40
Sea Kayak Devon O
INTERVIEW BY GINNY FARRELL
utdoor activity instructor, Ben Brierley, chose to launch his sea kayaking business in Dartmouth after being “blown away” by the
quality of the surrounding coastline. Fourteen years ago, Ben and a couple of pals spent the summer scouting around the country seeking a suitable location for his new venture. The friends visited Dartmouth and enjoyed two days
of the “most amazing sea kayaking” and a “great night out in the town.” Ben said: “I knew then this was the spot.” Prior to the move, he had spent 10 years running a
survival training centre on a remote uninhabited island in the north west of Scotland, teaching people how to live off the land as well as kayaking, mountaineering and expedition skills. A top ski instructor, Ben also ran, and continues to
run, a ski school – Momentum Snowsports - in the popular French resort of Courchevel during the winter months. He explained: “I wanted to set up my own business in the summer and decided sea kayaking was the one to go for. I printed out a huge map of the UK and Ireland and highlighted all the coastlines that were sheltered from the prevailing Southwest wind. Then using Google Maps I highlighted all the coastlines suitable for sea kayaking and paddleboarding. The best environments are cliffy, rocky coastlines rather than flat featureless ones. “I put little dots as to where all the other sea kayak and paddleboard schools were and then, with a couple of friends, spent the whole summer driving around the UK and Ireland exploring. We came to Dartmouth, somewhere I’d never been before, and had two days of the most amazing sea kayaking, which blew me away. We also had a really great night out in the town and I thought, that’s it, this is the spot.” Ben ordered some sea kayaks and the following summer set up his business, Sea Kayak Devon, at the dinghy park in Coronation Park. “We had about two months without any bookings and then we got our first around about the start of the summer holidays, and it just took off from there,” he enthused. “It’s been fantastic, people really enjoy it and we get some really amazing feedback.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100
