White £550.00 (rrp £919.00)

Pyranha Z.One (L) Blue/White £499.00 (rrp £749.00)

Open Canoe

Mad River Explorer Rx 16′ Green £850.00 (rrp £1399.95)

Sea Kayak

Valley Nordkapp Red £850.00 (rrp£1345.00)

Valley Aquanaut Club Red £695.00 (rrp£895)

Shop Sale Boats

Big Dog Havoc 206cm Red (Brand New) £470.00 (£695.00)

Big Dog Havoc 206cm Red (Brand New) £ 470.00 (695.00)

We are pleased to announce we will be holding a nutrition for health course on Saturday 26th May at 10am with Claire Tuck, PhD., Registered Public Health Nutritionist.

This one hour course will cover the following:

• A balanced diet for health
• Carbohydrate, protein  and fat intake for health and sport
• Vitamin and mineral intake: common deficiencies and recommended supplements
• Diet and boosting immune function

An Ideal course for everyone from budding athletes who are looking to improve their diets for performance or just to kick start a healthy summer routine.

Dr Claire Tuck is a freelance Registered Public Health Nutritionist with a private nutrition practice in Gwynedd. Claire’s background is in food psychology and healthy eating, in which she obtained her PhD. almost twenty years ago.  Claire lectures in public health nutrition at Bangor University, where she was previously co-director of an institute of food.  Her previous roles also include nutrition advisor to the Welsh Government and to the Food Standards Agency. Claire’s nutrition interests include healthy eating, body weight, sports nutrition and infant nutrition.

The course costs £10 per person, places are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment.

Surf-Lines are supporting Alexandra MacGregor in her PhD at the School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences, Bangor University. The PhD is funded by a Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship (KESS), which is a major European Convergence programme that benefits from the European Social Funds. KESS supports collaborative research projects between universities and external partners based in the convergence area of Wales. This particular KESS project is part of a long-standing and excellent partnership between Surf-Lines and Bangor University. Surf-Lines provide students on the BSc Sport Science (Outdoor Activities) degree with practical skills associated with canoeing and kayaking in inland and coastal environments, as part of a compulsory module in their first and second year.

In her PhD research, Alexandra is examining the psychological benefits of engaging in outdoor activities. While research is starting to emerge about the motives for engaging in high-risk sports, little is known about the long-term benefits of engaging in outdoor activities. The research is of particular interest to Surf-Lines with the introduction of ‘The Adventure Gym’ to the business in spring 2011. The concept is to encourage participants to exercise in the outdoor environment, and to use outdoor activities as a way of maintaining year-round regular exercise.

Alexandra is under the supervision of Dr. Tim Woodman and Prof. Lew Hardy. They have published numerous research papers in international scientific journals and are considered world leaders in the field of risk-taking sports. Their research has attracted media attention over the years. They have contributed to articles in the Sunday Telegraph, and have been interviewed numerous times by the BBC. They have also been interviewed as part of the Channel 4 documentary ‘The Human Spider’, and will feature in the upcoming Channel 4 series ‘Hidden Talent’. Alexandra is developing the measurement tools for this research so there will more updates to follow.

Our Demo day is back for 2012 and is bigger and better than ever before. Join us on Saturday the 28th April from 9.30am – 4pm for a completely free day for the whole family.

You will be able to demo boats from your favorite manufactures including, Dagger, Madriver, Wildernesss Systems, Islander, Ocean Kayak, Old Town, Necky, Valley, North Shore and Big Dog. Aqua sphere and Orca will be on hand to answer all your swimming gear related questions and you can demo both Aqua sphere and Orca swimming wetsuits.

We have free paddle sport work shops for the whole family and free adventure gym taster classes. These classes are booking up really quickly so please book to avoid disappointment.

Entered the Slateman triathlon? Always Aim High will be answering any questions you may have and we will be doing a Swim the Slate-man distance and a preview of the slate man run.

The Gallt y Glyn (Pizza and a Pint) will have their fantastic BBQ and refreshments from 12 noon.

Zac Laraman from Snowdonia Sports Medicine will also be here giving advice to athletes and a free talk on injury prevention.

You can download  a program of events for the demo day here. Please remember to email us if you would like to book on classes.

If you are looking to buy a boat the demo day is a great opportunity to try before you buy and we will be offering 15% off everything in store and all boat orders on the day.

demo program

You can also download registration forms for the demo day which you can fill in at home and speed up registration on the day.

Registration form Demo Day 2012

Many people probably don’t know, but we work in partnership with Bangor University to deliver part of their degree in Sports Science with Outdoor Activities.  The course has had a few ups and downs over the years, but since Trys Burke has taken the helm a couple of years ago our module has gone from strength to strength and now gets some of the highest student satisfaction marks in the department.  Here, one student, Tom Livingstone shares his view of the module.

