Caribbean Scotland

After the dolphin pod left us we paddled inside the Arisaig skerries, a complex of rocky islands and channels separated by white shell sand at the mouth of Loch nan Ceall. 

At a little after low water most of the channels are empty so we landed on the bed of one for first luncheon while we waited for more water. 

The tide in the skerries doesn't conform to the "rule of thirds" due partly to the complex topography but also due to the fact that the area of the skerries is a gentle dome separating the slightly deeper water of Loch nan Ceall and the open sea. The result is that rather than the strongest streams being at mid tide, the flood runs quickest in the first part and the ebb runs strongest in the last part as the water is forced through narrow and very shallow channels.

We didn't have to wait too long for the channels to begin filling and we set off to explore this ever-changing maze.  This area is immensely popular due to the sheltered location, white sand and wildlife - it's often busy with paddlers in the summer.  The guidebook Scottish Sea Kayaking - Fifty Great Voyages describes the Arisaig skerries as "the nearest you will get to paddling the Caribbean in Scotland".......

....and it's difficult to argue with that!  In fact, having paddled both; I can say that in my opinion this is a lot better....

One attraction is accessible wildlife; Seals are absolutely guaranteed here - a big draw for visitors as they often follow kayaks.

We exited the skerries at the north end and headed back south on the outside of Lunga Mhor, one of the larger islands.  A light breeze tempted us to put up the sails for a short while, but it was short-lived.  Ahead, a distinctive shape cut through the glitter and glare of the afternoon sun on the sea...

...yet more dolphins!  This was a different group to the one which had so enhanced the morning's paddling and seemed to be moving much more purposefully.

Nevertheless, they diverted to check us out and did a few circuits of our boats before continuing on their way north.  We had a small diversion of our own in mind on the way back........

....and really, why wouldn't we; did someone mention the Caribbean?!

Kayaks drawn up on a deserted white sand beach bounded by turquoise water - just idyllic.

We enjoyed a coffee break on the machair above the beach and had the place to ourselves - but if you come here in summer you'll be lucky to be able to do the same, it's a justifiably popular spot though somewhat overused by commercial groups for camping.  We restrict our visits to outside summer and don't camp here any more to reduce the pressure a little.  There are other spots equally beautiful and lots quieter within an hour's paddling.

Jennifer, Douglas and I can recommend a winter swim from this beach as a refreshing exercise - although we couldn't claim that the water temperature will match the Caribbean!

A pleasure shared on the Sound of Arisaig

This is the first of a few "catch-up" posts from earlier in the summer when I was assessing a team undertaking a Duke of Edinburgh's Award sea kayak expedition from Ardtoe on the north side of Ardnamurchan to Glenelg opposite Skye.

On the evening before the venture I travelled across from home and stayed at the Glenuig Inn.  Whilst enjoying a pint after dinner I got talking to Andy, who was travelling in a classic VW camper van and kayaking at various locations.  We agreed to paddle together the following day after I'd seen the team away from their starting point at Ardtoe.

We planned to paddle from Glenuig across the Sound of Arisaig - Andy was tempted by descriptions of stunning beaches on a wild coast, and I was very glad when the morning turned out sunny and clear; perfect to see this coast at its best!  Once out into the Sound of Arisaig, the familiar outline of Eigg with Rum beyond provide a scenic backdrop to the crossing.

We reached the north side of the Sound and paddled along the coast, soon arriving at one of the best of the small beaches.  I planned to camp here that evening in order to meet the team as they headed in towards their own camp and so put up the tent......

....while we dawdled on the beach in baking heat.

After lunch we continued west along the rugged coastline towards what I assured Andy would be a superb beach.

It's not all sandy beaches here though; one particular pebble strand which appears uniformly grey from a distance has a variety of richly coloured pebbles at closer inspection.  It's a place I can (and have) spent hours photographing pebbles as the tide ebbs back leaving them wet and shining.

But, white sand beaches and aquamarine water had been promised, so after a brief stop, on we went....

