Sea kayaking from Loch Feochan to Loch Etive

A 36km paddle from the south side of Loch Feochan via Oban harbour to Taynuilt pier. It took 2 hours to drive from Glasgow to Taynuilt pier. It took another 1hr 45mins to run the shuttle to Loch Feochan and get on the water.

Tidal streams:

Loch Feochan narrows

At low water the norrows almost dry leaving a norrow channel of about 0.3m. As a result the ingoing flood does not begin until the level outside the narrows has risen by 1m this results in the flood running for only 4 hours and the ebb running for 8 hours.

Ingoing flood begins -o355 HW Oban (+0300 HW Dover) 5 knots springs

Outgoing ebb begins +0030 HW Oban (-0500 Dover) 5 knots springs

HW inside the loch as HW Oban (-0530 HW Dover)

Sound of Kerrera the flood enters the south end and exits the north end by Oban

In mid channel

NE going flood begins +0430 HW Oban (-0100 HW Dover) up to 2.5 knots springs

SW going ebb begins -0155 HW Oban (+0500 HW Dover) up to 2.5 knots springs


Falls of Lora, Loch Etive
These times may vary by up to 0130hrs dependent on meterological conditions, more often occuring earlier rather than later.

West going ebb starts HW Oban +0210 (-0320 HW Dover) 6 knots
Ebb strongest waves HW Oban +0430 till LW Oban

East going flood starts HW Oban -0320 (LW Oban +0250) ( +0335 HW Dover) 6 knots
Best waves HW Oban -0100 till HW Oban +0030

Up to date info on Falls of Lora.

On the day Oban tide times were:
HW 02:10 LW 08:35 HW 16:03 LW 21:06
So, at Falls of Lora:
Flood starts LW Oban +0250 09:25
Best waves HW Oban -0100 15:03 till HW Oban +0030 16:33 (we found only a gentle ingoing current of 1 knot at 1610)
Ebb starts HW Oban +0210 18:13
Strongest waves HW oban +0430 20:33 till LW Oban 21:06

Kilmaronag Narrows, Loch Etive

As Falls of Lora

Bonawe Narrows, Loch Etive

west going ebb starts +0215 HW Oban (-0316 HW Dover) 2.5 knots springs
east going flood starts -0300 HW Oban (+0355 HW Dover) 1.5 knots springs


Loch Feochan narrows looking west to Mull.


Oban nestling under McCaig's Folly on the hill.


Firth of Lorn off Ganavan.


Sunset behind the mountains of Mull from Loch Etive.

An icy start at Loch Feochan.

Stopped in his tracks in Loch Feochan.

A cottage and a castle at Loch Feochan

Luncheon below a volcano.

Arrival in Oban

The Pharos and the Pole Star

Better days for some in Oban harbour.

Dark deeds on the north shore of Oban Bay.

Waving goodbye to Oban.

The skies cleared over the Firth of Lorn.

A welcome break at Ganavan.

All quiet at Dunstaffnage

Made in Scotland from girders and glaciers.

Of time and tide at the Falls of Lora

Last supper at Dun Creagach, Loch Etive

In the picture: a blaze of glory in Glen Etive

The end of a perfect day, in Loch Etive.


Photo album map

The end of a perfect day, in Loch Etive.

We drifted slowly, treasuring the moment and watching the sunset until the last red ember had cooled and there were only ash grey clouds on the western horizon.


Turning to the east again, we paddled deep into the confines of the "fjord like" Loch Etive.


The mountains and the darkness gradually hemmed us in until we were paddling in pitch darkness. A compass bearing took us back safely to the pier at Taynuilt. It was to be my last paddle before my knee operation in March but that is not why I treasure this paddle's recollection. Sadly, it was to be the last paddle with our friend Jim B. We will never forget him, his smile lightened the darkest night.

In the picture: a blaze of glory in Glen Etive

By the time we launched from Achnacloich, on the south shore of Loch Etive, the sun had set. With the approach of night, a layer of cloud flooded the sky from inland and the summit of Ben Cruachan was lost from view.


After a while, I turned round to see where Jim W was. I was amazed to see that the sun, which was by now well below the horizon, was illuminating the advancing edge of cloud in a fiery glow above the distant mountains of Mull.


I quickly got the camera out and shouted directions to Jim, to get him in the picture."North, North, North!" I shouted. He was some way away and could not hear properly. He changed direction but had no idea what the excitement was about...


...until he too stopped in his tracks...


and looked over his shoulder.


The four of us agreed it was one of the most spectacular sunsets we had ever seen but all too quickly its ephemeral beauty was gone and the glen was left in the gathering darkness.

Last supper at Dun Creagach, Loch Etive

As the sun sank in the west a golden light suffused the wintry mountain scene to the east. Jim W and Jim B were dwarfed by the scale of the landscape.


As we paddled on, shapely Ben Cruachan (1126m) came to dominate the horizon but its size belittled the distance still to cover to our destination, which lay at its feet.


Second luncheon seemed a long time ago, it was time for a break. We paddled past the sheltering Abbot's Isles into a delightful stony beach under the gardens of Achnacloich House.


As the sun set, we prepared and ate a fine supper finished off by the last of the Christmas cake, freshly brewed filter coffee, a selection of fine malts and finally, a poke of chocolate caramel sweets provided by Jim B.

