All calm at dawn on the Solway.

 Last Thursday dawned with light winds...

 ...and clear skies.

 However the forecast was for force 4 to 5 winds to kick in from the SW by early afternoon.

Perfect conditions to set off to the south with a sail strapped to the deck!

Down among the kelp beds

I was awoken before dawn on Millstone Point by the "put put put" of a small fishing boat making its way down the Sound of Bute.

 It was only when the sun came up...

...that the true extent of the slippery green rocks that separated our kayaks from the water was revealed.

In the Firth of Clyde, spring tides are associated with low water in the morning and evening so if you want an easy time, choose neaps when high water happens in morning and evening. It makes for less humphing of heavy kayaks!

There were three of us, so we used one of Kari-tek's really excellent portage straps to distribute the load and after some considerable labour (that threatened to dislocate my knee at any moment)...

 ...we were in the water...

 ...down among the kelp beds.

It was a relief when we stopped carrying kayaks and let the sea take their weight!

We met before dawn.

 After two months of incessant wind and rain, today promised to be fair. Ian, Mike , Phil and myself met at Portencross on the Firth of Clyde.

We arrived at low water on a spring tide. This sea urchin found itself exposed...

 ...as we made our way through the narrow channel...

...to the open sea beyond. It was good to have Mike back on the water with us again.

Ian had driven down from Aberdeen to join us. It was great to meet up with him again after our last paddle together on the St Kilda trip.

We then set off at dawn for what promised to be a fantastic day.

Oa, if it wasn't for the midges!

 The dawn came gently on Islay's Mull of Oa. Banks of mist hung over the windless sea

 Although the mist slowly burned off with the sun...

...the humidity was high and my camera kept misting up.

Another  problem with the lack of wind was a ferocious midge attack. This made loading the kayaks a rapid affair before...

...we tackled the surf and studs to escape their myriad of fangs.

Several short sunny days on a sojourn to the Solway .

At the end of April and beginning of May, I enjoyed a fantastic holiday on Fleet Bay in the Solway Firth. Each day dawned sunny...

...and the calm days were spent exploring the Islands of Fleet.

Thee Murray's Isles have a large cormorant colony which is surrounded by a gull colony. I was saddened to see a noisy party in 4 SOT/recreational kayaks paddle close under the rocks. The cormorants all flew off and the gulls went straight in for their eggs. The next day the cormorants had abandoned their nesting sites.

Barlocco Isle is a great place to stop for a picnic and enjoy the view up  Fleet Bay to the Galloway hills beyond. My injured knee gets pretty sore and stiff sitting still in a kayak. On a longer crossing, I need lifted out by understanding friends. On my own, when I have to get out of the kayak myself, I don't like paddling much more than half an hour before a break. What a hardship!

Fleet Bay empties at spring low tides so it is good to stretch the legs on the sands before the tide comes in and the kayaking starts.

Most of the traditional salmon stake nets have now been abandoned so the salmon now swim free...

...unlike this unfortunate lion's mane jellyfish.

Each time I went out to the islands...

...I chose a different route.

During the week as the tides moved to neaps...

...high water became later and...

...I saw the islands in a new light.

The casual boaters were now nowhere to be seen and I was so pleased to see the cormorants back on their roosts. Hopefully they had laid fresh clutches of eggs.

By the time I left the springs were returning with high water in day again.

I am particularly fond of two buildings at either end of the bay. The chapel on the Cardoness shore and...

...the Coo Palace (folly) at Knockbrex shore.

Needless to say my Flat Earth kayak sail saw plenty of service.

When I came in from my last trip to the islands, I could hardly tear myself away. I must return soon.

What a place!

Day return to Islay, please.

Back at the beginning of March we left Glasgow at 4am and arrived at Kennacraig at 06:23. As the MV Hebridean Isles was nudging into her jetty from the southern Hebridean Isle of Islay, the moon was setting in the west.


We drove aboard and were soon steaming down West Loch Tarbert as the sun was coming up at 07:30. We were bound for Islay! Regular readers of this blog will know that the staff of seakayakphoto.com have a particular affinity for this isle. You can read more of the delights of Islay here and here.

Earlier in the week, I had noticed that one of the two Islay ferries was off for servicing and the Hebridean Isles was to be running extra sailings later in the evening to make up for the lack of crossings. Her last return was to be at 20:20 from Port Askaig which is about two hours later than the normal last winter sailing. Just enough time for a sea kayaking day trip from Glasgow! A cunning plan was being hatched!


At the mouth of the loch, the lovely low lying isle of Gigha came into view. Closely followed...


...by her mountainous neighbour Jura. Her magnificent Paps rose white above the dark waters of the Sound of Jura. We were off on another sea kayaking adventure!

Dawn till dusk

We paddled from dawn till dusk.

A new dawn on the fossil rock glacier of Beinn Shiantaidh, Jura

Before dawn there was not a breath of wind to disturb Loch Tarbert on Jura. The humidity was very high and condensation was everywhere.


The sun had not yet hit the summits of the Paps of Jura and it was still too cold for the midges to make their appearance.


Then slowly the Sun's rays shone through the coll between Corra Bheinn (573m) and Beinn Shiantaidh (757m) and warmed its summit slopes. This coll is the site of a very unusual geological structure on the Shiantaidh side. There is a fossil rock glacier at the base of the large (sunlit) scree slope above. It formed between 11,000 and 10,000 years ago and is thought to be evidence of low altitude permafrost in this part of Scotland at that time.


As the sun continued to rise, it caught the NLV Polar Star as she was preparing to leave the loch. Some of us were not exactly ready to weigh anchor...