2nd Ahoghill Company Section spent the weekend fishing and canoeing on the North Antrim coast, as they completed an overnight camp at Dunseverick.
The boys met the leaders at the church hall on Friday night, and after loading their gear onto the trailer we travelled to our campsite.
A local farmer had granted us access to some land on which to camp, and on arrival we began putting up our shelters – an assortment of dome tents, Hungarian army tents and a makeshift tarp setup incorporating one of the canoes.
After some barbecued sausages, we made the short walk down to Portbradden as the sun began to set. Spending the evening exploring and fishing around the rock pools, before returning to camp to get some sleep.
Saturday
The day began with three of the boys returning to Portbradden for another spot of fishing, while the rest of the group cooked breakfast on the barbecues. Unfortunately the seaweed showed more interest in the lines than the fish, and the boys returned empty handed.
With everyone back at camp, we dismantled all but two of shelters. Leaving our camping gear in the remaining tents before driving to Dunseverick Harbour.
After a chat with a local fisherman, we launched the canoes in search of more promising fishing spots. The boys determed to land their first catch of the weekend. With the fish still not biting, we decided to explore some of the nearby inlets. The rocks on either side proved a good test of our close quarters manoeuvring.
We eventually returned to land, and the boys continued their pursuit of fish. This time opting to cast off from the rocks on the eastern side of the harbour. Their persistence paid off, with three fish hooked in quick succession. We fired up the barbecue and treated ourselves to some flame-grilled Pollock.
Before leaving, some of the leaders and boys took the opportunity to do some bouldering. Jumping into the rock pool on the western side of the harbour.
We returned to pack up camp and load the trailer, before making the journey back to the church hall. After a welcome dinner of burgers and chips, we set up the tents to air them out and tucked the canoes away back in the garage.
All in all it was a successful outing, with the canoes getting their first taste of salt water in their furthest trip from home.
Many thanks to Mr McCurdy for the use of his land, and to David Stevenson for putting us in contact.