...to arrive at a beach which will be quite familiar to readers of this blog.  It's so attractive and relatively easy of access that it gets plenty of visitors and is heavily used for camping by walkers and paddlers, including some large commercial guided sea kayaking groups.  To do a small bit in reducing impact, neither Douglas or I choose to camp here any more.

It has to be said though, it's a stunning location with a view to match.  The coloured object above the high water mark proved to be a substantial piece of trawl net.  I tried to cut some bits away to remove them but it was way too big to make any kind of difference.

On a sunny day, the water close to the shore at this beach is remarkable, deep indigo blue through shades of aquamarine and turqoise to a quality very well described by my friend Duncan as "so clear, it's hardly there"

I think the colour of Andy's North Shore Atlantic kayak matches the location rather well!

We spent some time on the beach chatting with other folk enjoying the warm sunshine and gorgeous views before getting back into the boats to paddle back along the shore.  Andy would head back across the Sound of Arisag to Glenuig while I would meet the team of paddlers near their camp before heading to my own camp for the evening. 

It was really good to meet Andy and to share some time on the water with him; and it's always a special pleasure to visit familiar places with someone visiting for the first time, to see the place afresh.  I watched until Andy was a speck in the distance heading over towards Glenuig, then landed and climbed to a vantage point where I could watch for four young adventurers who were also exploring this area for the first time.

Blasting back to Morar

I'd previously only paddle sailed in open water, but now we threaded our way through the maze of channels in the Airsaig skerries under power from the wind.  A new experience but very rewarding and great practice for me; my 40-years-ago dinghy sailing skills were slowly recalled and put to use as we went from beam reach to dead run to broad reach around the rocky islands.

Turning out of one rocky channel we were about to pass a tiny sandy beach backed with a rocky shelf.  Too good to miss, time for second - or perhaps third - luncheon.  Our sails remained hoisted as we were sheltered from the breeze in the lee of the rocks.  It's not so easy to see but there are three different versions of the Flat Earth Kayak Sail (FEKS) on display here - the biggest difference can be seen at the head of the sails where they meet the roach (the rear part of the sail away from the mast).

We were soon back on the water and heading out through the last of the Arisaig skerries towards the open water beyond Eilean Ighe.  Our route down from Morar had been entirely against a steady southwesterly breeze and had at times been quite hard work, but all that effort was about to be repaid.....

Image by Douglas Wilcox

......as we were simply blasted back northwards along the Morar coast.  The wind was at the bottom end of F4 and relatively steady in direction and speed, just perfect for sea kayak sailing.  We made excellent time, covering the 7km run from the north end of the Airisaig skerries to the mouth of the River Morar in a shade over 45 minutes, giving an approximate speed of around 10km/h, or double "normal" paddling speed.

I'd already pretty much decided that I'd be getting my own sail, all my sailing until this point having been done using a rig borrowed from Douglas.  This superb run just confirmed things - a sail is on order :o)

The major thing for me when considering whether or not to take up sea kayak sailing was that the advantage had to outweigh the faff of rigging a sail and the extra clutter on deck. As a professional seafarer, loose bights of line really trigger my OCD! Safe to say, the advantage (and sheer fun) most definitely does outweigh the faff/clutter. Oh, and don't listen to anyone claiming that sea-kayak sailing is somehow "cheating" (cheating what exactly?!) - these will likely be the same folk who buy a kayak with hull speed as a major consideration.....

All too soon we turned the corner back into the estuary of the River Morar and into the shelter of high ground.  As we paddled back up to our starting point in serene sonditions and in a light rain we reflected on not only what a great day we'd had, but what an outstanding trip it had been, starting at Glenfinnan and journeying to the head of Loch Ailort (taking in a solar eclipse en route) before tagging on this super day trip.

Tough stuff and rough stuff in the Arisaig skerries

We continued south down the Morar coast and entered the maze of the Arisaig skerries.  One could paddle here a hundred times and not take the same route twice, it's a great place to sea kayak!

Another beach, another brief rest stop, though rather than sand this beach on Luinga Beag was composed of......

