Departure gate, Port Mor terminal 1.

 Ian and I still had some time before the ferry arrived to take us back from Muck to Mallaig via Eigg. We decided to take the short walk across to the north side of the island. Ahead of us the brooding Cuillin of Rum slowly emerged from...

 ...the cloud that was enveloping the island..

 As we started the descent to the north shore Horse Island dominated the view to the north west of Muck.

 We soon passed Camas na Cairidh, where we had made landfall on Muck less than 24 hours before.

 Gallanach Lodge is the new hotel on Muck and will open at the end of May 2013.

 A few moments after passing the Lodge we arrived at the beautiful Gallanach sands.

 Though tourists would need to be prepared to share the beach with the local residents at the west end of the beach. Mr MacEwen the farmer and owner of Muck gave us a welcoming wave as he passed on his quad bike. Unlike nearby Rum, which was closed to visitors, Muck has welcomed visitors and offered them free access for decades before the Scottish Land Reform Act guaranteed access to Scottish wild land for responsible visitors.

 Just past the bay and farm we came to Gallanach Cottage which is available to rent.

Ian and I then took a short walk to the north end of Muck. I found the ground to be too rough along the coast so...

...we walked along the short turf on the crest of the ridge where we came across some gravestones.

There are a number of idyllic beaches here but we did not scramble down to them as my knees were really sore and we still had to get back to Port Mor...

 ...Terminal 1 where the crowds were already gathering for the arrival...

 of the ferry.

 The MV Loch Nevis reversed in and we pulled our kayaks up her stern loading ramp. The crew were most interested to hear how we had got on particularly as we were the first sea kayakers of the season.

The MV Loch Nevis called in at the new ferry terminal on Eigg after passing through the narrow channel between Eilean Chathastail and the mainland of Eigg.

The old tidal  harbour can still be entered behind the new jetty though the channel between the perches is neither wide nor deep.

As we left Eigg the low winter sun briefly lit the wonderful landscape before the clouds gathered round...

 ...the Sgurr of Eigg and sea fog rolled round...

...the north end of the island. With a chill in the air we went below to...

...enjoy a huge plate of scampi and chips.

All too soon our Small Isles trip was over. The crew kindly helped us pull the kayaks up the steep ramp then we loaded the kayaks onto the cars, which we had left at Mallaig sea front.

Ian and I had both enjoyed this trip immensely.  Neither of us is goal orientated. We just went paddling for an enjoyable kayaking exploration. Amazingly however, we had paddled between all four of the Small Isles and spent a night on each on a winter trip. A key element in this was flexible planning, we changed plans several times to take account of changing conditions. It would be fair to say that some of the options we had changed to, had been considered at the planning stages before we set off.

We had met many interesting and genuinely nice people. It was fascinating to hear how each island community was working for its development and future. We had faced everything from flat calm and fog to some of the roughest wind against tide conditions you would care to spend any time in, in a remote place in winter. Ian and I were also fortunate in that we shared such a similar attitude to trip planning and risk assessment. Ultimately the trip was all the richer for each of us, as it was a shared experience.

It is always good to follow a story from more than one perspective. Ian's story can be followed fom here to here.

As we drove home on the Road to the Isles, the sun set behind Muck and we knew we would return soon.

The stones of Port Mor, Isle of Muck.

The island of Muck was lashed by rain and wind during the night. We were really glad we had chosen to stay in the warmth of the bunkhouse.

We had some time before the ferry arrived so we decided to explore the environs of Port Mor. The old hotel stands on the far side of the loch. It has been replaced by the new larger hotel at Gallanach on the north coast of Muck.

The old stone pier is still in good condition but nowadays the flit boat does not need to drop off steamer passengers as the modern ferry can now land on the new slipway and pier.

 After passing it the previous evening, we decided to browse in the shop.

 It is self service with an honesty box. Apparently the last recorded crime on Muck took place in the 1960's.

 Turning north we passed the fire station and...

...the new solar array to help give the islanders 24 hour electricity.

 We started to climb to the...

 ...old cemetery and chapel at A'Chil. Most of the graves are marked only by boulders but there are some marked stones...

 ...including these stones in memorial of two dead seamen who were washed up on Muck after the tragic sinking of...

 ...HMS Curacoa on 2/10/1942 during WW2. She was escorting the liner Queen Mary, which was carrying American troops to Britain. Unfortunately she was run over by the Queen Mary during anti submarine manoeuvers off the west of Scotland and she was cut in two and sank. The Queen Mary had orders not to stop for anything. There were only 26 survivors and 336 lost their lives.

