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.

A rough crossing to the Rough Islands.

The weather forecast for the long weekend was pretty poor but there was to be a brief weather window on the Sunday. After an early start, David, Jennifer, Tony and I made our way up to the Island of Seil. Our plan was a dry trip to the Garvellach Islands that lie in the tides that sweep between Scarba and Mull. We were on the water in time to catch the 10:15 ebb express for the Garvellachs!


With Insh and Mull on the horizon, we had a brief dally with the reefs at the north end of Easdale...


...before the tide carried us at a steady 7-8km/hr towards the SW and Dun Chonnuil, the nearest island. Jura and distant Islay lay away to the SW.


The water was calm in the light winds, but Jennifer remembered the last time we were here...

...imagine a very rough sea at this point! My camera was firmly in its waterproof bag and it was even too rough to take a photo with the little one handed waterproof Sony! The ebb tide flows SW down the SE coast of the Garvellachs but when the tide is running at its maximum, an eddy flows NE up the NW coast of Dun Chonnuil. Where this meets the main flow there is very confused water. Our progress slowed from about 8km/hr with gentle paddling down to 2km/hr with vigorous paddling down the NW side of Dun Chonnuil. Bracing as they say!


Fortunately it didn't last long and we were soon in calmer water as we...


... approached the wooded slopes of the NE end of Garbh Eileach, the largest island, after which the Garvellachs take their name. It means the Rough Island.

An oasis of refreshment and welcome at Colintraive

The Kyles of Bute between the Cowal peninsula and the island of Bute are great sea kayaking waters.


The icing on the cake is the Colintraive Hotel which is just beside the ferry terminal on the Cowal side. I first visited this oasis of refreshment on a yacht in 1977. Last September we returned to see if the years had been kind to it.


Just inside, there was an impressive menu on the wall. Sadly due to the winds we arrived after 3pm when the kitchen had closed...


...however the welcoming bar staff lit the fire for us and brought us some freshly made prawn sandwiches. These were not only generously filled but truly delicious! Not only that but the Guinness was served at just the right temperature.

I notice that the Colintaive Hotel has won two accolades: "Scottish Hotel Awards, 2010 Winner of the Inn of the Year" and "Gold Medal Award for Real and Local Food"

It would be most churlish of us to disagree in any way, particularly in view of the excellent service, which we found on our visit. We will visit again soon, to sample that menu but this time we will arrive at this wonderful place early!

If all this was not enough, the hotel are now offering sea kayaking instruction for their guests together with local instructor Roddy Mcdowall. This must make it one of Scotland's premiere sea kayaking pubs!

Douglas Wilcox at Brewery Arts Centre Kendal 13/10/2010

I will be giving an illustrated talk "Sea kayaking is the new mountaineering" at the Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal, Cumbria on Wednesday 13th October at 8.00pm. Tickets are £10 and I will be donating my portion of the fee to the Myotonic Dystrophy Support Group. I am lucky to be able to enjoy many active pursuits. Many people with the debilitating wasting condition myotonic dystrophy are less fortunate.I have been honoured to be a medical advisor to the charity for many years and have met some really great people, who somehow manage to triumph over much adversity.

So if you are within travelling distance of Kendal, bring your friends and we will be able to do a little to help a great cause. It would be great to meet you there. There is a bar!

Wigtown Bay Windfarm Petition

Last Saturday JimW,...


...Phil, Tony, Billy and myself...


paddled from Fleet Bay, a National Scenic Area to Kirkudbright and back. Our route took us along the wild and unspoiled NE shore of Wigtown Bay.


At the end of our paddle we looked out from Carrick shore to Barlocco Isle, the Solway Firth
, the distant Isle of Man, Ardwall Isle in the foreground and low lying Burrow Head. The beauty of this unspoiled view is threatened by a massive "offshore" wind farm development.



The closest of the 90 turbines will only be 4.5km offshore. and will be seen from all round Wigtown Bay as in this view from Kirkandrews Bay taken from this document on the Keep Wigtown Bay Natural site.


As you can see, the proposed wind farm is not offshore at all, it is placed right in the middle of the mouth of the bay.

Apparently the site was not chosen by the Government or any planning agency: "DONG Energy, Denmark, applied for the concession rights for Wigtown Bay via an Open Water approach, where the developer has itself made a screening to find an attractive site to establish an offshore wind turbine farm."

I agree with Dong it is an attractive site but I think it will remain much more attractive without their presence.

Basically I quite like wind farms, I live next to the biggest onshore wind farm in Europe at Whitelee to the SE of Glasgow. It is in a great place, not very scenic, and right next to where the electricity will be used.

Wigtown Bay is quite different. It is "offshore" from a designated National Scenic Area and according to the Scotland on Sunday newspaper at the weekend, tourism is now Scotland's biggest industry and it is very important to the economy of Galloway in SW Scotland.

The construction work will be based out of the port of Workington in England, the electricity will not be used in Galloway and the cable will go directly to the south. Finally, the manufacture will take place in Denmark, so I think there is not going to be much benefit to Galloway.

Not only will it spoil the beauty of the area but it will be a hazard to navigation of fishing boats and yachts operating out of Kirkudbright Harbour. I have sailed and windsurfed in upper Wigtown Bay since 1968. I have always enjoyed the steady S to SW winds. Goodness knows what the wind will be like, downwind from this farm.

I know everyone will have differing views about windfarms but I was happy to sign the petion against the development here.

See what you think. Why not switch your TV and computer off at the wall tonight and join me? You do not need to be a Wigtown Bay resident to sign.


PS added 03/10/2010


Isle of Whithorn harbour nestles on the west side of Wigtown Bay.

Marcus Demuth recently paddled his sea kayak right round Great Britain. He stopped at Isle of Whithorn on the west side of Wigtown Bay where he appreciated the scenery and people as special. When a visitor from the USA picks out Wigtown Bay from the whole UK coastline that tells us that we do indeed have something that is worth preserving and also highlights its importance to the tourism industry in an area that has relatively few employment opportunities. Thanks for your support Marcus.


From the mouth of the harbour, the Isle of Man lies over the Irish sea.


Although the "Isle" was once indeed an island, it is now connected to the mainland by a causeway. The Cairn is a square white tower which served as a navigation beacon for hundreds of years as the narrow mouth to the harbour is not easy to see from the sea.


From the Cairn, you can look over the mouth of Wigtown Bay and the Solway Firth to the hills of the English Lake District. It is a view which is pretty much unchanged since St Ninian brought Christianity to Scotland in AD 397. If this wind farm goes ahead, a forest of 90 turbines covering 52 square kilometers will blot out the horizon.

Sea kayaking desktop calendar October 2010

October, raised beach, Jura.

The seakayakphoto.com October desktop calendar (in a variety of screen resolutions) is available for download here.