Sea kayaking Scarp's cave coast

The swell had got up with the rise in tide during our lunch break on Scarp. There were several assisted launches. I was last off the beach but the steep sand meant I got my spray deck on while dry then pushed myself down the slope.


We now followed scudding clouds down the Caolas an Scarp.


We then found ourselves on Scarp's NE coast. It is riddled with caves.


Inside this cave a blowhole was venting a fine spray of sea water into the already damp air.


Right at the back there was a small beach. The noise of the surf echoed and bellowed in the confined space.


Another large cave had the most amazing colours in its rocks.


We explored deep within its confines.


Just when we thought we had explored the last cave, we turned a corner and found this monster.


This last cave, with a sandy shore at its back, was off the sandy bay at the north end of Scarp where we met Cuma.


We now landed briefly on Scarp to ensure all items on deck were securely mounted....

04/06/2008

Decay and restoration on Scarp.

From the shore we made our way up the hill through the remains of the settlement on Scarp. Photo: T Page.


In the distance on the right, you can just make out the jetty on Harris that was the Scarp inhabitants' link to the outside world.


It was only two years since our last visit but the houses had deteriorated noticeably.


Some of the old black houses still had remains of their thatched roofs.


We were surprised to find that one house was being restored, probably as a holiday home. I wonder if the new owner is a descendant of one of the original crofters of Scarp?


The grave yard was in the machair behind the dunes. Most of the graves were marked by simple rounded boulders from the beach below, although there were a few carved stones.

04/06/2008

Scarp, a kyles too far and a phone too few.

Crossing the Caolas an Scarp we made landfall on the island of Scarp. Although the distance across the kyles is only 430 metres, the shallow channel can be very turbulent in wind and swell conditions. The islanders felt very isolated when they were marooned on the island for long periods. The last two families evacuated the island in 1971, some four decades after the evacuation of the apparently much more isolated St Kilda. The final decision came after a storm carried away the submarine telephone link between Scarp and Harris in 1970. The phone company decided not to replace it and the islanders left shortly afterwards.


Even on a calm day landing at Scarp could be tricky with swell coming round both sides of the island. We timed our landings on the smaller sets and everyone got ashore dry.


We were ready for a leisurely second luncheon and carried the kayaks well above the surf...


...before making our way to the dunes between the beach and the abandoned village.


Its inhabitants may now have left but what a place for a break on a summer's day!

04/06/2008

Speed bonny boat over the sea to Scarp!

We were blown right out of Loch Crabhadail on Harris.


The rocky gneiss of its ancient mountains gave way to great shifting dunes of sand at its mouth.


And then we entered the fabled Coalas an Scarp. The light here is truly like no other on Earth.


Murty kept a watchful eye,


as our shadows sped across the sandy bottom on our way to Scarp!

We love sea kayaking in Scotland!

04/06/2008

Loch Reasort, a long time in the making.

Our first day back on Harris dawned with a freshening SW wind but wonderful clear skies and sunshine. It was good to be back on the water as we left MV Cuma at her mooring. We would rendezvous with the Cuma at the north end of Scarp later in the day.


Cuma had anchored half way in towards the head of Loch Reasort (Resort in English).


We now made our way down the loch towards the Atlantic.


A glacier cut a U shaped valley though the ancient rocks of Lewisian gneiss.


Ahead lay the distant island of Scarp.


As we paddled below the rocky slopes of Taran Mor, 303m, we were looking at rocks that are about 2,500 million years old. Even in this now desolate place, lazy beds betrayed past settlements that are now long forgotten.


Our route from Loch Reasort to Scarp.

04/06/2008

Empty beds on Scarp.

The steady thrum of MV Cuma's diesel did not miss a beat on the 105 km trip back from St Kilda to Loch Resort, Harris.


We made landfall at Scarp. Scarp was inhabited from time immemorial until its last inhabitants were evacuated in 1971.


The low sun showed off the abandoned lazy beds on the north coast Scarp. Generations of back breaking work (without machines) created these beds and fed the families of Scarp.


Leaving Scarp, Cuma slipped below bold mountains and into the fjord-like recesses of Loch Resort which cut deep into the hinterland of Harris.

03/06/2008 pm

The low brace.

Photo Clark Fenton.

Every sea kayaker should practice the low brace. (I used to work in an A&E department and seeing dislocated shoulders has sort of dampened my enthusiasm for the high variety but the low one is a really useful stroke.

Here we were playing in big Atlantic surf crashing onto the western edge of Cearstaigh off the north coast of Scarp in the Outer Hebrides. There was a big undercut hole which John had backed into, you can just see his yellow bow. A much bigger set came through and I thought I might get a good shot of John battling out with my Sony U60. Then a huge one came in, everyone out shouted Murty. I got ready for the shot. Then Allan, in his rush to leave the premises at closing time, ran right over my foredeck. I felt myself going over, I dropped my camera and grabbed my paddle and whacked a cracking low brace as far out as I could. Amazingly I stayed upright so yes, I am very fond of the low brace.

04/06/2008

Little Cumbrae: a touch of the Hebridean Wild West.

