In the pink on Loch nan Uamh

Another fine and calm morning greeted us - hard to believe that this was late March!  We carried our boats the short distance from the Glenuig Inn to the water and got underway - an eight kayak group.

Our plan was to head over the Sound of Arisaig to the north shore, then explore the Borrodale Islands.  After that the group would split up as some were heading home - one team would cross back to Glenuig and one team would paddle into Loch nan Uamh.

After a leisurely crossing we arrived at a pebble beach where a brief leg-stretch was taken.

I've always loved this beach for the pebbles - on an ebbing tide the uniform grey seen at first glance resolves into an array of subtle brown, green and grey shades plus the occasional polished quartz pebble as the shore is left wet.

Just around the corner is a piece of rock scenery on a different scale.  This swooping exposure of 3 billion year-old Lewisian Gneiss at the edge of the sea is a striking formation - and the pink colours of the rock matched the snazzy trim on Douglas' boat too!

The Borrodale Islands are a group of seven or so small islands at the mouth of Loch nan Uamh (Loch of the caves).  All are quite rugged but each has a distinct character.  It's possible that one of the largest, Eilean nan Cabar, has long been wooded; Cabar (Caber) is a roof-tree for a house.

It was well nigh time for a first luncheon when we landed on a beach below "Prince Charlie's Cave".  There are a multitude of such caves around the west coast of Scotland in which Charles Edward Stuart is alleged to have hidden whilst a fugitive after the disaster of Culloden in 1746. 

The cave here has a better claim to authenticity than most, the Prince was no stranger to Loch nan Uamh.  It was here that he first set foot in mainland Scotland when he was landed from a French frigate on 25 July 1745, from here that he escaped to the Hebrides  in April of 1746 ten days after the defeat at Culloden; and from Loch nan Uamh that he was taken off by a French frigate on 20 September 1746 having been a fugitive for six months. He would never return to Scotland.

It's unlikely that Charles Edward Stuart enjoyed fine food when he made his final visit.  David, however, kept the pink theme of the morning going with a luncheon of smoked salmon, fruit and a sports recovery drink - no squished sandwiches in this group!

After lunch, David, Phil, Mike and Douglas headed back over to Glenuig to head home.  They'd enjoyed four days of superlative early Spring weather.  Stuart, Allan, Lorna and I would head up to the head of Loch nan Uamh before heading back to Glenuig as we were staying another night.