Search results for ""Pesda Press""

This is a practical guide that will help the reader to master the skills needed to manoeuvre a sea kayak efficiently. For beginner and intermediate paddlers. Doug draws on his personal and coaching experience to help the reader master sea kayak handling skills and techniques. Accurate sequential photos and simple concise language make the descriptions easy to follow and understand. The foundation skills of posture, connectivity (how your body is connected to the kayak), power transfer and learning to 'feel' how the boat responds, are explored initially. The author then goes on to tackle forward paddling, keeping the kayak on course, reverse paddling, edging, turning on the spot, forward turns on the move, reverse turns on the move, stern rudders, moving sideways, support strokes, and the use of skegs and rudders. "Sea Kayak Handling" is recommended as support material for the British Canoe Union 3 and 4 Star (Sea) awards. (The 1 star is a novice 'encouragement' award, the 2 star covers basic generic kayak skills, the 3 star basic/intermediate sea specific skills and experience, and the 4 star covers intermediate sea specific skills and leadership in moderate conditions).

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Completely revised, this is the second edition of the sea kayaking guidebook - Oileain, The Irish Islands. The guide describes 270 more islands than the previous edition, has a wealth of new photos, a new design and improved presentation of the tidal information. Dave Walsh describes over 570 islands. The essential information for kayakers or anyone in a small boat is here: landings, camping, drinking water and tidal information. Any wildlife to be found is detailed and on the islands that are or have been inhabited there is a wealth of information on their history and archaeology. The stories are fascinating and often told with a wry humour which makes them very readable. The book is illustrated throughout with colour photographs and maps. The writing and photographs capture the very essence of the wild places described.

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This book is a celebration of the life and adventures of Andy Jackson, Scottish kayaking legend. In December 2004 the kayaking community was stunned by the premature death of Andy Jackson. "Tall Stories" collates accounts and photos of the tall man's adventurous life. As we follow him around the world, Andy's gregarious good humour comes across at every turn. From his native Scotland to Nepal, New Zealand and North America on his 'World Tour' and on to Iceland and Chile, Andy made a friend of everyone he met.Every first weekend in September, kayakers from around the world gather at the Wet West Paddlefest to celebrate his life and paddle two of his favourite rivers. Andy will remain an inspiration for generations to come.Ron Cameron first encountered Andy Jackson in Tain, Easter Ross when Andy was 19 and he was 43 and kayaked, skied and climbed with him regularly until the time of his death, suffering no significant injuries as a result. He was stupid/smart enough to rent Andy a house for about six years. Sometimes he thinks he should have stuck to climbing but paddling and skiing with Andy was a life enhancing experience.

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The Welsh coastline, in all its varied guises, provides a fantastic playground for the sea kayaker. These select fifty-one journeys cover all of the interesting parts of the coast and provide easy sheltered paddles, testing offshore trips for the adventurous and everything in between. Illustrated with superb colour photographs and useful maps, this book is a practical guide to help you select and plan trips. Detailed tidal information also allows the book to serve as a valuable valuable inshore pilot for water users such as stand up paddlers, anglers, windsurfers and sailors. New in 2nd edition: - 1 new inspirational route - A selection of new photos - Sat nav coordinates for access

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In this book you'll find 64 routes that, if you complete them all, by default you will also have completed the Wainwrights. A few of the summits are featured in more than one walk. That's ok. You can do them more than once! Why do we need a guide book on the fells of the Lake District if Wainwright wrote seven of them? Well, I should say right here that this book is not intended to replace Wainwright's Pictorial Guides. They are superb books. But, they were written in the 1950s and 60s, and yes, some things in the hills have changed in the intervening years. Another reason is that many walkers struggle to devise full-day walks using the Wainwright guide books. Yes, he has detailed pretty much every conceivable way of getting to each individual summit, but this leaves the reader having to then come up with their own plan to make a longer day of it by continuing over one or more other fells. Wainwright didn't describe day walks in these seven guidebooks. He described individual ways up and down each one. So, please buy the Wainwright guidebooks if you haven't got them on your bookshelves already. Just use them alongside this book.

