Saturday 30 May 2015

Narrow places - exploring the geos of the Angus coast


The delights of the Angus coast from Auchmithie to Arbroath weren't over by any means.  We left the beach on which we'd taken luncheon and almost immediately passed the prominent sandstone stack known as the Deil's Heid (Devil's Head).





There are some great rockhopping opportunities here too, and with the sun high in the sky the pools inside the geos we paddled were lit with a lovely and luminous light; almost as if the light was shining from below rather than above.






There's a perception that the North Sea is always grey and devoid of the colours of the west coast, but this is a long way from the truth; in fact the red sandstone against the water on this part of the coast is one of the most colourful sights anywhere.






In the calm conditions we were able to thread some narrow channels which wouldn't be advisable with any swell running......





...including one which narrowed to just about shoulder width and required us to propel ourselves through using hands on the rock.  The slant of the rock and the narrow nature of this particular slot put Douglas and I in mind of the angled sea cave which cuts through beneath the island of Dun in St Kilda, except here there was light from above!





Next comes Dickmont's Den, a geo formed by an enormous cave collapse which will be the eventual fate of Gaylet Pot further north.  It's possible to paddle around a central ridge of rock here, so several of the party did a couple of laps , one each way :o)





The rock architecture continues almost to the edge of the town of Arbroath itself, ending suddenly as the bay is reached; guarded by shelves of rock which make it a long way from the low tide mark to the seafront promenade near Whiting Ness.  This has its attractions too in the shape of an ice-cream van which we took full advantage of!

Whilst eating our ice creams we heard a call to Aberdeen Coastguard from a yacht which had become entangled on a creel float line.   Douglas and I spoke to the yacht skipper and established that we could see him about  a mile offshore.  We offered to try and help by either passing the rope up or, if we couldn't manage that, to cut it away.  We headed out but were overtaken by the Arbroath Lifeboat on its way to the yacht - the RNLI lifeboatmen are much better trained and equipped for the job than we are, so we were very happy to see how quickly they had responded; only 10 minutes from the original VHF call.







As our group reconvened on the water it was clear that the weather had (as forecast) come up a couple of notches.  A wind swell against the tide was being complicated by clapotis from the cliffs and the combined effect made for a jopply sea and an engaging paddle back up to Auchmithie.  We were certainly glad that we'd fully explored all the great rock architecture on the way south as the narrow channels and caves would have been a very different on the way back!

We rounded our day off having fun with some balance exercises, rolls and self-rescue practice just outside Auchmithie harbour, the chilly water reminding us that summer is not quite here yet.

Once again the Angus coast had given us a day of superb sea kayaking; and its noticeable that our paddling group grows a little every time we visit - the word is out!

You can follow this trip in "Sea kayaking TriVision" by reading Duncan & Joan's blog here and here and Douglas' blog here

12 comments:

  1. Ian, those are dramatic images of the "narrow places". I can never seem to get the exposure right with the sun and the shade. Ah, but it's an automatic camera, it's not my fault after all! But you do get the right exposures. Simply beautiful "architecture". Again, a great day. Warm wishes. Duncan.

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  2. Thank you Duncan - I wish I could claim that it was photographic skill! I use Lightroom to adjust the light and exposure levels - without it I'd have hardly anything usable from inside caves and geos!

    :o)

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  3. ... almost as if the light was shining from below rather than above. I like this reflection, and you caught that moment with your camera before any Lightroom became involved! Great pic's and a fantastic landscape, even on the East Coast of Bonnie Scotland!

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    1. Thank you Leif - though Lightroom certainly helps bring out what we actually experienced! :o)

      Kind Regards

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  4. Ian, I've enjoyed reading about your paddles around (and under) the Auchmithie coast. I finished my 2013 TGO Challenge walk there and had no idea what was under my feet. I was hoping to finish at the place named as Meg's Craig on the map but the gale force winds didn't encourage me to loiter on the cliff tops and I didn't manage to identify what Meg's Craig actually is. From the water could you see any feature which could fit the bill?

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    1. Hi Judith, Meg's Craig is the headland just to the south of Auchmithie, between Castle Rock (the prominent outcrop right at the harbour) and Lud Castle. The second image in this post:

      http://mountainandseascotland.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/an-angus-congregation.html

      is of its southern side. There are a couple of narrow sea caves at the base and it is a great spot for getting very close to seabirds. As with much of this coast, the best views are undoubtedly from the sea - especially from close in by kayak!

      Kind Regards

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  5. very impressive adventure... nice place

    xoxo, Juliana | PJ’ Happies :)

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    1. Thank you Juliana, it's a great coastline to explore :o)

      Kind Regards

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  6. I've walked along the top of the cliffs there. Great place and nice to see it from the water looking up. Great colours.

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    1. Thanks Bob & Alex, it is good isn't it - one if those unsung gems :o)

      Kind regards

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  7. Hi Ian. You guys dont make it easy for a fellow paddler in Norway, man I like to go there one day. The photo with kelp (is that what it is?) looks really heathy and fresh and thanks for more nice photos.
    Best wishes Rolf

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    1. Takk Rolf - you should come over and paddle some day! I think the weed is a species of Laminaria, we really only see it when the tide is low

      Kind regards

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