As I cast my eyes about this beautiful scene, I noticed the tell tale flattened conical shape of an ancient fort. It is Dun Creagach and is probably at least 2,000 years old. It never ceases to amaze me, but even in the remotest parts of our travels by sea kayak, wherever we land was also where our ancestors would have landed. If you look round carefully, you will often spot signs of their presence in this ancient land. We could see why our ancestors had chosen this spot to live their lives.


The day was drawing to an end, the sun was nearly set and the temperature was now plummeting like a stone. It was time to return to the kayaks. We did not realise it at the time but this was to be our last supper with Jim B. What a fantastic memory to have of a special friend.

Of time and tide at the Falls of Lora

We drifted under the bridge at the the Connel Narrows on Loch Etive at 5km/hr.


It was 16:13, two hours before the start of the ebb.


It was a neap tide and despite the current, it was like a millpond over the shelf of the Falls of Lora.


At a spring tide on the flood we might have expected some decent standing waves here. On the ebb on a spring tide, the Falls can be very spectacular as Loch Etive drains into the sea over a rock shelf.


We were now being carried into the inner part of Loch Etive and the horizon ahead became closed in by the mountains.


Watching the bridge, we drifted backwards in the current for some way...


...until the bridge became obscured by a bend in the loch.


I am not the only member of my family to have enjoyed this view from a small boat. This photo was taken in July 1927 by my great grandfather, who explored many of the west coast lochs and islands by rowing boat. The view has hardly changed at all, despite the passage of 83 years.


This photo shows the Falls of Lora on the ebb tide, 2 days after springs at 12:08, when the best waves were predicted to form between 11:09 and 12:56.


Photo copyright Simon Willis www.seakayakroutes.com

This photo, by my friend Simon, was taken from a platform under the bridge at the 2006 Storm Gathering. It is one day before springs, on the ebb and shows the Falls in an altogether different light.

Its amazing the difference a few hours can make, if not 83 years!

An icy start at Loch Feochan.

Back at the beginning of March, we took the long road north for another adventure. We left one car at Taynuilt on the southern shore of Loch Etive.


We then drove 32 km SW to the southern shore of Loch Feochan. The top 3km of the loch was frozen so we had to launch on the sea sea side of the inner narrows. Our plan was to paddle out into the Firth of Lorn then NE by Oban before entering Loch Etive and back to the shuttle car. You do need to get the tides right for this one, as at certain states of the tide, the ebb flows out of Loch Etive over a rock lip known as the Falls of Lora.


From the layby we could see clearer weather to the north and the snow on the distictive peak of Ben Cruachan (1126m) was glinting in the sun. It rises above Taynuilt on the southern shore of Loch Etive.


Back at Lock Feochan, even the seaweed was hiding under a crust of ice.


Phill, Jim B and Jim W joined me in preparing the kayaks.


True gentlemen, they carried my kayak and launched me first as I hobbled down the shore on crutches, trying to avoid ice patches. It's great to have good friends! It is so sad, but this was to be the start of our last adventure with Jim B.

Ganavan, a launch site for sea kayaks and seaplanes

On Saturday 23rd January, a high pressure area sat across Scotland. As we drove north towards Oban, the forecast was for coastal fog. We took a detour over to Arrochar at the head of Loch Long and since there was no fog we decided to press on.


At Connel bridge over the tidal narrows of Loch Etive, the fog was firmly down. The Falls of Lora were not in evidence because it was the last hour of the flood.


At Ganavan Sands, to the NE of Oban, the fog rolled in just as we were launching. We could hear the booming of the MV Isle of Mull's foghorn as she made her unseen approach to Oban from Craignure on Mull. Our plan to nip across to Mull for the day would need to wait!

Ganavan is a very convenient launch site near Oban. Car parking is free in the winter but there are often pay and display meters. There is a public convenience with water at the back of the car park. The very wide slip way betrays Ganavan's past. In WW2 it was the maintenance base for No. 209 Squadron RAF. The squadron moved to Oban in 1939 and flew antisubmarine missions over the North Atlantic shipping lanes. From 1940 they used troublesome Saunders Roe Lerwick aircraft but changed to PYB Catalinas in 1941.

There would have been no danger of a flying boat landing on us today. They would be grounded. Actually, although the Catalinas are long gone, Oban does have a current seaplane service to and from Glasgow.

Winter sunset, Loch Etive

After what seems like three months of solid wind and rain, today, Blue Monday (supposedly the most depressing day of the year), dawned clear and bright in the West of Scotland. Yesterday was not very pleasant and today was a work day! It was a day just like the beautiful day we enjoyed in Loch Etive exactly a two years ago. After Jennifer paddled past me into the setting sun, I was dazzled by the beauty of droplets of water dropping off her paddle and landing on the surface of the sea. They stayed intact for a few moments, floating on the surface of the sea, until their surface tension broke and released them.



In this photo I was trying to get nice sharp drops coming off the paddle with a blurred background. I used the zoom at 150mm, set the lens at its maximum aperture of f3.2 and used a film speed of ISO 100 to get as little grain as possible. The drops did not really come out. I should have used a shorter shutter speed by setting film speed to ISO 200 or 400. Sometimes (quite often actually) the shot in your mind just does not come out. But you can always try!

Winter sun, Loch Etive

One reason I like photography is that it lets you remember good times. This photo was taken 2 years ago in Loch Etive. Its head waters cut deep into the Scottish west coast, almost reaching the mountains of Glen Coe. It can be accessed either from its head or nearer its origin in the Firth of Lorn. Personally I like paddling into its head and feeling the winter mountains drawing round me, cutting me off from the open sea. Truly I have entered the interface between mountain and sea. I dream on....