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These 18 sport climbing crags are, with the one exception of Tyddyn Hywel, situated between junctions 16 and 31 on the A55 and a short hop from the expressway. They are only one and a half hours from Manchester and three quarters of an hour by car from Llanberis and Gogarth. Easy route finding, technical climbing, and bolted routes maes for a fun day out. It's a great way to bag a few routes on the way back from Anglesey or Snowdonia or enjoy a full day of varied and fun climbing with short walk-ins. The new third edition features 157 new routes, 6 new crags and 8 new sectors. All 437 routes (from F2 to F8c, including a handful of trad) are accessible single pitch sport venues with varied aspects and are either situated a short walk from car parking or are accessible by rail and bike.

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Following on from his hugely successful book Sea Kayak, Gordon Brown brings his vast experience and unique style to this latest publication Sea Kayak Safety and Rescue. Each chapter begins with a real-life incident which sets the scene and helps to emphasise what follows. The underlying principles are highlighted, practical lessons learnt and the hard skills explored in detail. Numerous colour photos complement and illustrate the text. This book is essential reading for any sea kayaker, and will be enjoyed and valued by both novice and experienced paddlers alike.

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Though geographically close the two areas covered in this sea kayaking guidebook are as different in character as it is possible to conceive. The South East of England has a varied landscape of chalk cliffs, pebble beaches, vast expanses of sand, mudflats, and river estuaries. At one extreme the tidal Thames runs through the densely populated City of London and at the other the deserted North Norfolk coast. Conversely the Channel Islands are a small number of large islands and a vast number of islets and reefs. Here we are talking pink granite, white sandy beaches and very strong tidal streams. They are closer to France than to England (a mere 12km between Les Ecrehous reef and mainland France). Many of the routes here are very committing but there are also a good number of gentler paddles.

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This is a complete beginner's guide to the sit-on-top kayak. Sit-on-top kayaking is the fastest growing water-based activity. It's fun and easy to learn. Anyone can do it! Paddlers, newcomers and those curious about the sport will find all the answers to their questions in this book. Using colour photos and clear descriptions, this book is the perfect introduction to sit-on-top kayaking. Choosing the right kayak, how to store and transport it, how to get the most fun out of your boat and how to stay safe whilst doing so are explored in detail. Snorkelling, fishing and scuba diving are some of the other activities that benefit from using sit-on-tops and these are also covered.

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This book explains to the hillwalker, in easy to understand but accurate terms, how geology has shaped the landscape of the Lake District. A selection of fifteen guided walks is used to illustrate this in terms of what can be seen on the ground. "Rock Trails Lakeland", divided into two parts, is intended to help those who love the Lake District's mountain scenery to understand how this beautiful landscape came about. The first half narrates the story of colliding continents, volcanoes, mountain-building and glaciations in creating the Lakeland, explaining why volcanoes occurred, the rocks they created and how to interpret signs of mountain-building and glaciations on the ground. The second half describes recommended walks of differing levels of difficulty, all with a wide variety of geological features to be seen and, most important, with consistently fantastic views of the very best of the Lake District's wonderful scenery. The author has concentrated on what you can see as you walk around the hills, highlighting conspicuous, easily visible features in rocks as well as the overall shape of the terrain while accounting for the present-day landscape. This is the second book in the series from Pesda Press, following the publication in 2008 of "Rock Trails Snowdonia" (9781906095048).

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"Rough Water Handling" by Doug Cooper is a practical guide that will help you to master the skills needed to manoeuvre a sea kayak efficiently in rough water and advanced conditions. For intermediate and advanced paddlers, Doug draws on his personal and coaching experience to help the reader master sea kayak handling skills and techniques. Accurate sequential photos and simple concise language make the descriptions easy to follow and understand. The technical, tactical, physiological and psychological aspects of these skills are covered in the areas of: high wind paddling, moving water, surf, rock hopping, tide races, open crossings and rolling. "Rough Water Handling" is recommended as support material for the British Canoe Union 4 and 5 Star (Sea) awards. (The 1 star is a novice 'encouragement' award, the 2 star covers basic generic kayak skills, the 3 star basic/intermediate sea specific skills and experience, and the 4 star covers intermediate sea specific skills and leadership in moderate conditions). Doug has spent a lifetime playing and working in the outdoors! He is at his happiest when exploring new parts of the world or challenging himself and others to improve their skills; this he has been doing for over twenty years. With a constant lust for adventure, Doug has sea kayaked all over the world including Greenland, Iceland, Norway's Lofoten Islands, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Corsica, Sardinia and Croatia. His whitewater kayaking and mountaineering has also taken him on adventures around the globe. At present Doug works as Head of Paddlesport at Glenmore Lodge, Scotland's National Outdoor Centre. Here his love of helping others learn and improve is put to good use every day, when he works as a BCU Level 5 Sea and Whitewater Coach, Level 4 Surf Coach and a Mountain and Ski Instructor. Doug is the author of "Sea Kayak Handling" and co-authored "Scottish Sea Kayaking" (Pesda Press), a selective guide to sea kayaking in Scotland.

