A peculiarly cold form of burnishment, in Port William.

The tide was ebbing fast from the little harbour of Port William. The village was  planned and built in the 1770's by Sir William Maxwell of Monreith.

The harbour is one of very few on the west of Galloway and like most in the area it dries out. Although the sun was now rising in the sky, the roofs of the village houses were still covered in frost.

Our departure was watched over by "the Man"...

...a weathered sculpture in bronze  by local man Andrew Brown (2005). I think he has caught something of the character of the good folk of the Machars. The verdigris caused by exposure to the sea air has been burnished  by the shoulders and arms of many tourists who take time to share his viewpoint.

What is this life, if full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare?

W.H. Davies

The winter sun also burnished the sea but it was a peculiarly cold form of burnishment.

We pressed on to make up time which was lost deep in those Galloway lanes.

The whole of Luce Bay is designated as a Special Area of Conservation.

We paddled past clear waters off the Point of Lagg which were...

...backed by the rugged cliffs of Cairndoon.

We were so far south that there was almost a whiff of civilisation in the air.

At the end of January we drove far to the south, into the recesses of Galloway's remote Machars peninsula.

The winter sun struggled into the sky above the distant Burrow Head, a mysterious headland, which is isolated by the swirling tides that scour the Irish Sea.

We convened at the little harbour of Port William. Our arrival did not go unnoticed, the local sea kayaker braved the minus 5 degree frost to bid us welcome.

To the north, a line of clouds betrayed the reason for the long drive south to Scotland's second most southerly point. We were about the same latitude as Hartlepool in England! So far south were we that  if you took a deep breath, you could almost get a whiff of civilisation in the air.

Out at sea the mysterious Scares floated on the horizon.

The shuttle to Garlieston was rather complicated by the myriad of small Galloway lanes, which ran in all directions. We did not return the same way we went, indeed we almost never saw Port William again and fully expected to drive into Lord Summerisle's estate. Our usual navigational ploy of keeping the land on our left had failed miserably. Since Jim and I were concentrating on the driving, the excessive use of global warming liquids fell squarely on Phil's shoulders.

Sea kayaking round Kerrera

From Oban sea front round Kerrera, a 23km day paddle on the Firth of Lorn, February 2011.

Crossing Oban Bay to Kerrera. 

Although we started in the town, most usually the best launches would be from Corran Esplanade or from Ganavan Sands. You can also launch over rocks north of the Kerrera ferry, opposite yacht moorings but not at the ferry itself.

Tidal flows.

Sound of Kerrera the flood enters the south end and exits the north end by Oban.

In mid channel:
NE going flood begins +0430 HW Oban (-0100 HW Dover) 1 to 2.5 knots springs.
SW going ebb begins -0155 HW Oban (+0500 HW Dover)  1 to 2.5 knots springs.

In the channel between Bach Island and Kerrera.
Times as above flow 2.5 knots springs. Wind against tide here can cause a nasty steep sea.

Kerrera is usually seen as a beginner trip but even in the calm conditions of this trip we were unable to land on the south coast due to swell. I have never been able to land at Gylen Castle.

Better days in the Sound of Kerrera

Max, the parrot vampire of Kerrera!

Turning a corner on Kerrera

Wot a Loti toing and froing in Oban harbour.

Swanning about in Oban.


A previous trip.
















 

Seakayakphoto.com trip index 2011

2011 running total distance: 126km

Circumnavigation of Luing, Firth of Lorn, 32km
Burrow Head, Solway Firth, 32km
Lady Isle, Firth of Clyde, 30km
Kerrera, Firth of Lorn, 23km
Dunure, Firth of Clyde, 9km

Rolling along the Carrick coast at Dunure.

On a calm afternoon David, Phil and I nipped down to Dunure. I haven't rolled my kayak for nearly 2 years, since I dislocated my knee in an accident. I ripped a lot of the medial ligaments round the knee and the patella and the thought of using my knee in a rolling kayak has not been a pleasant prospect since the operation nearly a year ago..

The surroundings at Dunure were so serene that I decided to try a roll. It happened so quickly that Phil and David did not notice so, I did another, then another. Sort of like riding a bike, I suppose. The water was a bit parky, so I was glad I had a dry suit and double thermals on.

