Baginbun Bay - Sea Cave Kayaking

The beautiful beach of Baginbun lies close to the town of Fethard on Sea in Wexford, Ireland.

Rosa had booked us both a kayaking trip some months earlier, which in Ireland can be risky due to the unpredictable weather.  However on this day the weather was beautiful and the heat of the sun was present early in the morning. The tour we booked was with a company called - The Irish Experience (https://theirishexperience.com) .

In Fethard on Sea we checked in and got fitted for wet-suits. We then drove down to the beach ourselves where a crowd was already starting to appear to enjoy the beautiful weather the country was experiencing. 

After being fitted with buoyancy aids and helmets we got a brief guide to Kayaking. How to hold the paddle, where to put your feet and how to get in and out. Next, we were in the water learning how to turn sharp and reverse. The group of six picked up the skills quite quick and not long after our tour began as we paddled away from shore. 

The first point of interest was a cave which was man made and bore through the peninsula to the other side. It was above the tidal line so the sea never entered this cave. Outside the cave the tour guide told us it was made in relation to tin mining decades earlier and close enough to the centre there was a pool of fresh water that rose up from a spring. According to the guide, Baginbun was a popular stop for people attempting to Kayak around Ireland as they could camp on the beach and replenish their water supplies as needed. 

As we kayaked further out from shore we saw another cave, this was a natural cave called Seal Cave where seal pups would swim across from the nearby Salty Islands and go in for refuge after their exhaustive maiden journey. On this occasion we did not see any seals and paddled on to the next point of interest. 

A tiny island exists off the head of Baginbun where it is said the ship on which Cromwell came to Ireland crashed and sank. Cromwell made it onto the island which is separated from the main land by roughly 4 meters or so by my estimate. Waiting for the tide to rise to reduce his fall Cromwell eventually took a run and jump for the main land. As the legend goes Cromwell only barely made it across hanging on to the main land by his fingertips before being eventually pulled ashore by some of his crew. Safe and sound upon dry land Oliver Cromwell then went on to inflict terror upon Ireland. This story was told as we parked our Kayaks against a rock in the channel between the island and the mainland. 

Continuing with our tour we stopped at a cliff beloved by the locals in the past as a spot for jumping into the water. Unfortunately, the land above was now privately owned and access had become restricted. 

As we paddled out in open sea we could see a building upon the main land on top of the cliff. It was explained to us that this was a look out station the British built and fitted with canons. The station came about due to the fear that Napoleon would invade Britain and use Ireland as a base to launch an attack. 

Eventually we made it to the outside of a sea cave in which we would paddle into. The guide paddled in to make sure everything was in good shape before we paddled into the first chamber of the cave and then each of us would paddle individually into the second chamber. The light inside was beautiful as it appeared like luminesces off the wall of the cave. We spent a long time in the cave as the ocean currents motioned us up and down with the waves breaking outside then flooding into each chamber of the cave.  Upon leaving the cave we made our way around another headland and made shore on Carnivan Bay. The guide told us stories from the Norman times about the area and then identified tiny sea creatures for those of us who were interested. While on the bay we drank some cola, and ate some chocolate. When all was said we got back into our kayaks and paddled steadily back to Baginbun Bay the way we came identifying the features we had just seen from a different perspective. 

Upon reaching the bay and coming ashore our tour was complete. We had not yet experienced enough of the beach and decided to go for a swim. Ending a beautiful morning in Baginbun.