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The South West Coast Path passes through five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, two World Heritage Sites and one National Park. This up-to-date guidebook will help walkers, backpackers and trail runners get the most from exploring this breath-takingly beautiful National Trail

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This guidebook has been created for both experienced canyoneers and for those who have just started to delve into this adventurous sport. Here you will find information about some of the best canyons and gorges Scotland has to offer. There are 47 Scottish routes to explore, ranging from beautiful entry-level gorge-walks to committing and challenging canyon descents. Canyoning is an adventurous sport that follows the path of a stream down the mountain side - usually in steep-sided gorges, through cold plunge pools and over tumbling waterfalls. This extreme sport requires a combined range of skills to overcome the obstacles along the river path; from abseiling to jumping, scrambling, climbing, sliding, and swimming. When you put all of this together, it enables you to explore a harsh yet outstanding environment where few have ever been before.

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Welsh Canoe Classics is an illustrated guide to some of the finest tours of Wales' waterways. Scenic lakes, broad estuaries and whitewater rivers, as they can only be seen from canoe or kayak. Eddie, Adam and Wilf have chosen the best inland touring routes which are described in great detail and illustrated with numerous colour photos and maps. The selected routes are suitable for open canoes, sit-on-tops and touring kayaks, and include seven whitewater trips. Many of them can be tackled as a single voyage, others as a series of day trips with campsites en route. The journeys are all accessible but highly varied, travelling along lakes, estuaries, rivers and canals. This is a wonderful book for planning voyages and inspiring dreams or sharing your experiences with others.

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This is an illustrated guide to some of the finest tours of southern England's waterways, from the Grand Union Canal in the South Midlands to the River Tamar in the South West. Scenic lakes, placid canals and broad rivers, as they can only be seen from a canoe or kayak. Eddie and 'Wilf' have chosen the best inland touring routes. They are described in great detail and illustrated with numerous colour photos and maps. The selected routes are suitable for open canoes, sit-on-tops and touring kayaks. Many of them can be tackled as a single voyage or a series of day trips, with campsites en route. The journeys are all accessible but highly varied, taking place on lakes, sheltered coastline, rivers and canals. It is a wonderful book for planning voyages and inspiring dreams, or sharing your experiences with others.

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From the Mersey to the Solway and the Isle of Man in the West and the Humber to Berwick in the east, 'up north' is described to us in the author's own inimitable style. Industrial areas and the wilder landscapes are described with the same care and attention to detail. The result is a wealth of varied sea kayaking voyages to suit all tastes and abilities, from easy sheltered paddles to testing offshore passages and everything in between. In addition to the usual important information needed to plan a trip, recommended cafes, pubs and chip shops are strategically located to provide sustenance at the end of your trip. Detailed tidal information also allows the book to serve as a valuable inshore pilot for water users such as anglers, windsurfers and sailors. Jim started paddling in any old kayak he could muster during the school holidays. He has since paddled (and swum) many of the exciting white water rivers of England, Scotland and Wales, as well as many of those in the French Alps. A passion for sea kayaking combined with an interest in writing and photography, brought about the first comprehensive guidebook to the Welsh coast, for sea kayakers. His first publication ("Welsh Sea Kayaking" co-authored by Andy Biggs) is a great success and has already gone to a reprint.

