Contrasting technologies on Canna

we continued on our walk to explore a little of the island of Canna and arrived at the telecommunications and postal hub.  A traditional phone box with functioning payphone, Post Office  and post box contrasted with the satellite technology used to carry calls from the payphone and transactions from the Post Office.  We used the payphone to check in with families (no mobile phone signal here!) and to arrange a call ahead to let the hostel manager on Rum know that we hoped to arrive later that evening.

Canna has recently been connected via satellite link to a fast wireless broadband network known as "Hebnet".  Developed initially for Eigg, the network is gradually being rolled out acorss the Small Isles (Rum, Eigg, Muck and Canna) and has brought dramatic increases in bandwidth/operating speed.  The network has been designed and implemented by the community with assistance from Highlands & Islands Enterprise and has had to take account of some local constraints such as lack of a centralised electricity supply on the islands. 

Hebnet is capable of 50Mbps transfer rates - and is now only limited by the BT backhaul arrangements on the mainland which limits speeds to 8Mbps - an interesting situation!  The roll-out of a fast wireless network is, rightly, perceived as crucial by the islanders.  Without access to the internet at realistic rates businesses are constrained and folk simply won't be able to diversify in a way which can develop and enhance the island economies.

 We wondered what the users of these earlier technologies would have made of it all!

One traditional technology which is in obvious use on Canna is the use of  snares to kill rabbits and traps to ensure that the Rat problem doesn't re-emerge.

Canna suffered a large increase in the population of Brown Rats, and a consequent large decrease in the number of nesting seabirds.  Clearly some form of control was required (Rats are not native to Canna) and so a programme of eradication began, primarily using poison.  One creature which needed special protection was the Canna Woodmouse, a distinct form of woodmouse found nowhere else.  As the mice would also be depleted by the poison, the Trust in partnership with the Royal Zoological Society for Scotland trapped over 150 mice and moved them to sites in Edinburgh and Kincraig in order to preserve a viable population pool for susequent re-introduction.

The programme has been a big success; the Rats are pretty much gone and the reintroduction programme for the mice can begin.

But as ever in nature, removing one animal from a niche gives an opportunity to another......

 Rabbits.  With no Rats, the rabbit population has vastly increased to an unsustainable level.  We saw big areas undermined by burrows, causing damage to farmland and the rabbits will potentially eat both crops and wild flowers to the ground, as well as competing with burrow nesting birds such as Manx Shearwaters.

An active control programme is in full swing using snares and the gun to reduce the rabbit population down to a manageable level.  It's a battle against large numbers, and this rabbit was among several piles of carcasses near the NTS buildings awaiting disposal.

It's not pretty, but it is very necessary.  Wherever possible the meat is sold on to butchers on the mainland- and the island restaurant and tearoom (currently up for lease) featured a lot of rabbit dishes on its menu!

Next on our route was the rather fine Canna House, home of the then owners of the island John Lorne Campbell and his wife Margaret Fay Shaw.  Open for visiting in the summer months, the house houses the Canna Archive, an imprtant collection of items relating to Hebridean culture and folklore.

Next we passed the Presbyterian church and burial ground - one of three churches on this small island.  Built in 1914, it was constructed partly in memory of Robert Thom and was also designed in part to act as a landmark for the fishermen who would worship there - an interesting mutifunctional technology in itself.

 The furthest point of our short exploration was the new slipway built to accomodate the newer classes of ferry as well as a Ro-Ro facility for freight and vehicles.  The waiting room has toilets and a tap for water (useful for kayakers) and also contains a small exhibition of pictures and information about Canna.  Nearby is the tiny community shop whic in summer sells (amongst other things)  island handcrafts to visitors.

 On our way back along the shore road to our tents, it was obvious that although Canna is a relatively sheltered and fertile island, it gets its share of strong winds!  Near here we had a superb close view of a Sea Eagle, perhaps eyeing up some of the rabbit carcasses we'd seen earlier.

Arriving back at our camp site, we took down the tents and packed the boats.  The wind had only dropped slightly, but our timings now fitted in with the last part of the east-going tidal stream.  this would help us whilst not being so strong as to kick up rough conditions in the wind - we hoped!

Setting out, we felt that this section of our journey would be potentially the roughest water we'd encounter.  We were correct.....

A short walk on Canna

We woke to a grey and blustery morning, grateful that we didn't have to attempt a launch off the boulder beach at Guirdil, which would be exposed to the southwesterly swell. 

Our original plan had been to have paddled from Guirdil, circumnavigated Canna and camped in this spot on the second night.  The plan had already altered to camping here the first night, and it was clear that we'd have to alter our plans further. 

A glance towards Rum showed low cloud moving quickly, a glance from the tent door showed large breakers beyoond the bay we were camped in.  Paddling around Canna was quickly discounted, as was bringing forward the intention to paddle the west coast of Rum by a day.  Both these are long paddles with no landing places on a shore fully exposed to the Atlantic swell.

Our flexible approach to planning was put into place and we decided to paddle back to the sheltered east coast of Rum, and to return to Kinloch and spend the night in the hostel there.

This wasn't altogether a simple plan - there were a couple of complications.  Firstly, there was a big spring tide running and if we launched straight away we'd be paddling against a tidal stream of up to four knots, with wind against tide to further enliven conditions.  We decided to wait until an hour and a half before slack water before setting off, which would mean less tidal movement and wind effect.  This led to a further slight complication - the channel we'd paddled in through would have long dried out, so we'd need to go around the west and south coasts of Sanday to reach  the open water of the Sound of Canna.