We nipped up the coast to...

...the Heads of Ayr...

...where we stopped for a very pleasant half hour...

...before returning to the harbour at Dunure and the pub.

We had only paddled for 9km but it is a wonderful piece of coast. There were red shanks, oystercatchers, curlews, eider ducks and herons round every rocky corner. It took some time.

Swanning about in Oban.

Back in Oban harbour we came across...

...FV Lady Evelyn. Sadly she has seen better days. But possibly there is hope that she might see the high seas again.

We were now nearly back at our launch spot below McCaig's Folly and the Oban Distillery.

 No sooner had we arrived, than we were closely inspected by the local customs inspector...

...in case we had any contraband luncheon left. Only when the inside of each cockpit had been thoroughly searched, were we allowed to leave the beach...

...and make our way back through the streets of Oban to where we had left the car.

Wot a Loti toing and froing in Oban harbour.

The rain started as we continued up the NW coast of Kerrera. The rain hissed into the calm sea around us...

 ..and the seascape turned steadily to muted shades of grey.

Phil cut a colourful dash on the Firth as we approached the northern entrance to Oban Bay.

 We let Loti* enter the channel before us and enjoyed a good surf in on her wake.

We stopped for a second luncheon on a pebble beach on the south side of the channel below the Hutchison Monument.

No sooner had we set off than  MV Isle of Mull approached Maiden Isle at the mouth of the channel.

It is a tight squeeze for ships entering the harbour and sea kayaks have to keep clear! Again, we caught her wake, before it was our turn to enter the harbour...

 ...before MV Eigg, the Lismore ferry, nipped in behind us.

In the meantime, MV Mull had to wait for Loti, to turn round her passengers and clear the berth. A busy spot!

* MV Lord of the Isles

Turning a corner on Kerrera

 We were unable to land at Gylen Castle as there was some surf breaking on the steep rocky beach so we carried on towards the south west point of Kerrera. The crashing of the waves on the dark rock of Kerrera was the only sound.

On the way, we passed interesting natural castles of conglomerate rock sitting on top of what looked like a layer of dsark basaltic rock.

The mountains of Mull came in to view as we entered the gap between Rubha nan Feundain and little Bach Island. It was the height of a large spring tide, which was travelling north through the gap at 5km/hour. All was flat as there was almost no wind but this can be a bumpy place in wind over tide conditions. It is also a good spot to see porpoises.

Turning north into the Firth of Lorn, there were no trees on this exposed side of Kerrera.  The shore alternated between steep rocks and great smooth gently sloping slabs of basalt, like natural slipways.

Away to the north, NLV Pole Star was working at navigation buoys on the approach to the Sound of Mull. A blink of sun lit up the snow covered hills of Morvern, contrasting with an otherwise grey sea scape.

Port Phadruaig offered a welcome break for a winter luncheon. We were surrounded by calmness and serenity

Max, the parrot vampire of Kerrera!

We paddled down the Sound of Kerrera under darkening skies.

The great bulk of Scarba appeared in the distance and the wind dropped away to nothing.

The smoke from a lonely cottage on Little Horseshoe Bay curled lazily skyward. It is the home of Yvonne Macmillan and at least a dozen parrots!

Photo STV.

Yvonne has set up a sanctuary for distressed parrots on this remote spot on the island of Kerrera. Parrots are very companionable birds but need a lot of care and attention, otherwise they can develop behaviour problems. The island of Kerrera is now a sanctuary for distressed parrots. Yvonne is a parrot behaviour consultant, possibly the only one in Scotland. In 2009, STV made a charming short film of her interesting story. In it you will hear how a distressed Max bit Yvonne's neck right on the jugular! My father was a vet, my daughter and paddling companion David are vets and I know how pets can enhance peoples lives. It is good to know that people like Yvonne are prepared to look after needy companion animals.

With "Pieces of Eight, Pieces of Eight" and "This parrot is not deceased, it bit my jugular!" ringing in our ears, we  continued down the wooded east coast of Kerrera...

...until we came across the ruins...

...of Gylen Castle, which was quite free of parrots, though it looked spooky enough for more traditional vampires!.