The biggest memorial at A'Chill commemorates the tragic death of three young island men in 1895. They drowned in a boating accident while shooting cormorants off Horse Island.

Above A'Chill are the remains of the abandoned village of Keil or Sean Bhaile. In Gaelic this means the "old village". In 1808 this street had 9 houses and two grain drying kilns.

Now only a few piles of stones tell of the lives and labour of our ancestors two centuries ago.

Defibrillator at sundown on Muck.

 We left our kayaks at the top of the Port Mor slipway and made our way past the...

 ...recently delivered wind turbines. Less than three weeks after our visit the six wind turbines were inaction helping to provide 24 hour electricity for the first time.

 We soon arrived at the Isle of  Muck Bunkhouse where...

...the warden Rosie was there to greet us. She is a real character and...

 ..font of all knowledge about Muck.

 The bedrooms were basic but comfortable.

 We brought our own sleeping bags but bedding is available.

The bunkhouse was very cosy as it was heated by an oil fired Raeburn with a back boiler for hot water. The bathroom had a power shower which worked when the electricity was on, or you could have a bath when it was off.

 Ian and I decided to walk back to the jetty to phone home. On the way we passed some interesting buildings.

 This is the gift shop with...

 ...Coastguard next door.

 Some crofts were in the process of being repaired....

....others were spick and span.

 The view over the Sound of Muck to Ardnamurchan was superb.

 We returned to the bunkhouse in the gloaming  where we made a huge meal of haggis, neeps, tatties and carrots. This was washed down with Murphys and Guinness. If we had taken unwell following such a big meal...

...the island defibrillator hung conveniently in the bunkhouse hall.... they are a self reliant lot on Muck.

We were glad we were not camping that night, as wind and rain lashed the bothy during the hours of darkness.

Port Mor, Muck, by the back door.

 Ian and I were now paddling NE and were sheltered from the swell. We passed the restored fisherman's bothy at Port an t-Seilich.

 The east of Muck is so low lying that the skyline is dominated by the distant Sgurr of Eigg.

 The mouth of Port Mor is partially obstructed by a large reef system called the Dubh Sgeir. The channels on either side are called Dorus Beg and Dorus Mor: the Little Door and the Big Door. Despite the low tide we managed to get through the gap this time (unlike the gap on the map at the north end of Muck).

 Port Mor is a delightful anchorage surrounded by whitewashed cottages and the swooping...

 ...Cuillin ridge of Rum makes a wonderful backdrop.

 We paddled past MV Wave which was the Muck flit boat for many years until the new slipway and pier were built in 2004.

 A flit boat ferries passengers and goods too and from a ferry that is unable to approach land.

The MV Lo0ch Nevis (the Small Isles ferry) was not in port so we landed on the slipway and pulled our kayaks out of the water for the last time on this trip. That morning on Eigg (it seemed a week ago at least!) we had arranged to stay the night in the Muck bunkhouse. The pierhead is one of the few places on the Small Isles with a mobile phone signal, so we were able to phone Rosie, who runs the bunkhouse, to warn her of our arrival.

Ian and I were so pleased to have got to Muck. In the middle of winter, we had managed to visit all four Small Isles and shortly we would have spent the night on each, Not only that, each night's accommodation had been very different....

Exploring the "wall of the tombstones" and "the den of the black revenge" on Muck.

At the far side of Camus Mor (on Muck's south coast) we came to the impenetrable barrier of the cliff  face of An Leachdach, which roughly translated means "wall of the tombstones".

 There are a number of caves in this otherwise sheer rock face. We chose not to explore them but due to the sheer nature of the rock it was possible to paddle very close to the cliffs....

 ...despite the size of the swell.

 At the south end of the cliffs there is a collapsed cave system, which is now an inlet called...

 ...Sloc na Dubhaich. A loose translation might be "Den of the Black Revenge" though it is currently known as  "The Witch's Cauldron" Whatever it might be called, we only took a sideways look into the foam filled gully and pressed on towards...

...the reef of Bogha na Fionn-aird. Despite the black rocks, we could see why this was called "reef of the white point". For all their poetic sounds, Gaelic names are usually pretty literal  Our paddle was nearly over and as Ian and I surfed some swells through the gap, we considered that we had just paddled one of the finest parts of coastline in the west of Scotland.