Limping Inn to Glenuig, a pub too far!

Heading north past the Smirisary coast, Donald was well ahead as he tracked a shoal of fish with his fish finder.

I kept close inshore and as we turned into  the Sound of Arisaig I caught him up. His main engine had stopped while idling during his fishing and would not restart. I checked he could get his auxilliary going and left him to cleaning his spark plug.

We arranged to meet at Glenuig and I set off towards...

...the twin summits of Rois-Bheinn and An Stac, which rose majestically into the low cloud.

 Once I had passed Samalan Island, the sheltered sandy cove behind it looked very inviting...

 ...but I continued on to Glenuig Bay...

 ...where the excellent Glenuig Inn can be found! The Inn has a reputation for being sea kayak friendly.

At this point, I would normally sacrifice a significant amount of my personal time to provide you, the reader, with another in depth  sea kayaking pubs review. I was really looking forward to this one, as the Glenuig Inn serves real ales. However, there was a problem. It was low tide and the Inn was nearly 400m away. I had been paddling for six and a half hours and was desperately drouthy but sadly the Glenuig Inn was just a pub too far. To be dying of thirst within sight of a pub is about as much as any sea kayaker can bear.

Unfortunately it was not just thirst that was bothering me. The pain in my bad knee was now too bad to contemplate the direct route over the sand and seaweed covered rocks or even the longer, easier route by the jetty and the road. I also had the bad cut in my toe to contend with. It was still bleeding and by the time I had cleaned and redressed it, I was too done to go walking. Just limping a few yards to get a photo was as much as I could manage. All I can do, to assuage the disappointment the reader may feel about the lack of a sea kayaking pubs review, is to promise to visit again soon, preferably at high tide!

I had just got myself ready for sea again when Donald limped in to the bay under his auxiliary power...

PS Most sea kayaking visitors, with even moderate mobility, will find that the Glenuig Inn is very conveniently situated.

Walking on broken glass, in Moidart paradise.

From the west coast of Moidart, we enjoyed a stunning view over the sea to Eigg and Rum. Donald kept well out from the numerous skerries while he fished.

It was now  definitely time for lunch as some time had elapsed since third breakfast, so we took a break  on the sands of Port Achadh an Aonaich (port of the upland moor field).

While Donald came in from his fishing, I chatted to a nice Canadian couple from Vancouver Island. They had walked in from Smirisary.

After they left, I decided to go for a swim to cool off.  Coming out the water I put my boots on to walk over the sand and rocks to where I had left my paddling kit. Unfortunately my feet were so cold that I was unaware that something sharp had cut right through my boot and deeply lacerated my toe.

I ate my lunch enjoying the warmth of some hazy sun, which helped me dry off. It was only when I removed my boot that I realized I had a serious cut to my toe. My boot was full of blood and a small jet of arterial blood was spurting from the end of my toe which was literally hanging by a thread. I squeezed my toe for about 20 minutes but it was still spurting. I shouted for Donald to bring my first aid kit. Donald did not like the look of all the blood on the grass and excused himself. Using a variety of steri-strips and bandages I staunched the flow and limped back to the boats. I noticed a recently broken glass bottle on the sands. I was sorry to find such a thing in such a remote and beautiful spot and put it in my rubbish bag.

It was good to get back on the water after an eventful stop.