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This is a complete introduction to Alpine mountaineering. If you are planning your first trip to the Alps or anxious to improve on your performance on previous trips, you need this book. Even seasoned Alpinists will benefit from Bruce's clarity and depth of experience. Everything you need to know is here and none of the issues are ducked, from dealing with hut guardians to moving roped together. The first part of the book deals with the knowledge and techniques you will need. The second part consists of a choice of good routes to help you gain experience. In this guidebook-style section the route length is included together with the area, where to stay, access, map and kit requirements and the full route descriptions. The chapters are: Going Alpine; About the Alps; Objective Dangers; Weather; Kit; Technical Equipment; Alpine Movement; Protecting Yourself; Glacier Travel; Speed vs Security; Navigation; Rescue; Via Ferrata; Planning an Alpine Trip; Am I Ready?; and, Guidebook.

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The story of the Snowdonia National Park and the Society, dedicated to conserving and enhancing its unique landscape, is one which will fascinate and inform those who live and work within it as well as being of interest to visitors, be they picnickers or sightseers or committed hill walkers, climbers, canoeists and mountain bikers. This book commemorates the fortieth anniversary of the Snowdonia Society and is a record of its sometimes turbulent history and the ever-changing but still inspiring landscape of the National Park. Created in 1951, the Snowdonia National Park is a landscape of rugged grandeur, great natural diversity and cultural associations going back thousands of years. The vision of its founders was that this very special region should be protected from harmful development for all time. From the beginning, however, there were problems? Out of these difficulties grew the idea of an independent society dedicated to conserving and enhancing the landscape. Today the Snowdonia Society has a membership of over 2,500 and has a close working relationship with both the Snowdonia National Park Authority and the Council for National Parks. This lively narrative chronicles the story of the Snowdonia Society ? its successes and failures, its internal conflict and the personalities involved ? as well as discussing the wider issues which have affected this unique landscape over the last forty years. This lavishly illustrated book will appeal to anyone who loves the rugged landscape of Snowdonia, published in dual language text of English and Welsh.

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Being a Mountain Leader is so much more than map reading and ropework. This book is aimed at Mountain Leaders and is designed to help them be a better leader once they have the qualification. There is advice herein for trainees and trainers, for the assessed and the assessor. This book moves away from the technical skills attained during training and assessment and focuses on actually being a Mountain Leader. What it does so well is demonstrate what is required to be a good and effective leader after gaining the qualification. Much of the content is also valid for the Walking Group Leader and Lowland Leader holders.

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A selected guide to the finest coastal paddling trips around Scotland. This completely revised and updated 2nd edition is packed with great photography and detailed route maps, alongside descriptions and anecdotes revealing Scotland's rich tapestry of maritime scenery, wildlife, history, geology and culture. Although primarily written for kayakers, the detailed tidal information contained within the book would also serve as a valuable inshore pilot for other water users such as anglers, windsurfers, sailors and SUP enthusiasts. New in this edition: * 12 additional routes (62 in total) * Selected routes in the Orkneys and Shetlands * New photos throughout * Improved maps * Sat nav coordinates for access points

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A complete guide to Scotland's first formal canoe trail. Revised and updated in this 2nd edition. This guide is an essential resource to help you plan your journey through the Great Glen across Scotland. As well as the calm waters of the Caledonian Canal there are the challenging open waters of Loch Lochy and Loch Ness. Here you will find advice on how to deal with the conditions as well as food, equipment, safety, communication and rescue. The best craft for the adventure are open canoes, sea kayaks or touring kayaks. There is advice on choosing the right craft, loading it, and the best ways of carrying it over portages. The coast to coast route can normally be completed in three to five days. We have split the route into a five- day expedition and each day is described in detail, including camping and other forms of accommodation. There are also numerous single day options and, for the more advanced paddlers, suggested routes that link stretches of river with lochs and canal sections.

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This is the revised and expanded 2nd edition of the first complete field guide for the mountains of Snowdonia through the seasons, its plants, animals and rocks. Everything you're likely to see in the hills at that time of year is here in one volume. The guide follow the seasons of Snowdonia; winter is the perfect time for studying rocks and lichen; in spring the bog flowers flourish and beautiful orchids bloom; summer brings fruits and flowers, and the treas are in full leaf; in autumn an amazing display of funghi appear, the hill farms are busy again in preparation for winter and as the nights draw in it is time again to sit beside the fire and tell tales of local myth and legend. A little knowledge of thyme, tormentil and thrift will enhance your day in the hills. Fossil trilobytes and roche moutonnee (rock sheep), bogbean beer and caterpillar fungus, are just some of the fascinating things you will discover.

