In the wake of our ancestors on the west coast of Colonsay.

We rounded the SW corner of Colonsay protected by a maze of skerries and channels.


Our way now lay to the NE but it was still protected by...


...reefs which sheltered shallow sandy bottomed lagoons.


We lost the shelter of the reefs as we approached a rocky peninsula.


On its summit, a pile of stones marks the remains of an Iron Age fort, Dun Ghallain. At one time Colonsay lay on the path of a marine "highway" which connected the Isle of Man, Galloway and Ireland with the rest of the Hebrides and mainland to the north. At that time, the fort was of considerable strategic importance.


Like our ancestors before us, we decided to stop for a break in Port Lobh, which lies below the rocky ramparts of the fort. One of the great joys of sea kayaking is that we are retracing the routes that our predecessors have used for over 6,000 years.