Ocean Paddler #8 "Myths and tides of the Mull"

The Mull of Galloway.

Unfortunately there was not space in Ocean Paddler for the fact box to accompany the article: "Myths and Tides of the Mull" part one of a Rhinns of Galloway Trilogy. I will make sure there is room for the fact box in one of the remaining two articles. In the meantime, here is some information to help those planning a trip to this fantastic location.

The Mull of Galloway Essential Information.

Distance: 27km day trip.

Launch site: Drummore: NX141363. There is no toilet at the car park so stop at Ardwell NX109453 en route.

Landing site: Port Logan NX494094.

Getting there: From Glasgow, head south for Stranraer on the M77, then the A77. through Stranraer. Leave A77 on A716 for Ardwell then B7065 to leave shuttle car at Port Logan. 100 miles allow 2hours 30mins. Then take B7065/B7041 to Drummore 4.5 miles allow 15 minutes. If coming from the south or the east, head for Dumfries then west for Stranraer on the A75. Just before Stranraer, take the B0784 then A716 for Ardwell then B7065 for Port Logan. Dumfries to Port Logan is 60 miles allow 2 hrs.

Accommodation: For Hotel, B&B and self-catering accommodation: www.visitscotland.com. New England Bay Caravan Club Site NX120424, tel 01776 860 275, has beach access for kayaks.

Local weather forecast: BBC Radio Scotland (94 to 95 FM, 810 MW) Outdoors conditions forecasts are broadcast at 19.12 Monday-Friday, 06.58 and 18.58 on Saturday and 06.58 and 19.58 on Sunday.

Tidal constant: Mull of Galloway +0035 HW Dover; Drummore: +0045 HW Dover.

Tidal streams: Tidal stream information here that differs from the pilots is from personal observation and discussion with local fishermen. The pilots show that well south of the Mull of Galloway the E going stream (flood) begins at -0545 Dover and the W going stream (ebb) begins at +0020 Dover but close inshore, where kayakers will be, the east going stream begins about +0530 HW Dover and the W going stream about -0130 HW Dover. Spring rates exceed 9km/hr. From Port Kemmin to the Mull there is an E going eddy close inshore during the W going ebb, from about +0120 HW Dover. The interface with the main west going stream can be very disturbed.
To the west of the Rhinns of Galloway and close to shore, the S going stream (flood) begins +0425 Dover, the N going stream (ebb) begins -0135 HW Dover. There are overfalls at frequent places and after half tide (on both flood and ebb) counter eddies form close inshore. Spring rates at headlands exceed 12km/hr.

Tides on the day (24/03/2007): Our trip was midway between springs and neaps and we arrived off Lagvag, the east point of the Mull, at -0145 Dover. Note that Cooper and Reid suggest arriving slightly earlier than HW Liverpool (about HW Dover) if you do this, you will not round the Mull at slack water and you will face stronger eddies on the north part of the trip.

Warnings: This can be a serious trip if there is any wind against tide; here is a selection of descriptions from the pilots: one of the most dangerous points on the British coastline; heavy and violent race; the race at the Mull of Galloway is violent; passage can be hazardous on an outgoing tide in SW winds above force 4 and should not be attempted; very heavy seas off the Mull. Check tidal information with original sources and take account of conditions on the day.

Danger Area: Luce Bay is an active bombing range. If you keep inside the yellow buoys you should be well clear but if in doubt phone the range on 01776 888741.

Maps: OS Landranger 1:50,000 sheet 82; Imray Chart 1:150,000 sheet C62

Books: West Coast of Scotland Pilot, UK Hydrographic Office
West Coast of England and Wales Pilot, UK Hydrographic Office
The Yachtsman’s Pilot Clyde to Colonsay, Martin Lawrence
Firth of Clyde inc. North Channel, Solway Firth & Isle of Man, Clyde Cruising Club
Blazing Paddles, Brian Wilson
Scottish Sea Kayaking, Cooper and Reid

Useful website:
http://seakayakphoto.blogspot.com/search/label/Mull%20of%20Galloway

24/03/2007

An early start for the Mull of Kintyre.

It was quite light at 04:5am when we got up on the second day of our Mull of Kintyre adventure. The reason for the early start was that the outgoing stream, close in to the Mull of Kintyre was due to start about 0630. It was neap tides and there was little wind forecast. I climbed a steep grassy and rocky bank to try and get mobile phone signal to confirm the previous day's forecast. Unfortunately I slipped on the way down and really badly sprained my right knee which had been operated on back in March 2010. The rather good news following this painful sprain was that there was not even a hint of my knee dislocating so full marks to the surgeon's skill!

