End of an Eigg day

At the end of the day...


...nothing beats a good campfire. As the glow of the setting sun left the sky, the dark rocks were illuminated by the glow of the fire.

We bought a sack of logs at a garage in Fort William and built the fire on the sand below the HW mark. There was no trace in the morning.

13/08/2008

The Golden Eigg of Arisaig

Sunset is a magical time to be on the water. When the skies cleared there was a mad scramble for the kayaks...


..in the rush to be on the water....


...as the sun set behind the distinctive outline of Eigg.

13/09/2008

Sunset over the Sea of the Hebrides

It was a relief when the rain stopped. We were by now famished and we were able to enjoy our evening meal in the dry.


After a post prandial Guinness, I decided to climb a hill to get a photo of our little bay. The colours of the bronze and gold autumn bracken and the turquoise water over the white shell sand beach leaped out of the surrounding landscape of gray rock and sky.


Then I crested the ridge. To the west, the clouds were breaking and the mists were curling and lifting round the Sgurr of Eigg which rose out of the burnished gold of the Sea of the Hebrides.


As if this was not enough, the clouds began to lift from the mountainous isle of Rum, which lies beyond Eigg. Its mountain tops have dreamy names like Sgurr nan Gillean, Ainshval, Trollaval, Askival and Hellival. Seeing them floating above a sea of cloud told us we had truly arrived in sea kayaking heaven.

13/09/2008

Arrival in the Sound of Arisaig

We paddled on through the rain and drizzle and eventually arrived at a sheltered cove protected from the swell by offshore skerries.


We erected the tents in the rain but as we started to carry our gear up from the boats that golden glow on the horizon began to grow.


As Ardnamurchan Point came into view our hopes were raised for a dry night and even a sunset!
13/09/2008

Midges and rain but no French gold in Loch nan Ceall

Seakayakphoto.com is delighted to welcome a new staff member. Alastair joined a sea kayaking trip in desperate search for fair weather despite an atrocious forecast. After a long drive to Loch nan Ceall near Arisaig, the mist was hanging low over the sea. It was the Scotch variety; a very fine but wetting rain and infested with midges. "We must be mad!" was the general consensus.


Once on the water it was slightly better, at least the midges had not followed us but the prospect of a sodden camp did not hold much attraction.


We paddled below a raised beach. The cliff behind was riddled with caves. We landed to explore an interesting one. In 1746 two French warships landed gold to support the Jacobite cause after their defeat at Culloden the year before. The Royal Navy blockaded the ships and some Frenchmen escaped with the gold on land. It was never found and is reputed to be hidden away in this area.


We climbed up to the cave. Its sheltering wall meant it was dry as a bone but despite a careful search no gold was found. We found some neatly carved graffiti from 1936 but nothing else. We had wondered about using the cave as a doss for the night but the smell of beasts was unappealing.


We paddled on under low clouds and rain but an occasional golden glow on the western horizon promised better...

13/09/2008

A residence on Scarba

After our exertions we were ready for a rest. We came across an old keeper's cottage high above a bay of slippery cobbles on Scarba's southern coast.


Despite having a sound roof with recent double glazing to the south, it was dusty and damp. Tony and I didn't find the atmosphere within conducive to a good night's sleep.


So we retreated to the shore where we pitched our tents. The souls of lost sailors are reputed to roam the coast of Scarba at night. Well it wasn't lost souls that bothered us. It was the double whammy of midges and ticks.

30/08/2008

The Great Race of Corryvreckan

We paddled down the exposed west side of Scarba.


Jura lay far to the south.


As we approached the Corryvreckan, plan A did not seem quite such a good idea. Plan A involved sticking close to the Scarba shore and using an eddy to carry us into the Corryvreckan against the full force of the flood tide. As you can see, a slight swell made the edge somewhat rougher than we (fair weather paddlers) choose to paddle in.


We entered the Corryvreckan on Saturday at 1552. Although it was the last hour of the flood, the flow was still running at full belt! The rule of thirds does not apply here!


We found ourselves in a patch of calm water between the eddy and the Great Race of the Corryvreckan. The Great Race extends for 5 nautical miles out to sea. It is not a place to get into trouble.


It was with some pleasure and dry mouths that we found ourselves paddling into the shelter of the Great Gulf of Corryvreckan.

30/08/2008