How sweet is the Clyde?

It was time to be back on the water but to begin with, our hulls stayed dry.


We took the ferry crossing to the Cowal peninsula on the west side of the Firth of Clyde. This is Western Ferries' MV Sound of Scarba which runs from McInroys Point to Hunter's Quay. If you plan to use this crossing, you can get discount tickets in Paul's Food and Wine shop at 94, Shore St, Gourock. A return ticket for car and driver is £27.20 if bought on the ferry or £15 bought in Paul's! If you are travelling from the Cowal side you can get the same discount tickets at Sandbank General Store and Post Office.


It was a great morning to be out on the Clyde with views in every direction. As the MV Scarba motored out of McInroys Point at 7am, we passed the MV Nordstrand at anchor. She is an 88.3m grain carrier and was waiting for high tide to make her way up to Glasgow. In the distance, the mouth of Loch Long leads into the Argyll mountains.


A few moments later, the Calmac ferry, MV Saturn, passed on her way from Dunoon to Gourock.


The view to the south showed the Cloch lighthouse and the distant hills of Arran above Bute. MV Aasli, a bulk carrier was making her way up the Clyde with a cargo of granite aggregate from Glen Sanda.


Straight ahead, the houses of Hunter's Quay and Strone flanked the entrance to the Holy Loch.


As we crossed into the middle of the Clyde we saw the Inverkip power station chimney behind the Cloch lighthouse and the steep slopes of Little Cumbrae island on the horizon.


Looking back up the Clyde, past the MV Nordstar, we could see the Maersk Line ship, SeaLand Performance at anchor off Greenock. She was being readied for sea after having spent the recession laid up in Loch Striven for nearly a year. She was finally towed out of Loch Striven on 21st May 2010. Just behind the SL Performance, you can see the capsized hull of the MV Captayannis, which was wrecked here in a storm in 1974. She is known locally as "the sugar boat" and is a popular sea kayaking destination. Her full cargo of sugar soon dissolved in the murky waters of the Clyde.

Paddle 2010, Perth

Paddle 2010, the Scottish Canoe and Kayak exhibition is on this weekend, 23rd and 24th October, at the Bells Sports Centre, Perth. It runs from Saturday 09:00 - 18:00 and Sunday 10:00 - 16:00. In addition to the trade stands, there is a really interesting progamme of talks and workshops. I will be giving a slide show "You don't have to go far, for great sea kayaking adventures." on Sunday from 13:30 to 14:30. It would be really great to see you there.

The Garvellachs from Seil

A 32km day trip round the Garvellach islands from Ellenabeich on Seil. August 2010.


the NW coast of Eileach na Naoimh.

Tidal streams from Insh Island to the north end of the Sound of Luing:
+0430 HW Oban (-0100 HW Dover) north-east going flood begins.
-0155 HW Oban (+0500 HW Dover) south-west going ebb begins.

The spring rate is 6-7 knots through the islands at the N end of the Sound of Luing. On the N going stream a strong tide race extends from Rhubha Fiola to Ormsa then past the SW side of Belnahua. Between the Garvellachs and the Black Islands the spring rate 2-3knots. On the west side of Lunga the spring rate is from 3-3.5knots. South of Insh Island, the spring rate is 1-1.5knots.

Eddys are frequent, especially round the north end of the Garvellachs.

On the day, it was 4 days after springs Oban HW 0915 LW 1531 HW 2138. We left Ellenabeich at 1015, the SW ebb had started at 0720. On the return we left Garbh Eileach at 1605, the NE flood had started at 13:45. We returned to Ellenabeich at 1757.

A rough crossing to the Rough Islands.

Sea kayaking under the west coast cliffs of Garbh Eileach.

A fishless lunch on Eileach an Naoimh.

Garvellachs rock face.

The great eagle of Eileach an Naoimh.

Return tickets for the Sound of Luing express.

Bear right at Belnahua!

An encounter with Loti on an uneasy sea.

A unobstructed view thanks to midges and shaggy dogs.


Photo album map. (Note that Google maps know nothing of the Garvellachs or Insh Island!)

A unobstructed view thanks to midges and shaggy dogs.

We passed by the south coast of Easdale...


...on our approach...


...to the little harbour at Ellenabeich, which nestles below the rocky slopes of Dun Mor, on the Island of Seil.


We called in at the Oyster Brewery Bar Restaurant for a Guinness and some excellent haddock and chips. Despite being crowded when we arrived, we got the best seats. We are not sure if it was the coincidental arrival of the Highland midge or David's shaggy dog stories that cleared the terrace...


...but the view south across the flooded slate quarry to Luing, Scarba and Easdale was marvellous.

On this occasion, we stuck to Guinness as our previous favourite local brew, Grey Dogs Strong Ale, was no longer available. At least we could see the view this time!

An encounter with Loti on an uneasy sea.