“As I paddle harder and harder, I feel the pull of the current grow. The noise of the rapids ahead begins to take over, thundering now. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest, every fibre of me ready for the ride. I can see the white water ahead, churning and spinning, my line through the minefield a tenuous link – in reality I’m at the mercy of the river. I bounce left and right through the flow, gripped with adrenaline.
Whoops and cheers from my friends at the bank encourage me, as I power through the section of waves. Under the watchful eye of our instructor, Trys Burke, I quickly adjust my position for the final section – the crux. A final stroke then the drop… I’m clear! I manage to land well, despite the amount of water pounding all around. I head for the eddy, relief and adrenaline coursing through me. I glance up to Trys and my mates, who are smiling and ready for their turn…

Just another day at Bangor University!

I’ve been asked to provide a little snippet of my degree at Bangor Uni. Officially it’s called  ‘Sports Science with Outdoor Activities’; to the lecturers it’s a sports science degree.
To us, the students, it’s an outdoor pursuits course – and arguably one of the best in the UK.
The course has two Outdoor elements. Water Based covers all paddle sports, and is provided by Surf Lines of Llanberis. The Land Based is provided by the Conwy Centre on Anglesey, and covers climbing, scrambling and mountaineering amongst others. We typically have one day of Practical a week, alternating between each discipline. 

I’ve always enjoyed paddling, but never sought out the opportunity to progress in white water until I came to Bangor. It’s been an amazing adventure!
The course provided by Surf-Lines is exceptional, allowing us to quickly build up our personal and coaching qualifications, whilst always trying to get on the water. We are split into groups, roughly correlated with ability, to create the best learning environment.
The beauty of North Wales is the rich diversity of the environment. If the rivers are up, we can get some white water in. If the tides are running and the surf is pumping, we’ll head to the sea, using a wide variety of boats.

Typically, we’ll meet in the morning to discuss our plans and the conditions. As we progressed through first and into second year, we’ve been given more control and flexibility, forcing us to make important decisions and take responsibility. What are the river heights? Do we need to practice Safety and Rescue? What are the sea states? We’ll load up the boats and head to the water for another day of fun.

  Sure, there have been questionable moments. Getting into a freezing wetsuit in January to practice White Water safety and rescue is never going to be fun, but you certainly won’t forget it!

I’ve also enjoyed the progression from relative novice to trainee coach. I recently ran the Mile End Mill section of the River Dee with a good friend, also on ODA. We had learnt the skills to safely enjoy the river through our course, and so, without any instructors, on just an average day of uni, went for Serpent’s Tail, a classic Grade 3.

It was an exhilarating feeling to run the harder sections of the river, confident in myself and my abilities, without the support of our instructors. I knew that I had been taught the skills and the tricks, so it was just down to us.
We came back to Surf Lines the next day, elated and recounting stories of our adventure!

It’s worth noting that Surf Lines have been very supportive with our desire to go paddling independently. It’s never easy to see your expensive equipment drive off in a car with 2 psyched and mad-for-it paddlers, hoping you’ll see it all again! Nonetheless, you have to take big steps every now and again. Next stop… circumnavigating Anglesey in a 3-day marathon?!

Regular assignments ensure that we don’t have too much fun. We are, after all, here to get a degree so analysing your performance or leadership skills (for example) are interesting pieces of work. Furthermore, after each day we complete our workbooks. What has worked well? Which new skills did we learn? All these self-reflective sessions help us to constantly improve.

So, there’s a slice of ODA Water Based. The sun is beginning to shine through on this Friday afternoon, and the tides are looking good for a quick paddle on the Menai Straits. I wonder if the Swellie or Bridge wave will be working…?!”

Brian Wills puts the Scott Trail running shoe through its paces on the hill of Snowdon on a sunny winters day.

I’ve just been asked to review some of the latest trail running shoes to arrive at Surf-Lines.  Keen to develop the Adventure Gym and extend their selection of equipment, Surf-Lines have taken delivery of a range of running gear from SCOTT. Not normally a brand that appears in most high street shops I was keen to see how their trail shoes performed.  I have taken  a pair of ‘eRide Grip’ trainers for a quick blast around  Llyn Padarn, the ‘Chase Around the Lake’ route and also put them through some more serious ‘abuse’ up and over Snowdon and surrounding summits.

At first glance, they certainly look like a well designed shoe, lightweight and sporting a grip pattern that would put them into a category of trail/soft ground shoes rather than deep wet muddy terrain shoe.  They also sport SCOTT’s own, ion-mask protective coating, a molecularly bonded coating to the shoes outer that increases durability, repels water and helps keep the shoe looking new and fresh!  SCOTT also lay down a few claims for the shoe on their website so I thought I’d use them as a starting point for my review.

These are their claims:

1.         A softer, more nimble midsole for faster running on everything from smooth flat dirt to steep and rocky.

2.         Rocker sole enhances stability and handles uneven terrain better.

3.         Great forefoot flexibility.

4.         A light-weight and highly breathable upper.

These are my findings:

1.                  They certainly do feel lightweight, nimble and fast on your feet.  The transition from trail to road running didn’t throw up and problems.  Sometimes trail shoes can feel a little flat under foot on paved surfaces. But there was a happy medium met with these shoes.  Grip was quite good on wet rock when running on the mountain and I did feel that there was a reassuring amount of grip when descending damp grassy sections too.  However, I did also feel that a very quick descent of Snowdon might be pushing the boundaries of its footplate stability. On the plus side though, I was pleasantly surprised at the level of underfoot protection from the more ‘pointy’ rocks from such a lightweight shoe.

