A year of light

This year seems to have had great quality of light -  or perhaps I'm just noticing it more?

Certainly 2016 started with anything but light - the devastating flooding resulting from day after day of intense rainfall which inundated homes, destroyed infrastructure and altered the courses of some of Scotland's rivers.  The effects are still being felt and many residents across the country are still not back in their homes.

But after the rain.....

There's been light.  From huge Hebridean skyscapes and watercolour shades....

...to the warm colours reflected in an autumn loch......

From brooding stormlight......

To searing primary clarity...... the light has added immeasurably to being "out there".

There's been the glow of friendship; a shared love of wild places, and the intimate circle of flickering warm light around our camp fires.......

...there's been ghostly pale light of intangible, luminous beauty.....

..and the dappled warmth of a forest morning - welcome after a night of rain.

Then there's been the light at each end of the day; slow sunrises of staggering majesty over the Aberdeenshire farmlands of home.....

....and a whole series of pyrotechnic west coast sunsets

Solas in the Gaelic language -  in infinite variety light has been a thread - it truly seems to have been a year of light.

There and back again....

Our camp site on the Kintyre coast had been a comfortable one and we woke to a morning which promised showers but occasional sunshine.  After breakfast we packed up and got the boats down to the water.

We intended to cross the Kilbrannan Sound to the island of Arran and head to the north tip of the island, stopping at Lochranza for lunch.  At the start of this trip we'd discussed various locations for our third evening, as we were making good progress we'd decided on a crossing to Inchmarnock and a campsite we've used before.

As we crossed the Kilbrannan Sound a lively breeze got up ahead of a shower which looked to be a very heavy one.  Fortunately the rain passed up the Kintyre coast we'd just vacated, but we did benefit from a great sailing wind all the way on the 8km crossing.  It seems that this piece of water is prone to meteorological interest, one previous crossing gave some of the most remarkable conditions either of us has kayaked in

We arrived on the Arran shore south of Catacol Bay and after a brief leg stretch on the beach continued north past Catacol village and the row of cottages known as " The Twelve Apostles".  Built between 1850 and 1860, they were intended to house folk cleared from inland crofts to make way for sheep.  There was considerable resistance to living in the row, possibly because the rents would have been comparable to the dispossessed croft ground and there was little land to cultivate nearby.  The cottages were known locally as "Hunger row" at this time.  The cottages are very similar, but each of the twelve upper windows is different.  A local story is that the folk who eventually lived here took to fishing the Kilbrannan Sound, and wives could light a lamp in the window when they wanted their menfolk to return - the men would be able to make out which house had the lamp lit from the window configuration.  Well, that's the tale anyway!........

Our next stop was at Lochranza where we took lunch in the Lochranza Hotel with a fine view to the castle.  The tide was well on the way out here so we could take a leisurely lunch knowing that our boats weren't going to refloat for a while.

Refuelled and refreshed, we got back on the water and headed up to the north of Arran to start the crossing to Inchmarnock.  Initially we had a pleasant push from a light breeze to help, but a glance over our shoulders showed an approaching wall of black cloud....and ahead of it quite a wind started up.

There were no more photographs taken on this crossing, which proved very uncomfortable.  The flood tidal streams pouring up Kilbrannan Sound and the Firth of Clyde meet north of Arran and some confused water can sometimes be found here.  Find it we did, and in combination with a strong wind from our quarter and some breaking wave trains in the great swirls of water I found this a challenging 11km crossing under sail. A couple of times I was tempted to drop the sail as it was driving the boat forward at a tremendous rush, but I'm glad I persisted.... the conditions in which I'd sail in the future a little extended by the experience.  Close to the Inchmarnock side, a Dolphin surfaced in a welter of spray right between our boats and ploughed along with us for a few waves - an experience totally in tune with the wild ride we were having.