....shells and coral.  The coral is actually the calcareous skeletons of a red algae and it's quite tough stuff. We left this beach and paddled out around the outside of Luinga Mor, a short piece of coastline which, despite having paddled the Arisaig skerries many times, I'd not paddled.  It proved to be fun.....

.....in a bouncy way!  This is the best image I could get in the choppy, clapotic conditions.  Reassuringly, the P & H Cetus MV handles this rough stuff with absolutely no drama.

As soon as we turned the corner at the south west of Luinga Mor we entered much more sheltered water,  protection from the prevailing southwesterly weather is one of the great advantages of paddling at Arisaig.  Since leaving the River Morar some four hours earlier we had been paddling steadily into a southerly wind but now we had the wind at our backs......time to hoist the sails......

Shifting mist and disappearing beaches

Allan and I left Port an t-Sluichd and headed across the mouth of Loch nan Uamh (Loch of the caves) towards the Arisaig shore and the scatter of islands and skerries known collectively as the Borrodale Islands.  The mist was shifting constantly, sometimes clearing to allow a little sunshine to light up the scene, at other times drawing a grey veil over the sea.

We stopped on the Arisaig side of the loch to take first luncheon and then to explore the Borrodale Islands, each of which is different from the others in terms of vegetation.  For some reason none of my photographs from this section exposed properly - perhaps due to the lighting conditions but more likely a setting I'd changed on the camera. 

After exploring about half way up Loch nan Uamh we crossed back over the loch to the Ardnish side and began our return to Glenuig.

The south (Ardnish) shore is steep and rocky for almost its entire length and offers few landing places.  I've seen a Sea Eagle here and on another occasion the carcass of a Red Deer stag suspended part way down a narrow rock cleft by its antlers; a perfect hanging larder for Eagles, Ravens and Gulls. 

Today it was a steady paddle back past Port an-t Sluichd from where we intended to avoid the fresh breeze and bouncy conditions of the open water by island-hopping behind Eilean a Chaolais and Eilean nan Gobhar as we crossed Loch Ailort.

Passing between the point of Rubha Chaolais (point of the channel) and Eilean Chaolais was good fun with a building swell pushing us through against the ebb tide pouring out of Loch Ailort; we fairly shot through the metre high standing waves and into the calm water beyond.

Our eyes and our bows were drawn irresistably towards the small silver sand beaches between the point and Peanmenach - time for second luncheon accompanied by a dram of Allan's Highland Park, just lovely.  These beaches (there are two) are sun-traps in the summer as they face south and one can spend a very pleasant hour or so soaking up the warmth with a super view out to the island of Eigg.

If you try to find these beaches for yourself (and you should!), make sure to look when the tide is in the lower half of its cycle; above half tide they simply disappear.

Eventually the cold breeze persuaded us that it was time to leave this lovely spot and we prepared to set out on the last part of our day's paddle back to Glenuig......

                                                   ....passing Eilean nan Gobhar.....

.........all the time treated to a changing view as the mist shifted and the sun lit up patches of hillside.

We had to paddle against a stiff breeze to gain the shelter of Glenuig Bay where we landed at the pier and recovered our boats the short distance to the Glenuig Inn in good time for a frothing sports recovery drink prior to dinner.  We hadn't had a long paddle, the conditions weren't perfect but it had been a really good day to be out on the water.

Where's the beach?

Arisaig is a busy place to kayak in summer, and for good reason. Clear, sheltered waters combine with great scenery, wildlife and white sand beaches (of which more soon) and make for an alluring mix. Quite often the limiting factor on paddling here can be the availability of a parking space near a launch site! When the opportunity came up to paddle with Duncan and Joan we allocated the days and then the question was - where?. A desire for white sand beaches was expressed so that settled matters and we arranged to meet up at Arisaig village for an afternoon paddle with a longer trip the following day.

We found a launch spot, though at the low state of tide it involved a bit of a carry to the water, and were soon heading out amongst the skerries.  White sand beneath the boats and great clarity in the water gave us engaging views of the sea bed, and perhaps a hint of a beach.....

