A gneiss time to find our feet and sea legs.

No sooner had secured the kayaks and set off from Miavaig in Loch Roag than Gordon demonstrated the berthing accommodation for those travelling steerage class. Fortunately we had all booked berths in the Cuma's cabins!

We soon left the great strand of Traigh na Beirigh in our wake...

...as we passed Bhacasaigh and...

  

...in the distance Seana Chnoc. 

Simon started filming the trip in  the shelter of Caolas Pabaigh but all thoughts of filming were temporarily put on hold...

...when Cuma left Loch Roag and hit the swell off the arch at Eala Sheadha.

Once round Gallan Head, the swell was coming from the beam of the Cuma and several of our party needed to lie down until they got their sea legs.

The rock architecture at this western limit of the great Eurasian continent was stunning. The predominant rock in Lewis and Harris is Lewisian gneiss which at 3,000 million years old is just about the oldest rock on the planet.

A reputation for midges in West Loch Tarbert, Jura.

West Loch Tarbert on Jura is always worth a visit with its raised beaches,....

...dykes, arches and caves.

It is a wild place but it is not totally without sight of the hand of man. Glenbatrick Lodge is the holiday cottage of Lord Astor. It sits on the south shore under the slopes of  Beinn Shiantaidh, 757m, one of the Paps of Jura.

There were some delightful sandy shores backed by raised beaches but it was still a bit early to set up camp and the place has a fearsome reputation for midges.

Swept round the point or sea trout for breakfast?

Retreating from the Rhinns of Islay, we arrived back at the sand dunes of Ardnave Point. We paddled round into the sheltered mouth of Gruinart Bay where we enjoyed a very pleasant second breakfast. The local seals were hunting hunting sea trout in the river channel. If we had carried on round the Rhinns, we would have, by then, been in the clutches of the tide, being carried towards some of the heaviest surf in Scotland. The choices we make!

We crossed Gruinart Bay by staying well offshore and caught the now friendly swells for a free ride back east. Rounding Rubha Bholsa, we landed again at Port an t-Sruthain (for an early luncheon)...

...but on this occasion we had time to explore some of its amazing caves. The OS map describes them as natural arches.

Seams of soft crystalline rock had eroded to form the caves.

We went down a blow hole, high behind the cliffs, and went right down inside, until we came in darkness to the sea. In the depths of the cave we felt the deep booming  of the surf in our chests.

We were by now rather enjoying this retreating business.

Archeology and the passage of time on the north shore of Islay.

 The coast of Islay that lay ahead looked so fascinating that we decided to move in...

 ...for a closer look and we were certainly not disappointed. We came across a number of stacks and caves then...

 ...some amazing arches.

 We tried to get through this one but it was low tide and dry beyond.

 The water was crystal clear  and we seemed to be suspended in both space and time as we drifted above the equally interesting rocks and weeds below the surface.

We lost count of the arches and of the passage of time in our new hobby of archeology!

You can read more about this fascinating part of Islay's coast in sections 18 of this pdf review of the coast of Islay from the Scape Trust.

Sea lions and elephants on Islay's north coast...it's like Jura on steroids!

 Leaving Port an t-Sruthain we continued our exploration...

...of Islay's north coast in mirror calm conditions.

We were paddling within the shelter of the extensive reef system at the base of Rubha Bholsa. In the distance beyond the reefs, lay low lying Oronsay and Colonsay. Something wasn't quite right though. This was when the first niggle of doubt entered my head. Even at 10km away, the extensive reefs, to the SW of Oronsay, were visibly white with breaking swell. Yet at our feet, round the northern rocks of Islay, all was still calm. Despite the forecast, a swell from the south of west had got up....

Leaving the shelter of the reefs we rounded Rubha Bholsa to see the most amazing scene. Huge headlands of rock rose up from the sea, with their precipitous sides facing inland. In profile they looked like the heads of great rocky sea lions trying to climb onto the land. One after the other they disappeared into the distance. Between each headland there were more raised beaches, caves and arches. We were lost for words and appreciated the scale of the seascape in silence.

We now paddled south towards the distinctive peak of Mala Bholsa.

The raised beach below the hill has one of the finest collections of sea arches I have ever seen.

They looked like stone elephants, with their trunks extending down to the sea. All in all the north coast of Islay is like the outstanding west coast of Jura on steroids!

The Devil's bridge of Burrow Head.

Due to lost time on the shuttle, we had started a little later than planned. We still needed to meet the tidal window at Burrow Head and so we skipped first luncheon,  carrying on towards the Head.