We felt that this would work, and if conditions were too bad, we would have the option to return to Canna via either end of Sanday, giving a "bail out" option or two.  An advantage to the revised plan ws that we had plenty of time to explore a bit of Canna on foot.

We set out across the bridge linking Sanday with Canna, and found these pieces of whale vertebra near to the bridge.  The south coast of Canna beyond was dashed with surf - we were now sure we we were making a good decision!

We passed the single storey vehicle park.......

To reach the National Trust for Scotland building, housed in a farm.  The island has been held by the Trust since it was gifted in 1981 by the then owners, John and Fay Lorne Campell.  The terms of the gift ensure that a viable community should remain on the island and that it shouldn't just become an empty, if beautiful place.  The poulation varies, but is generally between 12 and 20 people.

A small museum is housed in the former dairy building at the farm and has interesting displays about life on Canna in times past

Featuring implements and tools used in fishing....

And also farming; Canna has rich soil and good grazing; butter and milk were prime produce.  There are still cattle grazing on both Canna and Sanday, we saw Galloway Belties, Highland cattle and a fine Aberdeen Angus bull on our short walk.

If visiting by kayak, it's useful to know that there is also a toilet and a shower (£2 coin required for the shower) in an outbuilding of the farm, and a tap for water.

Canna beat an evening like this....

During the crossing from the west coast of Rum we used the lighthouse on the eastern tip of Sanday as our target.  Constructed in 1907, the light flashes white once every six seconds.  We had to aim off a considerable way to the left in order to arrive underneath the light as the tidal stream would push us to the right - at a rate of over 4 knots near to Sanday itself.

It was nearly sunset when we turned into Canna Harbour, and what a glorious evening it was!  We paddled past the St Edwards Centre on Sanday, a deconsecrated Catholic church converted to a study centre.....

And past the former schoolhouse, both silhouetted in a golden sunset glow.

As we moved along Canna harbour the view back across Sanday past the St Edwards centre to the hills of Rum was pin-sharp in the cool evening air.

 We slowed right down to savour the atmosphere and the quality of light, agreeing that "you just Canna beat an evening like this!".

At this state of the tide we'd easily be able to paddle under the bridge which connects Sanday to Canna in order to reach our intended camp site.  For now, this was simply too good an evening to rush - this couple of kilometres into Canna harbour stands out as one of the real highlights of our trip.

The sun had set by the time we landed on a small beach and put up our tents.  As the glow faded the first stars emerged and we were treated to a great display of the night sky, followed later by an enormous full moon rising over Rum.

We cooked by the light of our head-torches and sat chatting until the temperature dropped away.  It was a chilly night, and sometime in the small hours the wind rose.  As I turned over in my sleeping bag, I reflected that had we managed to land at Guirdil on Rum the previous evening we would have had great difficulty in getting off again in the rising weather.

Rum, on the rocks

 Once we'd left Kilmory, the coastline was a line of cliffs.  The gentle swell would occasionally burst against the base of the cliffs with a roar; it's a place to be careful in.

Squinting into the sun, we made out an unusual shape at the base of a rock buttress.  As we approached, the shape became obvious as a shipwreck.

This is (or rather was) the French registered fishing vessel "Jack Abry II".  She grounded near this spot late at night on 31 January 2011 in poor weather conditions whilst on passage from Lochinver to fishing grounds south of Ireland.  Fortunately, there was no loss of life amongst her 14 crew. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report is, as usual, both thorough and searchingly frank.  As with so many shipping accidents, there was no single cause, rather a chain of events which led to the loss of the Jack Abry II.

Outwardly the wreck seems in good condition, but closer inspection showed the damage wrought by winter storms.  Although nearly all the fuel oil has been removed from the vessel there was still a faint smell of diesel. As a seafarer, it's always quite shocking to see a ship in this condition.

As we continued down the coast the view became increasingly dominated by Bloodstone Hill.  We knew that the bothy we intended to use for the night was near the base of this hill, but we were under no illusions that we'd have a simple landing.  The swell was still low, but a haze of suspended spray told its own story.....

A short way offshore and we saw Guirdil bothy.  A fine "reek" of  woodsmoke from the lum indicated that we'd have company for the evening - if we could land.  In this image the sea appears very calm.  It wasn't!  A swell was surging up the left hand side of the bay onto a pebble beach, while the right hand side was guarded by sharp fangs of rock.

We felt that it would be possible to land our loaded boats, but what then?  If, as forecast, the wind and swell got up overnight we'd be stuck here.  We'd already pretty much made our decision when one of the folks staying in the bothy came out to wave.  The fact that he and his companion were dressed head to toe in camouflage gear was no incentive to try the landing!

If you plan to use Guirdil on a journey by kayak in the Small Isles, the exposure of this bay to the prevailing swell should be a factor in your planning.  

We moved back offshore into the sunshine to raft up and check our bearings and tidal stream timings.  Our plan was now to make the crossing we'd intended for the following morning, to Canna.  We could expect a tidal stream of up to 5 knots across our track on the 7 kilometre crossing so we worked out vectors before setting out.  A last look at Guirdil and we commenced the crossing.

Our change of plan was to be possibly the best decision we made all week - and for several reasons.  The first became apparent straight away as we basked in the evening sunshine just offshore while Guirdil was in deep and frosty shade....