Region

Europe

Britain and Ireland circumnavigations. The North Sea. Iceland. Norway. Faroes.

The British Isles is the spiritual home of modern sea kayak expeditions. In 1980 Paul Caffyn and Nigel Dennis completed the first kayak circumnavigation of Britain, 2,305 miles in 85 days. That expedition launched a generation. The 1986 Bill Taylor team did the first UK + Ireland circumnavigation. Sean Morley's 2004 solo UK & Ireland - the trip this website was originally built to document - extended the tradition. Iceland circumnavigations by Foster/Hunter (1977), Rotem Ron (2006 solo) and Stamer/Hoffmeister (2007) belong here. So does Hutchinson's pioneering 1976 North Sea crossing.

Notable expeditions in Europe

First Britain circumnavigation - Caffyn & Dennis 1980
First Iceland circumnavigation - Foster & Hunter 1977
First UK + Ireland circumnavigation - Taylor team 1986
First solo Britain - Chris Duff 1986
Sean Morley UK & Ireland solo 2004
Scotland to Faroes - Winterton & Berwick 2009
Around the Sharp End SW England - 1997

Catalogued expeditions

Rob Roy - Thames, English Channel, European rivers

John MacGregor

Multi-river networkMulti-year

Great Britain - first documented attempt

Geoffrey Hunter

Aborted via Crinan & Caledonian CanalsPartial

North Sea - first attempt (failed), second (successful)

Derek Hutchinson & John Ramwell (1975); Hutchinson team (1976)

Felixstowe to Ostend31 hours (successful 1976)

Norway - Bodo to Nordkapp, 480 miles

British team

480 milesMulti-week

Iceland - first circumnavigation

Nigel Foster & Geoff Hunter

Iceland coastlineMulti-week

NW Norway - first Moskenstraumen (Maelstrom) crossing

Jim Breen (leader), Gus Mathieson, Bill Turnbull, Peter Wilson

NW NorwayMulti-week

Great Britain - first kayak circumnavigation

Paul Caffyn & Nigel Dennis

2,305 miles85 days

UK & Ireland - first mainland circumnavigation

Bill Taylor, Mick Wibrew & Richard Elliott

2,612 miles155 days

Great Britain - first solo circumnavigation

Chris Duff

Britain coastMulti-month

Great Britain in double kayak - one partially sighted

Steve Macdonald & Peter Bray

Britain coastlineMulti-month

Around the Sharp End - SW England 413 miles in 9 days

South West Peninsular Sea Kayak Challenge paddler

413 miles9 days (84 hours paddling)

UK & Ireland - first solo circumnavigation

Sean Morley

4,500 miles6 months

Iceland - first solo circumnavigation

Rotem Ron

Iceland coast53 days

Iceland - fastest circumnavigation

Greg Stamer & Freya Hoffmeister

1,007 miles33 days total (25 paddling)

Madagascar - first circumnavigation

Riaan Manser

5,000 km12 months

Scotland to Faroes - Butt of Lewis to Faroes

Patrick Winterton & Mick Berwick

240 miles95 hours

Ireland - 25-day circumnavigation in a Taran

Jeff Allen & Harry Whelan

Ireland coastline25 days

Great Britain - 72-day record (and Leach's 67-day reply)

John Willacy / Joe Leach

Britain coastline72 days / 67 days

Solo Mozambique coast - 2,500 km

(member submission, 2019)

2,500 km~80 days est.

Kayak for Charity - Malta

Albert Gambina

Know of an expedition in Europe we should include? Submit it here - we review and add manually.