Paddle: A Long Way Around Ireland

by Jasper Winn

Part memoir, part Irish travels, part lunatic endeavour, Jasper Winn's account of paddling round Ireland in a kayak, during one the worst summers in recent history, is both hugely inspiring and entertaining. A journey of the mind - as well as out at sea, amid the basking sharks, seals, fulmars and waves the size of wardrobes. And while storms rage, Jasper seeks refuge in bars, playing guitar and talking, as only the Irish can, with everyone along the way. All of which makes for a unique inside view of the new and old Ireland, from a man never quite sure if he'll come through the next day in one piece.

Genres: Travel, Ireland, Adventure, Nonfiction, Irish Literature

256 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2011

Reviews

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun romp around Ireland. Friends in Cork gave me this book after I did a bike trip around Cork and Kerry, telling me I’d enjoy recognizing a lot of the places I saw by land, by water in the book. They were right! Jasper’s journey was sometimes haphazard and reckless, but nonetheless it was fun to experience his watery rollercoaster ride.

I see that Winn has another book. This one felt like a 3.5 due to the writing styles at times, but this could also have simply been a result of reading the second half of this while sick with a virus. Regardless, I’d like to read his second book to see how the writing compares, and follow another rollicking journey on the water.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winn conveys the exhilaration, excitement, and often terror involved in paddling a kayak in open ocean around Ireland. For a "paddling" tale, it moves along well, and the sympathetic author entertains his readers with both the major (life-threatening storms) and the minor (pitching a tent) types of events involved in his quest.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written, whimsical travel book, about a journey around Ireland in a kayak

[Sebastian Bremicker · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining read which took me too long to finish for personal reasons.
Anyway I love the dive into someone's biography which is presented in a very sympathetic fashion. The elements of Irish culture and history described are especially interesting to a non-Irish person like me and the journey itself is told very vivid.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know why I didn't really get into this book. It's about Ireland, the ocean, meeting people and serendipitous events, written by a traveller. Why didn't I get into it? I only got to chapter five and renewed it twice from the library, so figured it was probably time to return it...

[Katie Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this after reading Jasper Winn's second book. I am not sure I enjoyed it as much as that, possibly because I could see myself kayaking the canals but could never see myself doing this! A truly remarkable if slightly crazy achievement, I wish I had half as much adventurous spirit.

[Chris Myatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

interesting and amusing and very well written. Now to read the other book about the English canals.

[Kevin O · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enchanting warm and a pleasure to read

[Barbara Wiegand · Rating 3 out of 5]

Armchair Adventuring

I enjoyed his poetic description of the trip. I would have liked some more charts and maps. A good read.

[Eleanor Costello · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not finished this yet so can’t actually give a proper review but just leaving a note to share how much I enjoyed this description of Shirkin Island: ‘over the years I’ve spent winter weeks and summer days on the island, writing by day, playing music by night in the Jolly Roger, enjoying the no-hurries, no-worries, moon-pulled, tide-tabled time-table of the island’

[T. Justin White]

I haven't finished it yet, Goodreads. Git good.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The guy at the time of writing wasn't an experienced paddler, the stories are good and his descriptons of his obstacles are entertaining.

[Mark Glover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recovering from a leg operation and bed bound for 4 weeks(so far) this was the perfect armchair adventure to dive headlong into and a good book for anyone wanting a congenial and light hearted adventure to absorb themselves in for a couple of days. As an avid travel/adventure reader, I found the books style a little hard to adjust to given that Winn doesn't take the traditional approach which generally sells the concept extensively by taking the reader through the planning and preparation phase. Rather he jumps in with a false start telling us of his original failed attempt and his subesquent decision to undertake this very different journey alone.Similarly his writing style is far more lyrical than you would expect from a travel writer and this journey whilst being a journey on the ocean is equally a journey about the land he is passing and sheltering on. Here Winn seperates himself from the traditional travel narrative giving us an insight not into the Ireland he travels around but also the Ireland of his past. Indeed if there is a strength to this book it is Winn's own connection to the places he stops and the reconnection he makes with each becoming very much a tour of his own life and his reconnection to the past.
For anyone who is used to the bog standard adventure/travel book his style might prove a bit off putting at first but it is worth sticking with as it offers a unique insight into a country and a way of life that will perhaps dissapear as all of these small towns and coastal ports become subsumed by global connection and the increased homogenisation of culture. With a lot of travel books the point of connection is that the reader by sharing in the adventurer's questing into foreign lands and cultures learns as the adventurer does to appreciate the wider world but also their own world, what Winn offers is the reverse view of a well travelled adventurer returning to a land which he left and reconnecting with time and place and for that alone it is a worthwhile read.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This mirrored a lot the cycling trip I took to Switzerland, admittedly on completely different scales but it's the whole throwing yourself into the unknown, coping with all the natural world has to throw at you and getting to known yourself and your limitations better. The book was really readable, and I enjoyed the balance of travel, thoughts, history and silly stuff, at times it was a little light but the natural style allowed you to fill in the gaps and understand a bit more the author and his journey. So from an absolute novice canoeist I take my hat off to the achievements in this book and thoroughly recommend it to anyone with a taste for adventure, Ireland and seeking out that indefinable something in life through pushing yourself to your absolute limits. Ok, back to the Line of Beauty...

[Eoin Hurley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being from Ireland myself I found the book even more enjoyable as I related to references to places as I've had quite a few memories on the coast of Ireland myself. I recently picked up Paddle in the old bookstore in Kinsale which was one of the places I believe Jasper himself paddled past by which I mean the Old Head Of Kinsale. I enjoyed your references to you past life experiences ad I found your references to people would make me chuckle from time to time. Especially you mention you played music with Jimmy Crowley before and it was a total coincidence that he had visited our music class the week before. Anyway, great book , written with it's Irish colloquialisms made me enjoy the book even more and helped to immerse myself into the book. Well Done on a fantastic book Jasper.

[Ciaran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, but quite moany at times. As a kayaker he took risks (or said he did) that were quite frankly stupid, but without the "danger" it would have been a bit duller. Worth a read if you enjoy coastal water sports or coastal nature, and all things Irish.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book documents the author's voyage around Ireland in a kayak. Although not as highly amusing as A J Mackinnon's The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow, Jasper Winn's adventures kept me entertained and made me want to just climb into my kayak and paddle away.

[Garth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, and have decided it is a kayaking equivalent of "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance". The kayak trip is an interesting backbone on which Winn hangs detours into local history, culture and wildlife. Made me itch to something similar.......

[Adrian Durrant · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books written about paddling around Ireland, Jasper has run talks for me in the past which holds the audiences attention throughout, a super personality which comes across throughout his book. Jaspers story begins everytime he hits land! A fantastic read!

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just excellent.

[Marcdavison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good enjoyable read

[Stan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grand , lovely , wonderful good writing

[Rachel Cotterill · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy, diverting read - but I didn't feel like I got a very good idea of what paddling around Ireland would be like, which was a little disappointing.

[Susan Gaska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite delightful