Close to and west of Mull of Kintyre 5 Kn sp

Monday 3/6/2013                     
N going +0400 HW Oban                 (0240)0640
S going  -0225 HW Oban                  (1513)1248

N going -0230 HW Greenock           (0900)0630
S going  +0310 HW Greenock          (0900)1210

N going -0130 HW Dover                (0759)0629
S going  +0430 HW Dover               (0759)1229

 At 0515 a quick breakfast was consumed before loading...

 ...the kayaks. One great advantage of a camping trip on the Firth of Clyde during neap tides is that HW is in the evening and morning with low tide occurring during the night. So you do not have to carry the kayaks as far up the beach as for a spring HW which occurs in the middle of the night.

We were on the water at 0623...

 ...just in time to catch the tide, which would propel us round the Mull of Kintyre. The mist was well down and there was no sign of Ireland. Light drops of rain were falling as squadrons of early morning gannets were heading off round the Mull before us.

We soon passed Port Mean, which is the last landing for 23km if there is any swell. The Magicseaweed surf forecast was predicting 3 to 6 feet of surf at Machrihanish (the surf beach to the north of the Mull of Kintyre) so we were not expecting to be able to land on the only other "beach" on the Mull at Innean Glen. Effectively the Mull of Kintyre is like a 23km open crossing but the tide and the imposing scenery mean you will not experience a moment's boredom.

As we approached Borgadalemore Point, we were travelling at 8km/hr with hardly any paddling effort required. We were now committed to the Mull. There could be no turning back, it felt like we were paddling round the end of the world..

En route to Erraid and the Ross of Mull

The road and ferry trip to the Ross of Mull is a long way wherever you live on the mainland. Ian and I had talked about returning here for ages and on the 11th of May we finally set off in the company of Donald in his little RIB and Alan and Lorna. You will be able to follow this trip in trivision on Ian's blog here and Donald's blog here.

Donald and I met up in Oban for a coffee and a stroll before setting off. I wanted to photograph the various slipways near the main ferry terminal. The nearest is the Calmac slip for the Lismore ferry but there always seems to be a reserve ferry sitting in there.

The next nearest is the slip in the ice factory yard. I do not think you could offload a car here but if you arrived by ferry and wanted to launch or if you arrived by kayak and wanted to catch a ferry this might be possible. The RNLI Oban lifeboat is the RNLB "Mora Edith MacDonald" a Trent class boat.

 The public slip is furthest away. You might be able to avoid the busy Gallanach Road by trolleying round the path in front of the lifeboat station and through the ice factory yard to the ferry terminal.

 We walked back to the town past the fishing pier as we had some time.  This is OB151 FV Orion. the quayside restraunts were doing a brisk trade selling sea food platters to Chinese tourists who certasinly seembed to be enjoying the food and the sunny ambience of Oban.

 We had plenty of time and the first ferry to Mull was the MV Coruisk which has recently been transferred from the Mallaig Armadale run to Mull due to the explosion in traffic caused by the introduction Road Equivalent Tarriff which has meant the ferries (and the roads) are full of camper vans. If I was transport minister I would only allow camper vans on the road between the hours of 1 am and 4 am.

 We did not have long to wait until our ferry the MV Isle of Mull came in and soon...

 ...we were aboard. While we were loading, Marine Harvest's brand new 70m well boat the Ronja Challenger berthed at the ice factory quay.

 Soon we were off passing the north end of Kerrera where this rather splendid house is for sale for around a mere £1,000,000.

 The channel to the north of Kerrera is rather busy with shipping and the MV Isle of Lewis which serves Barra from Oban...

 ...came in as we were leaving closely followed by the returning

 ...MV Coruisk. As you can see a fresh NE wind was blowing.

 Half way to Mull we passed Lady's rock where Lachlan Maclean of Duart left his wife to die in 1527. She was rescued by a passing boat and he was later murdered by her brother.

 The bottom end of Lismore is marked by the Eilean Musdile lighthouse.

Then we passed Duart castle on Mull. If you are paddling rond the coast here it might be worth keeping further out. The water close to the coast is often very disturbed,

 Soon we landed and the ramp came down on Mull.

 The road to the Ross of Mull isost 60km of twisting single track, fortunately it was quiet and it was a magnificent drive through the mountains to Bunessan where we had arranged to meet the others. One option was to launch at Bunessan and camp at Market Bay on the north coast of the Ross of Mull but I had an updated weather forecast on the ferry which was for F5 northerly overnight which would make a difficult launch from Market Bay (a surf beach).

 We decided to camp at the excellent Fidden Farm camp site which has a fantastic view...

 ...over the skerries to the Sound of Iona.

 We wasted no time in carrying the boats one by one...

 ...down the dazzling white sand to the...

...sparkling water's edge. We were bound for the magical tidal island of Erraid.

The Mull of Galloway tide race, at full belt!

