Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Trending
    • Interview: Lewis Thompson, VP Sport
    • En Garde!
    • BUWRU Still on Top
    • Hidden Histories: With The Archaeology Society
    • Beabadoobee Concert Review: Welcome to Beatopia
    • Taylor Swift: Midnights Review – The Stories of 13 Sleepless Nights
    • Claire Concert Review: Claire Cottrill in Concert!
    • Is There Hope For Percy Jackson?
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Flickr
    Seren
    • News & Politics
      1. Local News
      2. UK News
      3. Uni News
      4. World News
      5. Politics
      6. Comment
      7. Business
      Featured

      SABB Election: The Full Result Breakdown

      By Emily ReadMarch 20, 20210
      Recent

      Redevelopment plans and the culture of Bangor

      October 28, 2022

      Immediate closure of Menai Bridge following reports of structural integrity issues

      October 28, 2022

      Racial abuse victim calls for harsher sentencing following nightclub assault

      October 28, 2022
    • Arts & Culture
      1. Books
      2. Games
      3. Film
      4. Music
      5. TV
      6. Creative Corner
      Featured

      Bangor alumni podcast earns Hollywood cameo & BBC features

      By Amelia SmithMarch 7, 20210
      Recent

      Beabadoobee Concert Review: Welcome to Beatopia

      October 29, 2022

      Taylor Swift: Midnights Review – The Stories of 13 Sleepless Nights

      October 29, 2022

      Claire Concert Review: Claire Cottrill in Concert!

      October 29, 2022
    • Lifestyle
      1. Fashion
      2. Food and Drink
      3. Social
      4. Health and Beauty
      5. Travel
      Featured

      Country Highlight: The Netherlands

      By Emily ShoultsMay 6, 20220
      Recent

      Gilmore Garms

      October 28, 2022

      Fleeces and Funk

      October 28, 2022

      Cheerleading: Getting your kit together

      October 28, 2022
    • Discovery
      1. Science
      2. Environment
      3. History
      4. International
      Featured

      Brewing up a Storm: The History of Guinness

      By Emily ReadMarch 20, 20210
      Recent

      North Wales Ramblings

      October 28, 2022

      Hamza Yassin: The Hard Work That Is Making Luck Happen

      October 28, 2022

      Student’s Union Hosts Repair Cafe for Sustainability Awareness Week

      October 28, 2022
    • Sport
      1. Varsity 2019
      2. Varsity 2018
      3. Varsity 2017
      4. Varsity 2016
      5. Varsity 2015
      6. Varsity 2014
      7. Varsity 2013
        • Varsity 2013 Results
        • Varsity 2013 – In tweets
      Featured

      Bangor Muddogs’ American Football: a young woman finding her place

      By Jade HillMarch 23, 20210
      Recent

      Interview: Lewis Thompson, VP Sport

      October 29, 2022

      En Garde!

      October 29, 2022

      BUWRU Still on Top

      October 29, 2022
    • Students’ Union
      1. Union News
      2. Societies
      3. Volunteering
      4. Clubs
      Featured

      INTERVIEW: Be Period Positive

      By Caroline CartmillMarch 17, 20210
      Recent

      Interview: Lewis Thompson, VP Sport

      October 29, 2022

      En Garde!

      October 29, 2022

      BUWRU Still on Top

      October 29, 2022
    • Issues
      • Current Issue
      • This year’s issues
      • Last year’s issues
      • Seren Archive
      • Seren Teams
    Seren
    Home»Discovery»Environment»Canoeists paddle 25 miles to attend Bangor’s Climate Strike March
    Environment

    Canoeists paddle 25 miles to attend Bangor’s Climate Strike March

    Sinclair DavisBy Sinclair DavisSeptember 21, 20192 Comments4 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Plenty of protestors crossed many miles to reach Bangor’s Climate Strike March yesterday. However, only two of those travellers elected to do so under their own power, in a canoe.

