Sea kayaking to Lochgoilhead from Arrochar, Loch Long

A 25km day trip from Arrochar at the head of Loch Long to Lochgoilhead at the head of Loch Goil.

Entering Loch Goil from Loch Long.



Hunched by the cold, a long, long way from the open sea.

Sea kayaking in the mountains with torpedoes and invisible ink.

Sea kayaking in search of the lost Ark.

 HMS Ark Royal, final voyage to Scotland.

Two million barrels of crude in Loch Long.

The mark of a good bothy

War and peace at Carraig nan Ron.

Carrick castle and the leading lights of Loch Goil.

A hall of mirrors in Loch Goil.

Photo album map.

A hall of mirrors in Loch Goil.

The dying sun shone through...

...gaps in the cloud layers and illuminated  strips of the mountains high above us.

Down below we paddled on in the gathering gloaming.

The reflections on the glassy sea created a bizarre vision of an alternative world, like a fairground hall of mirrors.

Navigation is easy in a long narrow loch like Loch Goil. We could not even paddle past our destination as it was at the head of the loch.

On the way we passed the research barge Maytime. Loch Goil is up to 85m deep and is used to test the sound signatures of submarines.

We arrived at the douce Victorian villas of Lochgoilhead 30 minutes after sunset. They had been built before the mountain road was constructed. Each day, the owners commuted by steamer into the dirty smoke and smog of Glasgow. Just like them, we had come to Lochgoilhead to escape from the city. The darkness gathered round us, pouring down the hillsides and spilling out over the water of the loch like Indian ink. The reflections were blotted out by the night and our adventure in Loch Long and Loch Goil was over. We returned to the lights of the city, reflecting on the sights we had seen.

Carrick castle and the leading lights of Loch Goil

We crossed the mouth of Loch Goil...

...and arrived at the grim stone keep of Carrick castle.

Carrick Castle was originally built in the 14th century. It is thought to be named after Robert Bruce who was Earl of Carrick (South Ayrshire) before becoming King. It was later used as a hunting lodge by King James IV. The current building is 15th century but has some 14th century features and belonged to the Campbells. It was burnt out in the late 1600's as punishment for the Campbells' part in a rebellion.
 

We now turned NW towards the head of the loch and passed the leading lights that guide vessels, making their way up Loch Long, into Loch Goil.

In the recesses of the narrow loch, the sun had already set and the temperature was dropping like a stone. The light in the sky and its reflection on the still waters of the loch had a magical and ethereal quality. We knew it would be soon gone and our paddle would finish in darkness.

War and peace at Carraig nan Ron.

Carraig nan Ron (seal rock) is a navigational hazard to both the warships and civilian ships that ply Loch Long. It lies off the point which separates Loch Long from Loch Goil. The light beacon is operated by a solar panel. In the distance is the Royal Naval Armament Depot at Coulport. Unlike Glenmallan, which services surface warships, Coulport is specifically designed to service submarines armed with Trident nuclear missiles. The large rectangular building is a covered floating dry dock for submarines. It was built in 1993.

Looking back up Loch Long, Ark Royal and Ashna were just visible in the distance.

A telephoto shot shows the storage tanks of the civilian Finnart oil terminal on the hill beside Ashna.

We now turned away from the bustle of Loch Long and entered Loch Goil...

...which is somewhat in the shade of its longer sibling.