Short day, short view

Life, work and other things meant that this blog was a little neglected during 2021.  That's not to say that I didn't manage to get out and about though, and there will be some catch-up posts coming in the next few weeks.

Just a couple of days prior to the winter solstice and there isn't much daylight here in Aberdeenshire, realistically six hours is what we get.  When Allan and Lorna and I left our homes in inland Aberdeenshire we were in bright sunshine with temperatures well below zero Celsius.....just 45 minutes drive north to the Moray Firth coast and things were a lot different; very misty conditions and the temperature a couple of degrees above freezing.  With just a light wind and a low swell we decided to set out from Cullen, paddle east to Sandend and return to Cullen.  It's an area we know very well but we took no chances with the visibility and set up a GPS in case things closed in further.

The misty conditions certainly made for an atmospheric journey through the rock stacks which are such a feature of this coast, everything seemed out of scale as towers and rocks loomed out of the mist.  We mentally ticked off known landmarks as we went and had soon warmed up from the chilly start.

The swell was low but long-period and as is typical on this coast had "sets" of two or three much larger swells at regular intervals.  Near to top of the tide this cave-arch doesn't have much headroom, so good timing is a must!

 We took lunch in the tiny harbour at Sandend before heading back around to Cullen.  The mist had started to lift a little and the swell eased to give a leisurely return leg.

An unremarkable paddle of just 13km maybe, but as usual this coast gave plenty of interest, and it was a bonus to be able to get out in our kayaks right on the cusp of the shortest day of the year.

Northerly, severe gale 9......

This week has seen some very stormy conditions around the north of Scotland.  The surf forecasts for the Moray Firth coast were indicating swells of 5 metres/16 feet which is very much higher than the norm.  The Shipping Forecast confirmed the conditions would be lively...."Faroes, Fair Isle, Cromarty...northerly severe gale force 9 occasionally storm 10, heavy snow showers, good becoming poor in showers..." - it was definitely weather worth seeing from safely onshore.

Lorna, Allan and I met at Cullen to take a walk along the shore and experience the weather. We managed to find parking spaces tucked behind buildings in the village otherwise we wouldn't have been able to safely open the doors of the cars! The whole bay was a mass of breaking white water and the wind so strong that walking against it was a considerable effort.  For context, severe gale force 9 winds are between 41-47mph sustained - storm force 10 is 48-55mph sustained.  On the beach it was comfortably in the region of 45mph.

This is the Whale's Mou', a long cave-arch that we regularly sea kayak into and through.  On this day it was receiving huge breaking swells right through - surging up the cobbled beach on the shore side - a sobering view.

Even more impressive was the view of the Bow Fiddle.  This graceful arch is a favourite spot to paddle and to see it like this was a real eye-opener.  The scale shouldn't be underestimated - check the size of the rock in these posts - then look at the height of the waves in this image and the video below!

It was such a wild and spectacular experience - the air was filled with salt spray and on the cliff between Cullen Bay and Portknockie we found it really difficult to stand upright in the strength of the blast which was coming straight from the Arctic, bitingly cold and laden with snow and hail showers. The strength of the wind on this headland, accelerated up the cliff, was just incredible.

In bursts of sunshine the Bow Fiddle was creating its very own rainbow as big swells surged through - the bay in which it stands was a maelstrom of seething surf.

Standing square-on to the weather, the stack of the Craig (actually named "Shitten Craig" from the bird guano which covers it in Spring and Summer) was being battered by the swells.  Early nesting seabirds would have had no chance of remaining in place unfortunately, the whole stack was being covered by solid water at times.  At least this early in the season any birds which lose eggs or nests will be able to start again.

 The outer harbour at Portknockie was doing its job!  Swells hitting the outer wall were being flung high into the air, but the boats in the inner harbour remained snug and safe - the impacts of the biggest of the swells could be heard even above the roaring wind - we wondered at the forces that were being unleashed.....

Allan commented later that it was the first time he'd travelled anywhere specifically to see some weather...we all agreed that it had been a very worthwhile experience!

A Supper Club outing

What could be nicer than going out for dinner on a sunny evening?  Of course, the correct choice of venue for a Supper Club outing is important......

 

...the restaurant should offer a menu spiced with a little colour.

It goes without saying that the surroundings should be fresh and clean.....

...and the entrance should be welcoming and distinctive too.

Any small rooms should be intimate and cosy for those who choose to dine there.....

....but most important of all, there should be good food on offer, and tables with a view.....

Whilst British "fish n chips" might not be strictly an appellation d'origine controlee, eating it in the open air by the seaside just seems to add to the dining experience - food in it's place of orign.

An evening outing of the Supper Club, kayaking from Portknockie to Cullen, with fish and chips by Linda's of Cullen.  Sports recovery drink for the non-drivers, cups of tea for the drivers!  :o)

High summer and high water - an afternoon on the Moray Firth

The last couple of days of August brought warm days and light winds to the north east of Scotland with very pleasant temperatures of 24 degrees Celsius. I decided on a leisurely afternoon paddle on the Moray firth from Findochty to Sandend to enjoy what might well be the last day of "high summer", and one of the few days when air and sea temperatures plus calm conditions gave a chance to kayak in  a T-shirt and shorts in these northern waters. Launching at an hour before high water also gave the best timing to make the most of the rockhopping opportunities hereabouts.

The seabirds have almost all finished nesting and the coast is beginning to be a quieter place; they may be mostly gone but the favoured perching rocks are pretty obvious!

Passing Portknockie, a shark fin outcrop marks the point where, at higher states of the tide, a channel heads between dark walls of rock to emerge......

...behind the iconic arch of the Bow Fiddle Rock.

I've been able to paddle under the graceful span of this rock formation several times over the summer; conditions here are so often too rough with swell and confused water, I take any opportunity to kayak through.......

.....in both directions on this afternoon.

A short way from the Bow Fiddle is a tunnel-cave known locally as The Whale's Mou' (Mouth), a long slash through the rock formed in a similar way to the Bow Fiddle itself.  The roof lowers towards the inland side and half way in there's a "window" hole which lets light in.  At high water it's possible to paddle through to a hidden pool and then round the back of the cave and into Cullen Bay - but in any swell this will be a risky undertaking with waves amplifying through the cave and breaking into the rock-studded pool.

No such difficulties on this day of complete calm though, the pool was a place of cool, green stillness.

Back out in the open water of Cullen Bay, the wildlife watching boat "Gemini Explorer" passed by on one of her regular trips from Buckie.  A former Clyde class lifeboat, "Gemini Explorer" carries up to 12 passengers, and those onboard on this beautiful afternoon had certainly chosen a good day to be out on the Moray Firth.

Hopefully the passengers got good views of these guys......  The thrill of sighting the dorsal fins of some of the Moray Firth's Bottlenose Dolphins arrowing towards you whilst sea kayaking never, ever pales.

A close pass, near enough to clearly hear the exhaled breath and vocalisations of three Dolphins......

....a final circuit of my boat, then with a tail-slap signal from the lead animal they headed off.  It was a real highlight of a high summer day