14 mile paddle in just under 5 hours + around 2 hours additional travel by Trains and foot to the Wirral
Alan was dying to go on a big SUP expedition and the Wirral to Formby (possibly Ainsdale) looked like the one. Not only was it going to be the longest trip we had ever done but it also took as further offshore than we had ever been before. On top of that we would also need to cross the Liverpool shipping channel which is busy with BIG, speedy ships.
A couple of days previous, Alan drove to Formby beach to look out to the shipping channel to see how much traffic there was, how fast the ships went and the window of opportunity we’d have for crossing the channel. From that Alan was very confident we would be able to cross in between the traffic. On an uncharacteristically warm 17th of February me (Simon) and Alan took our SUPs on the train from Southport to Liverpool, then got an additional train from Liverpool to the Wirral where we walked maybe 1km to the Moreton beach.
We then sorted out our gear on the beach and pumped up our boards. The tide was coming in fast so fast the beach disappeared and my board and paddle nearly started the journey without me! That first 4 miles was probably the most difficult as the tide and the wind didn’t seem to agree with each other and the swell and wind was hitting us side on.
All in all it was a pretty uneventful trip, which I suppose is a good thing. We didn’t see any wildlife to speak of, the shipping lane had a couple of big ships go past but nothing that was going to make the crossing much of a challenge, oh and we saw some sizeable buoys marking out the shipping channel but that was about it.
While planning and even when we set off we were unsure of wether we would end our trip at Formby or if we would be able to make it all the way to Ainsdale (there was even a slim chance we wouldn’t get any further than Crosby). By the time we got to Formby point we had done 10 or so miles, were very tired and the light was fading fast but going all the way to Ainsdale was achievable so we pushed on.
We kept in touch with Lucy by phone and arranged for her to drive to Ainsdale to meet us and take us home. She went a step further, got out her SUP and paddled to meet us just off Ainsdale which spurred us on for that last mile or two. By the time we landed on the beach at Ainsdale it was pretty much dark and we were extremely cold and tired.
Took 5 hours of leisurely paddling to do the 14 mile trip. This was our first 10 mile+ trip out at sea and I’m positive it won’t be our last.
