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

A cottage and a castle at Loch Feochan

We took a diversion into a little bay near the north shore of the mouth of Loch Feochan.


At its head stood a delightful cottage with a wisp of smoke rising from its chimney. Access is only by a footpath rising over the hills. There was no sign of a boat. This cottage was used in the 1969 film "Ring of Bright Water" to represent Gavin Maxwell's house Camusfearna (bay of the alders). Other filming took place nearby at the islands of Easdale and Seil. Camusfearna was actually located near the Sandaig Islands much further to the north.


Our first stop was to investigate the ancient fort An dunan, which is the grassy mound at the left of this photo. We landed and launched at the delightful cove of Port an t-Sruthain. I don't know who had most difficulty getting back into their kayak, myself with my bad knee or Jim W with his tiny ocean cockpit.


As the sun began to rise, we made our way into the Firth of Lorn.


We were all looking forward to another fantastic day on the water. None more so than our good friend Jim B.

Stopped in his tracks in Loch Feochan

Despite the ice round the shores of Loch Feochan, we were not the only ones on the water that cold March day.


This mallard duck was being courted by five drakes!


Jim W and Phil turned their bows to wards the narrow entrance channel to Loch Feochan.


It was low tide and the bar at narrow entrance channel was just deep enough to kayak across.


As he turned the corner, I heard Phil gasp...


...he only managed another few strokes...


...before he was stopped in his tracks, by the beauty of the view across the Firth of Lorn to the mountains of Mull.

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.