Jurassic 24

Inspired by Derry's 23.5 hour charity Jurassic Coast run last year, I am planning to kayak the Jurassic Coast (JC) in under 24 hours.

This will be completely different from last year's Top Down Kayak Challenge. I won't be camping for a start and it’ll be done over a weekend rather than two months.

The JC is 95 miles long although kayaking it is a little less at roughly 80 miles. I am going to attempt to paddle my wooden kayak 'Just Add Water' the entire 80 miles in less than 24 hours.

As I kayak along, I will travel through time!

Well, sort of - this unique coastline covers 185 million years of history. From the 250 million year old red cliffs of the Triassic Period, the fossil-rich Jurassic, through to the white chalk of the Cretaceous Period from 65 million years ago, I shall be passing areas of such unique diversity, it's the only place on Earth where one can see all three periods from the Mesozoic Era - hence its World Heritage Site status.

Starting at Old Harry near Studland, I will be heading west to Exmouth. The first section to Chesil Beach will mean encountering the tide races of Old Harry, Peverill Point, Durlston Head, St. Aldheims Head, and Portland Bill. My timing will have to be pretty spot on so the tide flows assist me. Get it wrong and I could actually be in some trouble!

With the right tide, I shall zoom past Swanage, Chapman's Pool, Kimmeridge and Lulworth before crossing Weymouth Bay to Portland, hopefully before I run out of tidal assistance. Thanks to the way the tides work, I will then have to wait on Portland for a few hours before the tide comes back to my favour and helps me whizz around the Bill and along Chesil - this 4 hour stop will at least give me a chance to eat and rest before continuing with the remaining 50 miles or so.

As I kayak along the 18 mile stretch of Chesil Beach, day will turn into night and I will be relying on the light from the moon - unless it is cloudy! Cruising past West Bay, Eype and Seatown, the next rest stop will be Charmouth, hopefully in the early hours of the morning and I will have covered at least 55 miles by then. I'll take a short break to stretch my legs, have a bite to eat and then crack on with the remaining 25 miles.

The tide flows are fairly minimal along this stretch and I imagine I'll be pretty tired and struggling by the time I pass Seaton, Beer and Branscombe although I expect I'll be welcoming the dawn light by then. Sidmouth will be a welcome sight, the Ladram Sea Stacks should look fabulous in the morning sun and I'll push past Budleigh Salterton, the last town before the finish.

With any luck, a bit of determination and sheer will, I will hopefully reach Orcombe Point near Exmouth, breathe a sigh of relief, pull up on the beach and probably collapse.

It'll be worth it though because you lovely lot will have donated all your spare money to Clean Jurassic Coast CIC and the Jurassic Coast Trust.

Although the idea is to paddle unsupported, I am not averse to some company on the water with me - but it will be at your risk and at my speed! As usual, you’ll be able to follow me online with my live tracker at www.kayakingforcharity.co.uk and follow my social media - just look for Roy's Outdoor Life on Facebook and Instagram.

About Clean Jurassic Coast CIC (CJC). CJC is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company. Founded by me and run by volunteers, the team spend a lot of their spare time cleaning the beaches and coast paths of the Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The money raised from this challenge will help to fund their work.

Please can you help? There is a list below explaining how your donation will help.

For more information about CJC please go to https://cleanjurassiccoast.uk/

and for more information about the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, please visit https://jurassiccoast.org/

How your donation helps.

It won't be a surprise to learn that running Clean Jurassic Coast CIC comes with costs. From basic necessities like PPE and insurance, to maintenance costs on the boat and van - it all adds up. Nobody gets paid for what they do, but equipment does wear. Even organised beach cleans cost! The van is used as a mobile office/welfare unit and is equipped with many things, including a cooker, perfect for hot food and drink after a miserable cold day beach cleaning!

Here are a few examples of CJC costs;

PPE – gloves, sanitiser and hand wash. £22 ish

Bags (reusuable £20 for 50, recycled £17 for 200) and litter pickers £12 each (we try to repair them if they fail)

Insurance, storage, website costs. £120 per month

Running the boat for one day, including wear and tear. £50-70

Travel/fuel/vehicle expenses. £120 per month

Tools/kit (rope cutting etc) £various

Organic plastic-free teabags £3.60