The glory of a Hebridean sunset.

 The sun was setting fast so we made our way along the beach...

 ...and over a bluebell covered hillside...

 ...to photograph the sunset over the Sound of Jura.

 The sun slowly sank into the Sound of Islay which separates

 Jura to the north and....

 Islay to the south.

We lingered long after sundown savouring the Southern Hebridean twilight until the Paps of Jura merged into the inky blackness of the night sky.

Baked potatoes at sundown on Cara.

On our return journey to Cara the sun was dipping to the north west and...

 ...the light took on a lovely warm tinge. The wind dropped which meant the midges...

 ...came out in droves. Mike kindly offered Phil some of his Avon Skin so Soft.

 We waited for the fire to produce some nice embers then put potatoes in tinfoil into their heart.

Wile the potatoes were baking, Phil went along to the other end of the beach to take photos of the sunset but...

 ...he soon came running back when he heard the...

 ...baked potatoes were ready. A little butter and salt produced a marvellous snack.

As we enjoyed our evening meal the various pebbles in the sand at our feet took on a rosy hue in the light from the setting sun....

A postprandial snooze on Gigha.

 Leaving The Boathouse we paddled out into Ardminish Bay.

 Yachts were arriving by the minute as the fair weather had encouraged them round the Mull of Kintyre.

This lovely old trawler  is Shemaron (CN244). She was built in Cockenzie in 1942 and was decommissioned in 2007.

 We were heading south again but did not get far....

 ...we spotted the ideal bay...

 ...for a postprandial snooze.

 Afterwards we explored our new environs.

 Rhododendrons were in full flower...

 ...and there were lots of beautiful sea shells...

...not to mention plenty of driftwood for the fire back on Cara.

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

A quick perusal of the Boathouse menu and we were persuaded to take a...

...table. Two lobsters, a crab, a haddock and countless langoustines gave up their lives for our luncheon.

We were in no hurry and while we were letting our food settle, another couple of kayakers arrived.  It is easy in these circumstances to really put your foot in it by saying something like we have come all the way from Campbeltown where have you come from?

Fortunately I simply asked Rob and Rachel where they had come from. "Devon" came the matter of fact reply. They are currently paddling round the UK raising money for SWAN UK and MacMillan Cancer Support. We wished them well as we left...

...The Boathouse and noticed that the sign had changed!

The great voyage from Cara to Gigha!

We decided to stay for a second night on Cara as we had arrived a day earlier than intended and it was an exceedingly pleasant spot. So it did not take long to get the kayaks loaded for...

 ...the great voyage over leagues of open ocean to...

 Cara's larger neighbour, the Isle of Gigha.

 We explored rocky channels and...

 ...passed delightful sandy coves filled with turquoise crystal clear water before (after what seemed like an age) we...

 ...finally caught sight of the island's main settlement of Ardminish.

The sea front at Ardminish consists of a white shell sand cove backed by a building called the "Boathouse." After our great crossing it was time for luncheon.

The Mull of Cara.

 The summit of the Mull of Cara is a marvellous place to spend a summer morning.

 Far below us...

 ...the Canada geese were looking after their goslings and...

 ...at our feet the moorland was alive with sea campion and...

 ...tormentil.

 In the far distance the Mull of Oa on Islay could be seen on the horizon to the WSW while nearer at hand...

 ...Cara's neighbour Gigha filled much of the view to the north.

It was now time to return to our kayaks.

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

From Cara House we made our way to the spine of the island and gained a grand view of Gigha and the Paps of Jura to the north and the north west.

 Continuing southwards, we approached the Mull of Cara at the southernmost extremity of the island.

 On the way we passed this beautiful tombolo beach and found ourselves in a sea of bluebells which...

 ....stretched all the way to the Mull of Cara.

On the way we met the resident goat population. When I visited the Punjab, I developed a taste for goat bhuna (though I tended to leave the trotters at the side of the plate as my dental work was too expensive to risk on the enthusiastic crunching I was hearing from my Punjabi friend's mouths). There used to be too many goats on Cara and as a result there were hardly any wild flowers. There were also lots of goat carcasses littered round the island in spring as the island was not big enough to support the population over the winter. On a previous visit the captain of the Gigha  ferry told me that a Yorkshire gentleman, with a chain of Indian restaurants, brought a refrigerated lorry and some Punjabi friends with long guns north to Kintyre. There are now...

...a sensible number of goats and the wild flowers have returned. Salt licks for the goats have been placed round the island so the goats are now being properly managed.The proportion of albino goats has increased since the shooting started, perhaps the recipe for goat bhuna calls for a brown goat.

Anyway on Cara the albino gene frequency is higher in goats than bluebells, I only spotted two albino clusters in this huge...

...field of bluebells, which led all the way to the Mull of Cara and...

...the Brownie's chair from which we enjoyed a view to the distant Mull of Kintyre.

Relationship between sea kayaking and the environment study.

Increasing numbers of participants in sea kayaking may be affecting the environment of the places we visit. There has been special concern raised about "honey pot" areas such as the Sound of Arisaig, which are also much used by commercial operators. For its size, Scotland has an enormous coastline and there should be more than enough space for all. Most sea kayakers think sea kayaking is environmentally friendly but if you see a flight of waders rise when you pass, think of the energy cost to their survival, especially in winter. Then think of the cost when other sea kayaking parties do the same to the same flock of birds time and time again.

A Scottish sea kayaker is doing a masters level study into the relationship between sea kayaking and the environment. Part of this study includes a questionairre that anyone who has paddled in British waters in 2012 can complete and contribute to the research. The questionnaire can be found here.