Loch Enard light show

On my return from Achnahaird towards Loch Kirkaig I took a more or less direct line north-east across Enard Bay. The earlier sunshine had given way to shower clouds which were dipping to brush Stac Pollaidh and Cul Mor with veils of rain.  The quality of light is one of the outstanding features of the north west and showery weather can sometimes produce some lovely and dramatic effects.  I wasn't to be disappointed on this afternoon.........

As the rain passed eastwards over Suilven the hill was temporarily obscured.  When it emerged, the flanks of the hill were washed with a rainbow........

.....which spread right across the width of the hill in a band of colour.  So intense was the colour that it was reflected across the the calm water of the bay.  I was absolutely transfixed by this natural light show, which lasted for some ten minutes before fading.

The passing of the rain was followed by some very clear air as the temperature dipped.  The Coigach hills were now pin-sharp silhouettes on the sky under a defined low bank of cloud, heralding the next element of the light show.......

As the early evening sun dipped below the cloud bank it fired the rocky gneiss shore of Eilean Mor (big island) with an intense warm light which didn't quite wxtend across to the mainland shore.  The effect was to highlight the island as if in a spotlight and to throw the reflection back across the water.  My paddling pace had now slowed to a trickle as I watched the light slowly changing across this huge and ancient landscape.

Turning into Loch Kirkaig, I headed over to the north side of the loch to stay in the sunshine as I paddled the last few kilometers to Inverkirkaig with the western peak of Suilven as my headmark.  It was a truly beautiful evening to finish a very fine day of sea kayaking  :o)

South from Achmelvich

After lunch at Clachtoll we headed back to Achmelvich, the afternoon sun warm on our backs.  From here I would continue south with the intention of paddling right back to our base at Inverkirkaig. 

South from Achmelvich lies the narrow inlet of Loch Roe. The entrance takes a sharp double turn before opening out into a pleasant loch with woods at its head.  This is the view from seaward showing how difficult the entrance is to identify - it's there somewhere!

 Continuing south, the point of Rubha Rodha was reflecting back the heat of the afternoon.

Past the point one is in Loch Inver.  The loch and town of Lochinver are dominated by the dramatic shape of Suilven (Pillar Mountain).  Suilven has a peculiar chameleon quality in that it looks completely different from different viewpoints.  From Lochinver the outline is unmistakeable.

Continuing across the loch, the island of Soyea was my next destination.  Whether I'd be able to land was another matter; the map was less than encouraging with no obvious spots shown.

Turquoise, pink, white and blue - a summer morning in Assynt

The morning lived up to the promise of the sunset and was gloriously sunny. We ate breakfast outdoors and then headed just north of Lochinver, to the beautiful Achmelvich beach. There's good parking, public toilets and a small campsite here.  A trolley is handy for moving boats the 200 metres or so from the carpark to the white sand beach.

It would be easy to mistake some of the bays hereabouts for tropical beaches.  Normally the temperature is more, well, bracing!  Not today though, even at mid morning the temperature was climbing quickly.  The thorny question was what to wear when the air temperature was forecast to be in the high 20's Celsius but the sea temperature is around 11 degrees.

Conditions were very calm and settled, and this was something of a decider.  We planned a conservative route with plenty of get-out options and opted for shorts and single layer tops.

Paddling crystal clear water over white shell sand on a glorious early sumer day - what could be better? Hidden bays appear between headlands of pink and grey Lewisian Gneiss.  We envied the folk in the small cottage their view today, but we know the power of winter storms on this exposed and wild coast where the bones of the land lie so close to the surface; in the winter life here is a whole lot different.

Lewisian Gneiss is some of the oldest rock on the planet, coming in at around 3000 million years old - a staggering age and perhaps summed up by the fact that no fossils are found in it because it predates all life on earth.

Named after Lewis in the Hebrides, the rock is found along the Hebridean islands and in the north west of Scotland. It is extremely hard rock which doesn't break down readily, part of the reason why the Hebrides and the north west mainland consist of bedrock with a thin skin of peat, interspersed with innumerable small lochans. 

This outcrop at Rubha Leumair (? Point of the leap) shows the attractive pink, grey and black banding typical of Gneiss.

As the temperature continued to rise, the view behind us showed the unmistakable shape of Suilven (Norse - Pillar Mountain) in the haze across a glittering sea.

The road to Assynt

Looking through some pictures, I came across these, taken in February 2006 on a weekend of very fine weather.

Cul Mor is reflected in a hill lochan.  A great hillwalk from Knockan, it can be extended to include Cul Beag, a long but rewarding round of two Corbetts.

The first thrilling view of Suilven (norse: Pillar Mountain), the improbable shape rearing up over the Lochinver road.  Suilven is peculiar in that it looks startlingly different from different directions.