Little Cumbrae lies deep within the protective arms of the Firth of Clyde and so is not strictly speaking one of the Hebridean Islands. These lie off the remote Atlantic coast of Scotland from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to Cape Wrath in the north.


The highest point of the Little Cumbrae is only 47km from George Square in the heart of Glasgow, which with its commuter belt has a population of 2.3 million people.


Despite this proximity to so many people, we found ourselves completely alone on a winter Saturday lunch time. Of course in the summer there will be innumerable yachts, motor cruisers, speed boats and jet skis on the horizon.


We can now enjoy the solitude of this wonderful place, which in winter is as quiet as any remote Hebridean Island. As Billy, Tony and myself paddled round Little Cumbrae, it rekindled memories of a truly memorable trip, which was only the second time that we three had paddled together.

12/01/2008


Scarp, Outer Hebrides.

We had gone on a trawler supported trip arranged by Andy Spink of Hebridean Pursuits to the "Wild West". Andy has been organising these trips (for six years now) with the aim of getting to the remoter parts of the Hebrides, including when possible St Kilda. This year, the week long trip leaves from Oban on 16th May. It occurs to me that it would be an ideal introductory trip for some of the regular visitors to this blog who have not yet paddled in the Hebrides. Of course when I say introductory, what I mean is to the area not to sea kayaking! You would need to be used to paddling in exposed rough water conditions. Full details are available from Andy tel. 44(0)1631 710317 and email hebpursuit@aol.com.

11/06/2006

Castaway

From 1/1/2000 to 1/1/2001 the BBC ran a TV series, Castaway 2000, which followed the lives of 36 adults and children who were castawayed on Taransay off the west coast of Harris in the Outer Hebrides. As you might guess from this blog, I do not watch a great deal of television but I did watch this programme for the glimpses of wonderful Hebridean seascapes, skyscapes and landscapes.

Billy and I landed and camped there in July 2005. I loved the contrast of the dazzling white shell sand against the many greys of the rocks, hills, sea and sky. They say the Inuit have a hundred words for snow. Well, the Gaels have a hundred words for grey. We made two attempts to return in 2006.



In June 2006 we were on MV Dundarg but a force 7 prevented us getting near Taransay and we sought shelter behind Scarp further to the north.



We tried again in July 2006. You can just about make out Taransay through the mist.



Unfortunately there was a little shore break to negotiate and I have to report that we (fair weather paddlers) wimped out at this opportunity to display our kayaking prowess. It can be quite a challenge to become a castaway on Taransay.

How is it? It's as bad as it gets.

West coast of Scarp

June 2006 was stormy off the west coast of the Outer Hebrides. We were out there in a 70 foot fishing boat and had to run for "shelter" in Loch Reasort.


Loch Reasort

At times like that I always think of the RNLI. Have a look at John's blog for details of their work. I have been a supporter of the RNLI for many years and I would urge all UK and Irish seakayakers to give their support. Today I received my copy of "The Lifeboat" the RNLI journal.

It tells of a dramatic rescue (a few days later than my photos above) which involved a Dutch 12m racing yacht. She was pitch-poled and flattened by a monster wave in winds exceeding force 9 about 25km to the north west of Barra at the south end of the Outer Hebrides. The skipper was injured, the shroud plates were damaged, her standing rigging loosened, the mast mounted electronics were damaged and the keel bolts loosened. He put out a PAN PAN call on the VHF requesting urgent assistance.

Stornoway coastguard picked up the call and requested the launch of the Barra lifeboat. She is the Edna Windsor a Severn class and Coxswain Donald MacLeod took command. He was really worried that the yacht would attempt to reach shelter through the treacherous Sound of Barra to the north but could not make contact with her. He decided he would need to take a shortcut up the east of Barra and through the Sound to head the yacht off. There are three routes through this sound and the best would depend on many factors. Donald called his father and asked if he could go over and advise which route he should take.

"Caimer a tha i?" (How is it?)

"Tha i cho dona 's chi thu I" (It's as bad as it gets.)

The lifeboat had to reduce speed from 25 to 5 knots as it slammed into 10 to 11m swells. Eventually they cleared the sound and were heading for the yacht's position at 12 knots when they realised their electronic navigation equipment had been damaged by the pounding and it was too rough to use paper charts.

Once they found the yacht, they guided her for the Sound of Sandray to the south of Barra. The treacherous nature of this channel is only exceed by that of its northern neighbour and it was vital the yacht followed the lifeboat closely. She was making 6 knots under her storm rig so the lifeboat had to slow to a speed that put her in danger. A monstrous wave slammed her over by 100 degrees plunging the wheelhouse under water and damaging her.

Recovering, she led the yacht to safety.


Sound of Sandray

Coxswain: Donald MacLeod, volunteer shellfish fisherman
Deputy 2nd Coxsawain: Ranald MacLean, volunteer tug boat captain
Mechanic: Angus MacNeil, RNLI full time
2nd mechanic: Lachlan Douglas, volunteer fisherman and builder
Crew: Iain Boyd, volunteer fishernan
Crew: Michael MacNeil, volunteer oil rig worker

Thanks guys!