Long after we had left Belnahua we were still being carried north at 9-11km/hr on an uneasy sea. Wind against tide here can be an interesting experience. Fortunately there was not a breath of wind.


Looking back to the Garvellachs, we could just make out the outline of Colonsay to their right side.


Soon we left the isolated rocks of Dubh-fheith behind.


As we approached Easdale, the evening Cal-Mac ferry...


...passed on her way to Colonsay from Oban. She is the MV Lord of the Isles. Loti as she is affectionately known is 84.6m long and was built in 1989 at Port Glasgow on the Clyde.

Bear right at Belnahua!

We paddled east towards the Black Islands. Away to the south Jura and Islay lay on the horizon while Eileach an Naoimh lay closer at hand.


We got a good view of Dun Chonnuil to the north. Through the gap between it and Garbh Eileach we could see the Laggan peninsula on Mull.


We slipped through the reefs to the east of Eilean Dubh Beag, the smaller of the Black Islands. After a brief stop on Eilean Dubh Mor we cut across to the north end of Lunga. The Sound of Luing was running like a river and we broke into its current.


We were carried north past the lighthouse on Fladda. It was built in 1860 David and Thomas Stevenson. It flashes every 9 seconds and has red white and green sectors.


If you are not careful you will be swept past the SW corner of Belnahua but a stiff paddle should see you up its east side.


Only then can you relax and let the 5 knot tide...


...secure in the knowledge that it will take you all the way back to Seil.

Return tickets for the Sound of Luing express.

We cut through the reefs to the SW of A' Chuli and proceeded up its SE coast until...


...we arrived at Garbh Eileach and its little jetty, which is used by the farmers to load and unload sheep for summer. We basked on the warm rocks and enjoyed a little refreshing amber nectar.


Although it is a rocky landing this bay is sheltered from all directions except NE. Rising water announced that the flood tide was now well established.


At last it was time to go.


We were bound for the Black Islands (on the horizon) and the tides in the Sound of Luing beyond, for which we all carried return tickets. With any luck the tides would now carry us all the way back to Seil.

The great eagle of Eileach an Naoimh

The exposed NW cooast of Eileach an Naoimh inthe Garvellach Isles is a wondrous place. This great stone eagle stretches its wings over a tiny paddler, who is lost in the scale of the place.


Usually the swell is too big to get in this close. We had looped round the Garvellachs in a figure of eight, so that we would paddle this bit later in the day, when the sun had come round...


You can see why!


Having traversed below the NW cliffs of Eileach an Naoimh we planned to slip through a gap in the chain of islands and now go up the SE coast of Garbh Eileach. A 10.8m creel boat, the Mairi Christine OB520, from Luing also had the same idea , in reverse!

Garvellachs rock face.

Fleeing from the midges at the monastery, we made our way round the reefs at the SW corner of the Garvellachs...


...before turning NE up their exposed side.


The modern lighthouse is perched...


on the end of a line of dramatic tillite cliffs.


As we made our way below the lighthouse...


We became aware of the dramatic features of the Old Man of the Garvellachs, whose stony gaze was directed to the distant mountains of Mull..

A fishless lunch on Eileach an Naoimh

We slipped through a gap in the reefs through to the SE side of the Garvellachs. I fell behind the others to drop a mackerel line over the side. I very quickly caught a good sized one but when I pulled it in it was just a head! It had been very neatly bitten off at the gills by a seal that was following us. I gave up on the idea of mackerel for lunch. :o(


The magnificent Paps of Jura dominated the horizon to the south...


...while we made our way past the barnacle encrusted reef of Sgeir Leth a' Chuain towards the sloping SE side of Eileach an Naoimh... the rocky isle of the Saint.


We passed under the Clochain, a pair of ancient beehive cells where monks from the monastery retreated to pray.


From the landing spot, we climbed up to a little platform beside the monastery, which had a great view over to the Gulf of Corryvreckan, which lies between Scarba and Jura. Even from this distance we could see the swell breaking on the exposed SW coast of Scarba.


The view to the south towards the Paps of Jura showed that the monks must have enjoyed the scenery while meditating.


We too attempted to meditate, while enjoying our fish-less lunch. However, we were subjected to a most ferocious midge attack in the midday sun. Don't these midges play by the rules? Either monks were very thick skinned or the beehive cells were midge proof. If they were stuck in these windowless cells for months on end, maybe they didn't enjoy the view after all!

Sea kayaking under the west coast cliffs of Garbh Eileach.

The NW coast of the Garvellachs is a wild place. It is not often possible to paddle in close due to the swell that seems to be amplified as it rolls up the narrowing Firth of Lorn from the Atlantic.


We proceeded under the steep tillite (metamorphosed glacial deposits) cliffs of Garbh Eileach.


The cliffs are almost continuous until...


...we reached a break before the next island in the chain, A' Chuli (with Eileach an Naoimh) beyond.


We then turned south beyond a reef at the SW corner of A' Chuili. Above the rocks we could just make out the Paps of Jura beyond.