A day trip round the Mull of Galloway, a 21km paddle from East Tarbert Bay to Port Logan, taking in the Mull of Galloway tide race. December 2009.


The Mull of Galloway tide race at full belt.

Destination, the Mull of Galloway.

Sunny skies and calm seas.

Sea kayaking the Mull of Galloway.

Hiding in Lunnock Cave, Mull of Galloway.

P&H Cetus excels as a photography platform.

Mull of Galloway to Gallie Craig.

Taking in a Kindram or two on the Rhinns of Galloway.

Picnic at Rainbow Rock!

The pot at the end of Rainbow Rock.

Transition from the terrestrial to the maritime.

Crammag Head.

The Silurian simian sentinel of Breddoch Bay.

Port Logan sunset.

"It was at the Mull of Galloway...and this giant wave..."

The Mull of Kintyre did not happen!

Mull of Kintyre
Oh mist rolling in from the sea,
My desire is always to be here
Oh mull of Kintyre
-"Mull of Kintyre", Wings

An east wind holds up the surf on the 6km long beach at Macrihanish on the west side Kintyre peninsula. (Photo Jennifer Wilcox)

As the crow flies Macrihanish is only 45 miles from Tony's house in Ayrshire (on the east side of the Firth of Clyde) but it involves a 166 mile drive round all the sea lochs that branch deep into the mountains on the north of the Firth.


The Mull of Kintyre lies 10 miles away to the south round this headland, the Irish coast is in the distance.

Our destination was the Mull of Kintyre. This fearsome and remote headland juts out into the North Channel which separates Scotland from Ireland and is only 12.6 miles wide at the Mull. All the tidal forces that link The Irish Sea and the Firth of Clyde to the Atlantic and the Sound of Jura are forced past this spot. As a result, HW times at Macrihanish and Sandhead (which are separated by only 15 miles of coastline and lie on either side of the Mull) differ by 2hrs and 15 minutes. Just to the east of Sron Uamha, low water "slack" is characterised by 20 minutes of breaking rollers close to the cliffs, as opposing currents sort themselves out, truly fearsome!


The Paps of Jura lie on the far side of the Sound of Jura.


Things did not look much better from sea level.



We needed calm conditions for the trip, Magicseaweed predicted falling surf heights from 9.5 feet on Thursday to 4.5 feet on Friday. The Met Office, BBC, Metcheck and Theyr.tv were all predicting force 2 easterlies on Friday and Saturday.





We went for it, leaving home at 5am on Friday morning. All the way round the Clyde lochs, the sea was flat calm but on arrival at Macrihanish there was a force 5 easterly blowing. Was this just a local and transient wind? Surely all the forecasts could not be be wrong? It would be 4 hours before we got down to the Mull, surely the wind would have dropped by then?

What did we do? We WIMPED OUT! Our image of hardened sea kayakers, able to down raw puffins in a single swallow, is dented. I had been so confident of a successful mission, I had not even bothered to bring maps of other locations. Did our lack of confidence mean it was a wasted 372 mile journey?

With dry paddles, we turned the car northwards in retreat....

Campbeltown to Ardrossan via the Mull of Kintyre using a ferry and a portage.

This was a 200km 6 day trip taking the ferry from Ardrossan to Campbeltown then kayaking round the Mull of Kintyre to the surf beaches of Machrihanish and the Hebridean isles of Cara and Gigha before returning to the Clyde by West Loch Tarbert and portaging across the Kintyre peninsula to East Loch Tarbert in the Firth of Clyde. We then returned to Ardrossan via the mouth of Loch Fyne and the Firth of Clyde islands of Inchmarnock, Bute and Little Cumbrae.

Day 1. East coast of Kintyre

Single ticket to Campbeltown please.

A four pointed cross on a two pointed island.

A Bastard of a headwind and a Bloody rock..

An Art Deco landmark in the twilight at the Mull of Kintyre.

Day 2. Mull of Kintyre to Cara.

An early start for the Mull of Kintyre.

All quiet at the End of the World.

It's the Dug's Lugs (if not bollocks) at the Mull of Kintyre!

The Mull of Kintyre west coast... a sailors' graveyard.

Three angry birders of Machrihanish.

Surf's up but coal's run out at Machrihanish Bay.

Kintyre ports not much good in a storm.

Cloud watching on a long crossing to Cara.

The Brownie of Cara; the correct way to greet him.

Cara sunset.

Day 3. Cara and Gigha east coast.

Mistaken location of St Fionnlugh's chapel, Cara?

A tale of goat bhuna, bluebells, albinos and a Brownie.

The Mull of Cara.

The great voyage from Cara to Gigha!

Two lobsters, a crab, a haddock, countless langoustines and a couple of circumnavigations on Gigha.