    Luke McNair and Deio Collwyn Williams set off from their homes on the Llŷn peninsula at 6am, in a canoe that would later sit proudly beside that day’s demonstrations in Bangor. From Porthdinllaen to Y Felinheli, the friends paddled over 25 miles (40km) that morning in the name of environmentally-friendly travel. Though smaller scale, the journey mirrored that of Greta Thunberg, the Swedish schoolgirl who founded the School Strikes for Climate movement, and who crossed the Atlantic in an entirely carbon-neutral yacht. McNair is a canoeing enthusiast, and spoke to Seren about the experience:

    “Basically, we wanted to come to this event and thought, well, it would be best to try and do it in the most eco-friendly manner that we could, and to me that is getting in the canoe, or one of my canoes, and paddling here. We both live on the Llŷn peninsula so the place that is nearest both our houses is Porthdinllaen. So we set off from there at six in the morning. I’ve had about, I don’t know, half an hour of sleep- a bit of insomnia from thinking about the trip.

    “We set off at six in the morning in the dark, paddled along the coast until the tide changed, and then we reached Trefor and then set out straight to Abermenai Point, the entrance to the Menai Strait. That must have been about two/two and half miles from shore so that was quite nice, we enjoyed that, and had help from the tide. Got to Abermenai Point on time, to the dot- it was eleven on the dot- and then cruised down the strait with the help of the tides. We were going to try to go to Bangor Pier but it wasn’t working with the tides at the time, so we stopped at Y Felinheli. My mum picked us up, got the canoe on, and came here- and unexpectedly, we went and talked into a microphone.”

    What got you involved in this movement?

    “I think, when you’re a canoeist and you’re out, you do see it- I collect a lot of beach plastic in this thing. I must have got at least a skip-full, mainly plastic bottles- the amount of those is horrendous. It was a just a natural thing. Obviously you hear about it in the media. Greta Thunberg too: I’m autistic as well, so what she’s doing, with the challenges that she faces, is hugely inspiring to me, so she’s galvanised me.”

    [McNair pats his canoe]

    “It’s not quite as good as that yacht she crossed the Atlantic in, but it’s a hell of a lot cheaper, so that’s something! That was part of it and it’s this big worldwide thing September the 20th– it is the 20th isn’t it- yeah. And I just thought, right, well we’re going to do it in style. And I roped Deio into it and he’s not going to talk, but he was brilliant- he’s hardly done any canoeing and he’s a complete natural at it.”

    Who do you think is the most important audience for this protest today?

    “Everyone, but I suppose people that aren’t already aware of it, are denying it- they’re the most important audience. And young people, because they’re the ones that are going to have to deal with it aren’t they, in the future, deal with the consequences. But pretty much anyone that will listen, and preferably, the people that don’t listen but will hopefully change their minds.”

    Bangor protest
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Sinclair Davis

    Editor-in-Chief | 20-21 Deputy Editor | 19-20 Games Editor | 18-19

    Related Posts

    North Wales Ramblings

    October 28, 2022

    Hamza Yassin: The Hard Work That Is Making Luck Happen

    October 28, 2022

    Student’s Union Hosts Repair Cafe for Sustainability Awareness Week

    October 28, 2022

    2 Comments

    1. Dafydd Davies/ Hughes on September 21, 2019 5:20 pm

      Brilliant !

      Reply
    2. Meg B on September 21, 2019 7:55 pm

      Excellent!

      Reply

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    MORE INFORMATION
    • ABOUT
    • ADVERTISE
    • CONTACT US
    • GET INVOLVED
    • MEMBERS
    Links
    • Bangor University Bangor University
    • Google+ Google+
    • Undeb Bangor Undeb Bangor
    About

    Seren is Bangor University Students’ Union’s English Language Newspaper

    We have editorial independence from both Bangor University and Bangor Students’ Union. Seren is written by students for students and we’d love you to get involved!

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.