The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation has identified 878 sites in the world that are considered to be of outstanding value to the us. I'm very lucky to be able to paddle in one of those 878 sites, located in the city of Liverpool, UK.
The docks of Liverpool were recently restored to their former glory, with the prominent Albert Dock becoming one of the country's biggest tourist destinations. Built in 1846 for trading, the Albert Dock was responsible for nearly half of the world's maritime trade. The docks offer interesting acoustics, so I can hear usually hear people I can't see- possibly a good safety feature. Other potential safety features include chains I've seen under the bridges, which I've heard helped the drunk sailors back in the day. So if there's a kayaker in distress, they can possibly just drag themselves to safety (just kidding).
The docks in Liverpool also offer a sheltered environment, often required to protect from the harsh north westerly wind, perfect for the novice paddler who needs to build confidence and for the seasoned paddler who just needs to get out there for a paddle.
Swapping the muddy waters of the Tidal Thames for the brackish water in the Liverpool docks has been an interesting experiment. The wildlife is slightly different; fewer Herons and more Cormorants drying their wings as I paddle past them. There are fewer miles to cover, which means that on some nights we do multiple laps around the docks.
Its not always fun and games though. My first day paddling in the docks was a very windy one and my abs hurt for days. When the Irish sea breeze is strong, going into the Albert Dock can be challenging. The Albert Dock opens up to the River Mersey and has a few open spaces that form wind tunnels. I'm yet to see strong winds combined with big waves while kayaking which is why I manage to take (a few) nice photos when I'm out.
The thing about paddling in this flat water, which I'm still not used to, is lack of tidal assistance. When I'm knackered after one hour of non stop fast paddling, which is often, I do miss the tides. Magically though, my muscles wake up after the first lap around the docks and all my tiredness disappears. The water sometimes becomes very flat and mirror like after 8pm. Its the magic of sheltered water.
To shake things up a bit, I tried paddle boarding last month and enjoyed using a different set of muscles. I'm not used to being five feet something above the water, so my legs felt a bit like jelly as I tried to balance myself on a fairly narrow paddle board on a windy day. I was nervous to stand up, managing only a few times for a few minutes each time. The subsequent attempts have proved slightly more successful, with no problems standing up and paddling. It reminds me of being in a canadian canoe, because I can't keep up with the kayakers, but its quite an enjoyable way to travel (and I think my legs are getting stronger).