The bright colours of Joan's P&H Scorpio LV....

....and Duncan's Valley Etain 17.5 looked very fine in the pleasant sunshine.  We paddled across into the maze of skerries and ephemeral beaches of white shell sand which form the outer part of Loch nan Ceall, seeing an Otter, then lots and lots of seals.  There sere several other parties of kayakers enjoying the afternoon sunshine though most were already heading back to the beach as we headed out.

Moving out beyond the skerries brings a great view of Eigg and Rum.  We were on the water for three hours or so before heading back to change and enjoy a tasty dinner at the Old Library restaurant - which is highly recommended.

We'd had a really pleasant paddle and over dinner discussed plans for a day journey - to include white sand beaches of course! The weather forecast was very promising; a settled sunny day prior to the arrival of an Atlantic low pressure system which would bring wind and rain.  Meantime there was time to enjoy the evening sights and sounds of Arisaig, and a sunset......

......which was "nae bad" !

Signs of previous visitors to the Sound of Arisaig

Leaving Port an t-Sluichd I crossed to the north shore of the Sound of Arisaig on my return leg.  The transit for the crossing was pretty straightforward - aim for the Rum Cuillin beyond!

 I arrived at Eilean a'Ghaill for a lunch break.  There were two other paddlers there already and we wandered up to the summit of the island to check out the remains of the hillfort.  We didn't find the stone lined well, but the remains for the walls can be traced.  Interestingly the name translates as "Island of the Strangers", so perhaps this was an outpost of different folk from those originally here - it would be fascinating to know who built the fort and where they came from.

Whoever they were, the site they chose is a good vantage point. The view takes in the whole of the Sound of Arisaig, to Moidart and Ardnamurchan in the south, back to Loch nan Uamh and Loch Ailort (above)

And west to the open sea, the island of Eigg and beyond to Rum.

Some signs of previous visitors to the area are less welcome than the hillforts which dot the coastline.  Those folk who know this beach and campsite will no doubt have fond memories of it.

Unfortunately, the signs of previous visitors here now include a fire ring in the fragile turf above the high water mark in which a quantity of plastic has been burned along with firewood.  This is a popular spot, one can walk or kayak to it relatively easily and it's white sand backed by level turf makes it most attractive.  It gets use from both individuals and increasingly by commercial sea kayaking groups.

It's not possible to tell who lit this fire; commercial groups generally abide by acceptable low-impact practice as far as possible, and all the sea-kayakers and walkers whom I know wouldn't light a fire above the HW mark.  It's a real shame, and the damage will take some time to repair.

All clear at Arisaig

Two weeks after Dave and I had experienced grey skies and windy conditions in Loch Ailort, I was back in roughly the same area, setting off from Arisaig this time. The weather was somewhat different....

Clear blue skies and light winds!  Over Rois Bheinn a cloud cap added drama to the scene but brought no rain. There was even warmth in the late September sunshine.

Naturally, i wasn't the only one to spot the opportunity of a good couple of days of weather.  Chris, Matthew and Barabara were starting a weekend trip southwards to Moidart.  We were heading the same way for a while and chatted as we went, just enjoying being out on this lovely afternoon.

Soon after we went our separate ways, I paused at a beach to get wood for the evening's fire.  The storm line on this particular pebble beach was full of dry driftwood - a quarter of an hour's work with a folding saw and I had enough for the night and extra to leave in the bothy for the next folk.

Some wood went inside the boat, the rest as a rather inelegant deck cargo; fortunately I didn't have too far to go!

Settled in the bothy, stove lit and dinner taken, I sat outside with a dram and watched a quiet sunset turn the world to shades of bronze.  An otter swam across the bay in front of me and all was quiet except for the occasional bird call and a very gentle sigh from the lapping of the water on the shingle.  It really was a quite beautiful evening.

As the sunset faded, the moon brightened, already low in the sky and setting.  The sky cleared during the late evening and after the moon set the stars were amazing, a huge swathe of the milky way above me.  I didn't really need a weather forecast from the radio, all was set clear.