THE UPSIDE OF DOWNING
Canyoning? Coasteering? For Ollie Bayliss of Vertical Descents these are exciting variations on a traditional climbing theme
’It’s different from climbing: you’re going up and down in the swell among sharp rocks’
T hrowing yourself over waterfalls might not be everyone’s idea of a dream career move, but from the moment I first tried canyoning I’ve been hooked. In some ways it’s the opposite of walking or rock climbing. The point is to start at the top of a mountain ravine and work your way down. It’s all about the descent.
I first got involved in the adventure sports industry during a scientific expedition to South America after leaving school. I was working as a porter and got inspired by the guides that were helping scientists on the trip. They really opened my eyes to the world of adventure sports.
When I got back to Britain I began a career in outdoor education as a guide for the Outward Bound Trust in Fort William. Then in 2011 I was given the opportunity to become a director of Vertical Descents covering the East of Scotland. I knew then that I’d found my niche – Vertical Descents was the adventure company that first brought canyoning to this country in 1998.
Since then we’ve started offering loads of other adventure sports, including gorge walking which, unlike canyoning, can also involve a walk up a river as opposed to just a descent.It has been described as canyoning’s calmer younger brother and that’s probably about right. Anyone can do it, as long as they have a reasonable level of fitness and don’t mind getting wet.
Last year, we also began coasteering in Elie on the East Neuk of Fife for the first time. The best way to describe that unique activity is as a traverse of the coastline, in and out of the water, with jumps. Imagine an adrenaline-packed, sea-soaked adventure for people who love walking, climbing, nature, the coast, and getting wet.
Fife is an exceptional location for us and the scenery is out of this world. The water is turquoise and, believe it or not, very clear at the part of the coastline we tend to work at. The rock formations are pretty stunning because it’s
asphalt. It’s a bit like the surface of the moon in parts.
The other day I had a group of school kids out learning about coasteering when about 40 bottlenose dolphins swam past, no more than 50 feet from us. The children were as blown away as I was. At a moment like that, there’s nowhere else in the world you’d rather be.
Our normal coasteering route takes us from the beach to the west of Elie around the headland to Shell Bay. We meet clients near to the campsite where we have a chat about what the plan is, before giving them the equipment – wetsuits, wetsuit socks, buoyancy aids – and getting changed to walk down to the beach.
With getting in and out of the water, it’s not like climbing out from a swimming pool. It’s a bit different when you have the swell and you’re going up and down among sharp rocks. Our job is to make the client as happy and confident as possible in that environment. Apart from anything else, it makes our job easier if they are feeling comfortable.
The route is about one kilometre long, so it’s quite a journey when you consider that much of it is in the water. Rain can be a problem when you are canyoning or gorge-walking, but it doesn’t bother us when we are coasteering.
‘With the right conditions you can jump in the sea, swim along, scramble over the rocks and explore some sea caves’
It’s more about knowing and understanding the direction waves are coming from. There are only certain tides that will work.
With the right conditions you can jump in the sea, swim along, scramble over the rocks, and explore some of the sea caves.
I’ve travelled widely throughout Scotland, and I think Fife gets overlooked sometimes and that’s a real shame. Obviously we’re trying to change that. I think people sometimes think, ‘Why would I go there if it wasn’t for the golf?’ But places like Elie and Anstruther are getting noticed more. It’s a beautiful bit of coastline with so much going for it in terms of the outdoor environment.
A great way to explore the region is by walking t he Fife Coastal path. It takes in everything from St Andrews to the former coal mining towns of central Fife and the small fishing villages of the East Neuk. For anybody who loves the coast as much as I do, it is a brilliant route to take.
Largo Law is a lovely spot too. There are views from the top across most of Fife and on a clear day, you can see across the Firth of Forth to North Berwick Law and the Bass Rock. If I’m not in the water then I like to be close by.