A postprandial snooze on Gigha.

Baked potatoes at sundown on Cara.

The glory of a Hebridean sunset.

Day 4. Cara and Gigha west coast.

We had a swell time on Cara.

The Mull and mimetoliths of Cara.

The Boathouse, Gigha.

Anchor Rock, Gigha.

Farewell Cara, hello Jura.

The antithesis of headland to headland paddling.

The great quartz vein of Grob Bagh, Gigha.

The heat of a June day on the machair of Gigha.

The landing place of the spectre, Gigha.

The great rock wall of Cnoc Loisgte, Gigha.

Trouble at the mill on Gigha.

Better Days #15, on Gigha

End of a long day on Gigha.

Light my fire, on Gigha.

Living the dream of the Hebridean Isles on Gigha.

We were not alone on Gigha.

Day 5. Gigha to Ardlamont in the Firth of Clyde.

Much toing and froing on the crossing to West Loch Tarbert.

Daisies , shells, pottery and a marble at Dunskeig Bay.

The ferries of West Loch Tarbert.

A fair wind in West Loch Tarbert.

A busy waterway at Kennacraig.

A tale of two islands, one ferry and two captains.

Time for a sharp exit at West Loch Tarbert Pier.

Better Days #16 in West Loch Tarbert.

Tidal planning on an (unarmed) portage from West Loch Tarbert to East Loch Tarbert.

Sea kayaking again in East Loch Tarbert.

Lost buoys and a green ferry in East Loch Tarbert.

Paddle sailing away in the clear air at the end of a long day.

Tired kayakers and concrete sleepers at Kilbride Bay.

Saved by a sundowner in Kilbride Bay.

A peaceful night alone on Ardlamont?

Baked potatoes and bandits in Ardlamont.

Day 6. Ardlamont to Ardrossan via Inchmarnock, Bute and Little Cumbrae.

Between a rock and a contrail on Ardlamont.

Kylie the lonely dolphin: a tale of anthropomorphism and anthropology at Ardlamont and the West Kyle buoy.

Two luncheons, a queen, a saint and a cow on the fair isle of Inchmarnock.

All quiet on the Sound of Bute.

Some fishy goings on in the Sound of Bute.

Dun paddling at Dunagoil.

A turbulent past but all calm now as we made our way past Garroch Head.

The clarity of light and reflected clouds at Little Cumbrae.

A small matter of the Trade Descriptions Act as we set foot on the sands of Ayrshire.

Saved by a sundowner off Ardrossan.

All washed up at Ardrossan South Beach.

Southern exposure round the Mull of Galloway.

The Mull of Galloway is a bold headland which juts out into the North Channel of the Irish Sea. It is Scotland's most southerly point. It is a magnet for sea kayakers due to its notorious nine tides!

Tony and I set off from the East Tarbet of the Mull of Galloway 2hrs and 30mins before the end of the east going flood. We planned to use a west flowing eddy that runs close into the cliffs. Unfortunately this eddy does not run round each of the many headlands on the Mull and we were prepared to battle round these into the teeth of the east going flood. The freshening SW wind began to make its presence felt. Cats' paws spread out on the water as the wind dropped over the cliffs.

We soon picked up an east going eddy which runs along the north coast of the Mull. It carried us effortlessly to the east point of the Mull.


Here in the shelter from the wind, and out of sight of the race, we enjoyed a calm moment enjoying a view of the Isle of Man. Calm was not a word we would use again on this trip!


As we worked our way round the corner, the water became livelier...


... and the wind began to increase.


This photo was taken in the last of the calm water before we entered the race. The water then got a bit rough and I found myself quite unable to take further photographs....

We were in the disturbed water from below the lighthouse to the entrance of West Tarbet bay. Most of the waves were only about 5 feet, crest to trough, but they were short, steep, breaking, very irregular and coming at us from all angles.

As the wind shrieks round their jagged ramparts and as the surf thunders at their base, no one can hear your screams far below the cliffs of the Mull of Galloway!

Close to the rocks the clapotis was fearsome but the tide was less strong. After being side surfed by several waves we kept away from the rocks as much as we could. As a result we found ourselves in the stronger adverse current further out. It took 40 minutes from the east to the west points of the Mull. It is only 2.5km so we actually managed to average 3.75km/hr. It really was sustained maximum effort all the way. The worst bit was 1.5km to the west of the lighthouse. My GPS showed I was going backwards at 1km/hr on several occasions before I got round that one! The maximum speed I hit was 14.5km/hr (while still paddling) in the eddy to the south of the lighthouse.

The wind was still increasing and any thoughts of continuing up the west coast to Port Logan were abandoned. We made for the shelter of West Tarbet Bay and prepared ourselves for a Viking style portage over the Tarbet ...

15/12/2008