2.                  I am always a little sceptical about little tweek’s to trainers and then great claims of performance enhancement, usually passing them off as sales gimmicks, but I had put these trainers on before I’d had the chance to read anything about them.  The first thing that I noticed when walking around the shop was the ‘rocker sole’.  As you walk , you can feel your foot ‘rocking’ forward towards your toes encouraging  more of a mid-foot strike and therefore a more efficient running style.  Does it really work?  Well only time will tell but for now they do feel very good under foot.

3.                  Forefoot flexibility was very good but there in-lies the limiting factor for this shoe as far as I’m concerned.  As I have said earlier, this shoe was excellent on the mixed terrain when running around Llyn Padarn but I felt forefoot stability was right on the limits to provide confidence during a very fast descent of more technical rocky ground.  Heel stability however was excellent on all counts, very comfortable and extremely supportive.  Though despite my comments above, as it stands at the moment, this shoe is still probably the footwear of choice for me in this year’s International Snowdon Race, as it wins me over on its all round capability.

4.                  Lightweight, is a given after all I have said above, but breathability hasn’t been mentioned.  I’m glad SCOTT has listed this as a ‘feature’ of this shoe because I was going to mention it anyhow!  During my review run over Snowdon the wind was blowing quite hard, maybe 30 mph or so on the summit.  I could definitely feel a draught blowing straight through the front of my shoes and around my toes.  Something that I can honestly say that I have not felt in other shoes, other than flip flops obviously!  Now whether or not you think this is a good thing I’ll let you decide for yourself but it didn’t feel bad!  SCOTT claims that their ion-mask allows for extra water repellence whilst maintaining breathability, but as far as I’m concerned when you are running across wet or boggy ground most water ingress is via the big hole in which you put your foot through to stick ‘em on in the first place! Although when your feet are wet, good breathable uppers should allow your feet to dry on longer runs.  Nothing worse than squelching shoes!!

So there you have it!  I hope that this review helps you decide whether or not this is the shoe that suits your needs.  It is without a doubt in my mind (for what that’s worth!) the shoe of choice for me to run the Surf-Lines ‘Chase Around the Lake’ every Sunday morning at 11am.  Why not come and give it a go??  At least it’ll prove that I’m not just making this stuff up!!!

Brian Wills

If you would like to purchase these shoes, please contact the shop on info@surf-lines.co.uk

Section 4 Holyhead to Trearddur Bay

Saturday saw Tom, Oz and I tackle the next section of the coastal path.  This section has the highest height gain of the whole Island with a total climb of 210m over about an 11 mile section, but enjoys some of the best coastline that the island has to offer.  This was another section that we decided to run in the opposite direction in order to simplify logistics (and to finish us in the Seacroft in Trearddur Bay).

We started by the yacht club in Holyhead where a short road section takes you quickly onto the path that follows the coastline past Soldiers Point around the headland along Porth Namarch and into the Breakwater Country Park.   This is also the official start and end point for the Ring O Fire race.  The headland above North Stack looms above you and the path quickly steepens into a steady climb that eventually gives way to great views of Gogarth Bay.  The path is good quality underfoot and navigation is easy despite the various paths leading off the main route.  A combination of a wide service road and single track paths bring you to South Stack and a short road section before heading down to the RSPB observation with a good cliff edge path for a while before popping you back onto the road again.

The headland around Penrhyn Mawr and into Porth Rufydd is pretty flat but was also really wet under foot, not a problem for me in my Salomon SpeedCross 3 but was a little more slippy for Tom in is Vibram 5 Fingers!  The coastal path hugs the shoreline which makes for pleasant running until you are eventually back on the road which leads into Trearddur Bay.  We finished our 11 mile route with a thigh sapping run along the beach to the Seacroft pub for a well deserved pint.  The running so far has been great, and I’m looking forward to exploring the North coast which is less familiar to me than the rest of the Island.

Friends of Surf-Lines, Kate Humble and her husband Ludo, recently bought an ex-council farm near their home in Monmouthshire.  It was due to be sold off in bits and would probably never have been a farm again.  They are trying to keep it as a farm and their tenant farmers have already got their sheep and cattle on the land and have already started lambing.  They’re gradually turning it into a centre for courses in Rural Skills and Animal Husbandry.  Restoration work is well under way on some of the old farm buildings and Kate is also writing a weekly column about it in the Saturday Telegraph magazine.

Their first courses start in March:

- Hedge-Laying (Saturday 3rd March)
- Orchard Planning and Planting (Saturday 10th March)
- All About Trees (Saturday 24th March)

You’ll find details below of how to book onto the courses here:

Kate’s Farm

If you know anyone who might be interested in taking one (or more) of these courses, we’d be very grateful if you could spread the word and forward this link to them.  They will be adding more courses throughout the year, and their website – www.humblebynature.com – will be up and running soon.

We wish them all the best in their new venture