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Published: March 10th 2006
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The Railay Peninsula
This was the view from a lookout that we walked to We'd both been looking forward to Railay beach as we've met so many people who have been there and all said how good it was. I was especially keen as I wanted to have a go at some of the many climbing routes which can be found there.
On arrival we had to decide on which beach to stay, all of them having their pros and cons. The eastern side has some great restuarants and some cheap accomodation, but the beach is not suitable for swimming as the mangroves come all the way up to the beach. The western side is better for swimming but the accomodation is a lot more up market. There is another beach on the western side called Tonsai which is where all the main climbing is found. Its a bit more isolated and really is only reached by longtail. It is possible to walk over the hill but I wouldn't recommend it at night, or with a rucksack. But the beach itself has a great atmosphere with a number of good places to get a feed and a beer. In the end we stayed on eastern side of the peninsula where we found a great
set of bungalows set back on the hillside. That evening we checked out some of the climbing courses on offer ready for the next day.
So next morning we arrived for our half day climbing course. I climb at home, although that was 18 months ago and Amy has climbed a couple of times. Well we were seriously out of shape! We climbed on 2 different rocks that day, one was on the beach and the other a bit further inland. The first couple of routes down on the beach were pretty exhausting, both physically and also mentally due to the numbers of other climbers on the rock. Unfortunately this was where you find the easier routes so they are also the busiest. On the plus side this part of the beach is shaded at that time of day, something we didn't appreciate at the time. After a few routes we moved up to Diamond Cave Rock which was much bigger, quieter but also very exposed to the sun. In seconds of being on the rock we were dripping with sweat. The chalk didn't even stay on your hands as it just turned quickly to a paste and than
Simon
This Simon climbing "1-2-3 rock" ran off down your arms. But I was loving it and as the day went on we did some really fun routes. Amy didn't warm to it quite as much but credit to her she stuck it out and only gave up when she literally couldn't hold on any longer. By lunch time we were both shattered and quite happy that we had opted for a half day as I don't think either of us had the energy to do any more. Nope, it was back to the hammocks for a cold beer and a nap!
The next morning I was ready for more but it looked like I was going to have to go it alone. Amy was struggling to even squeeze some lemon into her drink! So I did another half day climbing but this time on a different rock on the western side. The day before certainly took its toll but I had a great day and can't wait to return to Railay in the future for a climbing holiday!
The next day, keen to carry on being active, we set off on a walk to a lagoon which can be found in the middle
of the peninsula. We had been told that this was quite a difficult walk with a number of steep sections to the path but we figured we'd give it a go. Well the path lived up to its reputation as there a number of places where you are essentially abseiling on an old rope that is tied to a tree stump. Not for those worried by heights! The walk goes throughsome great jungle and there are quite a few monkeys around for company. The lagoon itself was very Indiana Jones - a circular lagoon surrounded by huge jungle covered cliffs. If only it had been deep enough for a swim!!!
There was so much to do at Railay we could see why people enjoyed it so much. Even though the beaches weren't the best for swimming it was a place where you could find something to do everyday. Whilst we there we also took a hike up to the lookout point and also a day sea kayaking. And if you just want to be lazy then you can always just sit and watch the climbers from the comfort of your beach towel!
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Nicholas Holt
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That takes me back
Its a bit tricky getting down to the lagoon int it? Glad you made it there at high tide. I was bricking myself on the last rope .. in flip flops and doing the climb on my own! Doh