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This book explains to the hillwalker, in easy to understand but accurate terms, how geology has shaped the landscape of Snowdonia. A selection of seventeen guided walks is used to illustrate this in terms of what can be seen on the ground. This book, divided into two parts, is intended to help those who love Snowdonia's mountain scenery to understand how this haunting landscape came about. The first half narrates the story of colliding continents, volcanoes, mountain-building and glaciations in creating Snowdonia, explaining why volcanoes occurred, the rocks they created and how to interpret signs of mountain-building and glaciations on the ground. The second half describes several recommended walks, of differing levels of difficulty, but all with a wide variety of geological features to be seen and, most important, enjoying consistently fantastic views of the very best of Snowdonia's wonderful scenery. The author has concentrated on what you can see as you walk around the hills, pointing to conspicuous, easily seen features in rocks and the overall shape of the terrain in accounting for the present day landscape. New in this 2nd Edition - coverage of Southern Snowdonia; new improved maps; and, five new walks. Also in this series by Paul Gannon - Rock Trails Lakeland; Rock Trails Peak District; and, Rock Trails Scottish Highlands.

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A book for every climber (from beginner to expert) keen to improve their climbing; the things you really need to know without the clutter of an exhaustive ropework manual (and with a lot more helpful advice on climbing moves). The book includes a progressive series of exercises from simple to more complex movements to practice at your local climbing wall, crag, boulders or at home to improve all aspects of your climbing. Most of the exercises are intended for bottom roping or bouldering so you can drill the moves until they become second nature. The aim is to help you climb safer, with more confidence and less effort than before. There's advice on learning (how to make the most of your time spent practicing) and safety (what every climber needs to know). Basic footwork, handholds and body position: the foundations of all the more complex moves like corkscrew rock-overs and the secrets of arete climbing. Resting: how to take time-out in some improbable places. Advanced techniques including exotic (but really handy) foot-locks and dyno's as well as redpointing tips. Lead climbing: reading routes, placing runners and sound tactics for success. Mind games: how to improve your confidence and conquer your fear of falling. And finally training: identifying your weaknesses and making yourself strong and fit to challenge your dream goal climb. The section on training young people will be of interest to any parent or coach. It contains progressive exercises and drills to help you get practicing straight away and to help these skills become second nature. It includes tips and techniques from the most basic steps to exotic (but very useful) foot-locks and 'chicken wing' jams. It will appeal to a wide range of climbers.

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Challenge and train your hands, feet, body and brain with over 120 climbing games. This book is for anyone wanting to have fun climbing while developing crucial skills. The games described can be used in a wide range of activities from working on specific skills to fun warm-ups. As an aid to a climbing session or as the sole activity, climbing movements can be broken down and practised in a safe but challenging environment.The book takes an introductory look at which specific aspects of climbing and methods of coaching are important - together with some aspects of sports science, this give the text a dual purpose as a coaching manual and as an encyclopaedia of games.Many of these games are particularly suited to those that are new to climbing and wish to improve their skills. If you're new to climbing, you'll find games which introduce some essential skills (such as 'crimping' a hold). Equally, old hands may welcome new games as an aid to helping friends progress or as an addition to a weekly climbing session.As a qualified instructor or an informal coach teaching friends or a parent teaching their children, this book provides an invaluable tool for hours of practical training or even just entertainment for rainy afternoons! The easy to use format allows those coaching or even the client themselves to select their own games based on current needs and desires. The overview of skills employed in each game will help you turn play into progress.

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After the phenomenal success of 'Top Tips for coaches', we decided that there was a need for this book. The top tips come from Franco and Loel's combined experiences of white water, sea kayak and open canoe. The experience is gained at home in the UK and abroad in places, such as The European Alps, Scandinavia, Canada, the USA, Peru, New Guinea, Pakistan and East Africa.

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A book of ideas collected by the coaches at Plas y Brenin. Over 300 top tips to help canoe and kayak coaches fill their own 'coach's toolbox'.

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