Close to the head, a strong counter eddy forms in the last 2 hours of both the flood and the ebb, particularly so at springs. This means that "slack water" close under the rocks occurs when the main race is still stonking off shore. If there is any wind against tide the main race will look quite scary and the eddy line will create very confused water. As you are approaching the head to take advantage of the inshore slack, you will see great lumps of water from the main race heaving on the horizon and you can have a bit of a dry mouth before you round the corner and actually see what it is like.

Our missed luncheon allowed a calm passage at just about slack water. The tide was only moving at 1 knot.

The rock architecture at Burrow Head really is quite superb.

After our non stop dash to the Head, it was a great joy to drift in the tide...

...beneath upended layers of Silurian Greywacke.

All too soon we had rounded the Head and slipped under...

...the Devil's Bridge.

Threading the Oa of a needle

Our exploration of the magnificent west coast of the Mull of Oa on Islay continued and we found ourselves in the bay called Bun an Easa. Roughly translated this means foot of the waterfall. On the map the burn which feeds the waterfall is called Sruthan Bun an Easa or little stream of the foot of the waterfall. The only apparent access to the shore of Bun an Easa was either over the waterfall or, perhaps more cautiously, by kayak as we did.


We both entered...


...and left Bun an Easa by this magnificent narrow slot!


A little after Bun an Easa we stopped and looked back to get our bearings. This is the view to the SW and the entrance to Bun an Easa is to the left of the distant headland.


Next, we came to another cave with a high window which in a storm will act as a blowhole.
I was able to paddle right through to the interior, which is lit by the window. However, once inside there was not enough room to turn, not even in a manoeuvrable kayak such as the Cetus! Its Gaelic name is Sraideag Alt nan Ron which might be loosely translated as narrow watery wynd of the seal.


We continued to wind our way through a maze...


...of tight places between stacks, cliffs and dykes. What a remarkable place.

Oa speak no evil

As we paddled the west coast of the Mull of Oa under the steady rain, there was no sound apart from the steady hiss of raindrops drops hitting the water. We discovered the reason for the silence when we came to Shhhhh... Rock. It has a wonderful window or natural arch.


The rivers, fed by the rain, were cascading over the cliffs and...


... tumbling straight into the sea like this waterfall on, the Abhainn Alt Astail.


We now entered a small bay with a group of incredible caves clustered round its head. Until now the rock scenery of the west coast of Islay's Mull of Oa had been dominated by stacks, now it was the turn of caves.


A waterfall was pouring down through a crack in the roof of this cave.

Going with the flow, round the Mull of Oa!

The dolphins eventually got bored with us and headed off to the main race, which was now a distance offshore. For the first time we saw the still distant Mull of Oa itself, capped by its prominent monument.


To the east of Sgeirean Buidhe there had been surprisingly little current but, as we approached the rocks at the foot of the point, our speed accelerated and we were blasted through a gap in the reef. Needless to say my camera was put away! The water was damming up on the east side and there was a distinct slope down to the west. By staying in close, we avoided the really confused part of the race that ran in a westerly direction from the point. We were here at 11:55, just 24 minutes after predicted slack water. I have no doubt that the flow inshore turns at least an hour before the main flow further offshore. If it was just a counter eddy, I would not have expected much movement so close to slack water.


Once beyond Sgeirean Buidhe we were again out of the main race.


The foot of this great blade of rock is riddled with caves and rock arches.


We were now approaching the Mull of Oa itself. Again, the current picked up on our approach.


We whistled past the rocks below the American Monument. It was erected in 1920 to commemorate American service men who had lost their lives when two troop ships sank off the Oa in WW1.

The inscription on the monument reads:

Sacred to the Immortal Memory of those American Soldiers and Sailors Who Gave Their Lives for Their Country in the Wrecks of the Transports 'Tuscania' and 'Otranto' February 5th 1918 - October 6th 1918

This Monument was Erected by The American National Red Cross near the spot where so many of The Victims of The Disasters Sleep in Everlasting Peace

On Fame's Eternal camping ground
Their silent tents are spread
While Glory keeps with solemn round
The bivouac of the dead



The race off the Mull of Oa was bouncy rather than confused and once through it, we entered a broad but smooth stream of water moving at 10km/hr towards the distant Rhinns of Islay race, on the other side of Loch Indaal. Our next task was to break out of this stream and start making our way up the incomparable west coast of the Oa peninsula.