Sea kayak camping in Nirvana

This was the view we woke to the morning after the amazing sunset.

I could not resist going in for an early morning swim. At 11C the sea temperature was warmer than the air temperature at only 7C.

We wrapped up warmly in Buffalo jackets as there was a cool easterly breeze.  However, there are few locations that can match this for a view over breakfast.

The wind was forecast to get up to 5-7 easterly which is why we had left our shuttle car at Samalaman rather than further east, at the head of Loch Ailort, as we had done the last time we had done this trip. This meant we did not have far to go but even so, we decided to start packing the boats early.

 We were in no particular hurry though as...

...we wanted to savour these wonderful surroundings for as long as possible. Our fire had burned away to just a few ashes, which we scattered in the sands then...

 ...after a last check that we had left the machair pristine, we...

 ...left Port Achadh an Aonaich, the port of the field of the steep place, to...

...the local inhabitants.

Progress down Loch Shiel was impeded by frequent photo opportunities.

 As we made our way SW down Loch Shiel the sun broke though and despite it being mid October the temperature soared.

 Due to glaciation the west coast of Scotland is riven by many U shaped valleys which were cut by glaciers moving to the SW where the melted into the sea. Some of these valleys are flooded by sea water and some by fresh water but the bodies of water are both called lochs.

 So though our progress was slow, not only were we following the route of a long gone glacier we were making considerably faster progress than it had done.

The scenery in Loch Shiel is truly stunning.

The sunlight enhanced the shades of autumn and our progress was frequently impeded by...

 ...photographic opportunities or...

 ...by stunning shingle beaches where we stopped to...

 ...sit on a log under the shade of a great Scots pine and admired the dramatic mountains...

...which towered far above. I even went in for a swim but the water molecules had clearly retained a memory of the Ice Age.

For the full stereo vision experience read Ian's account here...

Taking the plunge in Balfour's Bay

On the south coast of Erraid we came across a breach in the pink granite walls of rock. It led in to a dazzling...

 ...white sandy beach called Traigh Gheal (white beach, the Gaels were an imaginative lot!) though it is better known as David Balfour'sBay. Robert Louis Stevenson experienced the island while on visits with his father who was constructing the Dubh Artach lighthouse on the edge of the Torran rocks. Unfortunately RLS was the black sheep of the Livingstone lighthouse dynasty. He had no interest in following his father's footsteps and became an author. He later used his knowledge of the island in his novel "Kidnapped". The hero David Balfour was shipwrecked on the Torran rocks during a storm and was washed up on this beach on Erraid. He spent several hungry wet days eating limpets before he realised it was a tidal island and walked off at low tide!

Unlike Balfour we arrived in a flat calm and a May heatwave. The air temperature was 24C but the sea was still only 9C.

One by one our little flotilla landed and we...

...drew our boats up the beach for an extended luncheon but first...

Photo by Ian Johnstone.

...I wasted no time in diving straight into the freezing cold water. It was extremely refreshing and so I did not stay in long but enjoyed the zing as I dried in the sun afterwards. After lunch Ian and Alan also joined me for a post prandial swim and again we dried in the sun. Later, I could not resist going in for a third swim. I have found this to be the secret of sea swimming in Scotland, several short swims are better than one long one.

After the swimmers had dried we all explored different areas of the bay before making our way...

...back to the boats. I had in mind a visit to another stunning beach, much less well known than Balfour's Bay, but could I remember how to find it?

Catching the tide in the Sound of Islay past a mimetolith in a D cup on Jura

 The south going ebb was still running as we set off across the Sound of Islay towards Jura.

 Not long after we had left Islay the wind...

 ...began to increase from the north but...

 we were able to close reach most of the way across. Away to the SE the mountains of Arran rose above low lying Gigha and the Kintyre peninsula.

 By the time we crossed the Sound the tide had turned and was running  north against the fresh wind.

 Despite the strength of the wind we were soon making...

 ...10km/hr against it due to the power of the north going tide.

 It was an exhilarating ride up the Sound as...

 ...testified by our big grins.

We were not the only ones up early to catch the tide. This yacht motored past us with her main still up but backwinding.

North of Port Askaig the Sound opens up and we could just spot the white Ruvaal lighthouse in the distance.

 The Sound of Islay has several other white landmarks such as the Caol Isla distillery.

 On Jura the quartzite of the Paps rose high above...

 ...a raised beach at the top of dark basalt cliffs.

As we passed the lighthouse at Carragh an t-Sruith (pillar of the current) we could see a team of Northern Lighthouse Board  maintenance workers at the light. They had arrived by RIB from one of the NLB ships which was lying off the south end of the Sound.

 The current was still speeding us north and the...

 ...Paps of Jura made a most magnificent sight as they heaved above the Sound. Perhaps they are the biggest pair of mimetolith we have ever seen? The origin of the name Jura is not clear and there is some disagreement. Some say it is from the Norse word dyrøy (beast) others say it is from the Norse dyr (deer) and others say it is from the Norse jur (udder). I leave it to the reader to decide. As far as I am concerned it's all a storm in a D cup.

 On the Islay side, Ruvaal came ever closer as we passed...

 ...the Bunnahabhain Distillery.

They were still muir burning at the south end of Colonsay and the plume of smoke rose high into the air beyond Ruvall.

 The MV Hebridean Isles ferry was en route from Port Askaig to Colonsay.

 Back on Jura the caves in the cliffs were full of tasty rock doves as...

 ...the peregrine falcon perched on the clifftop would attest.

 Next up came a couple of mimetoliths, the first was a basalt dyke that looked just like an older Queen Victoria wearing a headdress. The next was...

 ...this green pixie.

 It was now time for a rest...

...preferably out the cool north wind...

 ....so we found the ideal spot with our backs to a sheltering dyke where we enjoyed second breakfast.

 We then walked a short distance to  Alt Bun an Eas (burn with the waterfall at its foot) and Ian and...

 Photo by Ian Johnston

...I went for an extremely refreshing dip in its icy waters. Mind you the zing as we dried in the sun afterwards was worth it!

Mike had more sense and simply rinsed the salt off his dry suit!