A fourth luncheon on the machair at Silver Sands

We stopped on the southern side of the Silver Sands of Smirisary and...

...made our way up the shore to the...

...closely cropped machair which backs the beach. Here, below a rapidly sinking sun, we partook of our 4th luncheon which we washed down with a not ungenerous snifter of 12year old Caol Isla.

After our comestibles had been suitably dwindled, it was time for a...

..post prandial perambulation over the machair to the headland where we took in the view to the Small Isles to the west and...

 ...to Rubh Arisaig and Skye to the north.

 We left Silver Sands and paddled north until we could...

 ...turn to the east and enter the Sound of Arisaig.

The sun was setting as we paddled on towards Glenuig Bay where we drew the boats up in the gathering darkness. Sadly there would be no further luncheons on this day.

The hidden isles and recesses of Loch Moidart

 We left Castle Tiorum and continued...

 ...our exploration of the South Channel of Loch Moidart. The wooded sides of Riska island fall steeply into the blue waters of the loch.

Our tour of the inner Loch Moidart continued past Eilean an Fheidh (deer isle) and...

...tiny Eilean na Craoibhe (tree isle). Normally we are in a desperate hurry here as we have  usually been rushing before the ebb tide dries the \North Channel. This time we were...

...in no hurry as we were waiting for the flood tide...

...to fill the the North Channel. It was most pleasing to round the east end of Shona Beag and see clear water stretching away down the channel towards the Sgurr of Eigg on the distant horizon..

We passed the long abandoned hamlet of Egnaig on the north shore. Its inhabitants had abandoned their homes long before the first road came to this part of Moidart in 1966. The road arrived well before grid electricity which did not arrive in Moidart until 1988!

The Sgurr of Eigg is a magnificent sight all the way down the north channel. It was formed when an ancient river valley was flooded with lava from the Rum volcano. The lava cooled quickly forming very hard pitchstone. The glaciers in the Ice Age then scoured away the softer rocks that had contained the river valley, leaving the Sgurr as it is today.

The north channel has a narrow entrance hemmed in by precipitous cliffs then...

....opens out into an area of reefs with coral sand beaches that are exposed at low tide.

As we left Loch Moidar,t a pair of sea eagles watched us from high on these cliffs.

Our bows turned north again. It was getting late in the afternoon and fourth luncheon was calling. Not far ahead we spotted the ideal place...

Clear waters and clear skies in the Sound of Arisaig.

26/3/2017

On the second day of our trip to the sun drenched Sound of Arisaig,  David, Mike, Phil and myself got our kayaks ready on the beach by the Glenuig Inn.

Meanwhile, Donald got the Guppy ready and was on the water before us. The Guppy is an F-Rib 275 with a  6HP Yamaha 4 stroke outboard. Donald set off and within...

...minutes was literally a dot on the horizon. He was going to try and get as far west as he could along the Ardnamurchan peninsula and then return to meet us at Ardtoe at the eastern end of the peninsula.

 The waters of Glenuig Bay were crystal clear and we set off...

 ...towards the mouth of the bay in high spirits which soared even higher...

 ...as we emerged into the open waters of the Sound beyond and caught sight of the Cuillin mountains of Rum rising above the long ridge of Eigg. The clear March air meant we could even make out details on the distant mountain ridges.

David had fallen behind as he had agreed to help test the P&H Scorpio HV in CLX and he wanted to get a perfect fit. David has had a bad back for decades but has found this kayak to be the most comfortable ever.

 What a glorious morning to be...

...setting off on a new adventure beyond...

 ...the mouth of the Sound of Arisaig.

Total silence in the Sound of Arisaig at sunset.

25/03/2017 

On our return across the Sound of Arisaig we initially had a decent breeze to assist our progress but

 ..as the sun sank in the west and Rois-Bheinn took on a warm glow, the...

 ...wind dropped to nothing. Donald's little F-Rib had long since landed, leaving Mike and myself in total silence in the middle of the Sound.

We were in no hurry and reflected on what a great afternoon we had just enjoyed. Our reverie was broken by the sound of a naturally aspirated 3 litre straight six petrol engine rising and falling along the twisty road from Loch Ailort. It could only be David and Phil arriving from Ayrshire so..

..we pressed on and pulled the boats up from low tide in Glenuig Bay to the Inn where we...

 ...wasted no time in ordering a round of sports recovery drinks. David and Phil were of course very disappointed to have missed the dolphins....

It may have only been a short afternoon trip but it turned out to be one of the most memorable days on the water, ever!

Bottlenose dolphins in the Sound of Arisaig.

25/03/2017

At first Mike was oblivious to the pod of...

 ...bottlenose dolphins which had been playing in Donald's wake.

 What a spectacle they made against the backdrop of the Eigg and Rum mountains.

They were much more interested in Donald's boat than the kayaks but he obliged us by motoring back...

...and forward across...

...our bows, with the pod in tow, so that we could get a better view of their antics.

 It is difficult to resist being anthropomorphic but these guys...

 ...were having a whale of a time (if that is not an oxymoron) as they alternately lolled in the water beside us before...

 ...exploding into action again.

 They only let us be when we paddled into shallow water to take a break...

 ..on the shell sand beach of Port Eilean a' Ghaill for a delayed first luncheon.

After the excitement Donald and I reviewed our photos and could hardly believe that we had managed to capture the action. I even went for a quick swim which rather quickly pulled me back to reality!