We arrived on Inchmarnock at precisely the same time as a quite violent rainstorm heralded the passage of a weather front - it absolutely pelted down.  My awkward landing on the rocky shore in breaking water led to a soaking - things were going well!  We decided to pitch the tents and to see if the rain would abate before moving our gear from the boats, which was a fortuitous decision.  Tents up (if wet) and we took a moment to check the weather forecast online.  What we read was quite a surprise.... the forecast had completely changed from that issued just hours earlier.  We could expect the wind to drop to almost nothing overnight before becoming strong in the morning, when we planned to cross back to Arran.

One of the keys to good trips is flexibility in planning and being prepared to react to a changing situation.  We'd had a difficult crossing and got our tents up - but there wasn't the slightest hesitation in our agreement that we should take them back down and re-cross to Arran straight away to avoid the F5-6 headwind forecast for the morning.  As we restowed the tents and took a quick snack the wind began to drop, but the rain certainly did not and we got going again in a real downpour.

By the time we were half way back to Arran the wind had completely gone - the rain alternated between light,as in this image, and very heavy; in the absence of wind the heavier pulses were heard as a hiss of water hitting water (and us!).

We made landfall right at our target of the Cock of Arran, a place we knew we'd find a spot to camp. Strangely enough, the last time Douglas and I camped here was also accompanied by a drop of rain!  Readers familiar with a west of Scotland summer will realise what awaited us on the shore given the lack of wind and low light levels.......

Midges.  Millions of the little illegitimate insects....   Douglas' expression says it all - but my camera failed to pick up the miasma surrounding him - it was a really bad attack.  As time was getting on, we cooked our dinner on the rocky shore in pouring rain and with our own personal clouds of biting insects.  We could have camped here, but it would frankly have been a miserable experience.  We thought that by paddling slowly along the coast either the rain would ease or the midge attack would abate as darkness fell.  Somewhat improbably, the rain did eventually ease and we did manage to evade the midges - and passed a comfortable late evening on the north coast of Arran.

A fire on Kintyre

The coast north of Carradale is wooded right to the edge of the water and feels quite remote as the minor road leaves the coast and goes inland.  

Near to Eilean Grianain (sunny island) we stopped for luncheon and watched the "Ronja Challenger" manoeuvring alongside the salmon cages of a large fish farm.  A newly built vessel, the Ronja Challenger is Norwegian registered and is on a five year contract with Marine Harvest Scotland.

Described as a "wellboat", her job is to transport live fish from fish farms for either transfer to another location or to a processing plant.  She is 70 metres long and has a capacity of 1800 cubic metres - that's a lot of fish! 

Beyond the fish farm the hills of Arran remained resolutely in cloud, but we thought we detected a slight lifting of the cloud base as the afternoon went on.

Our next stop was on the inviting sand of the beach at Grogport - great name but sadly no grog seemed to be available other than that safely stowed in our kayaks for the evening.

The mica rock on this beach is featured in thin layers almost like scales - this half buried boulder resembled a huge seashell. 

Underway again, the seabed beneath our boats was lit with beautiful shades of green in the pale sunlight. During the next hour or so we looked at various camping spots on the shore which we'd marked as "possible" on our maps, settling on a rather fine spot.......

...where we could land on a shingle beach usable at all states of the tide......

...with a good bit of level ground behind on which to pitch our tents.  The ground was a little stony for the pegs but we both got good spots and put up the tents, the green colours blending unobtrusively with the vegetation.

Before dinner we gathered a quantity of driftwood, and after dinner we lit a fire below the highest tide line utilising a "Wilcox Ignition Aid" TM

Keeping the fire small and contained meant that we could generate a good heat.......

...and sit in comfort in our Helinox camp chairs with a Sports Recovery Drink and warmed by both fire and a small dram of our favoured Jura whisky - life seemed particularly agreeable!......

....and continued to be agreeable as we chatted long into the evening.  Baked potatoes were placed in the embers at "Log Mark 6" for the requisite 40 minutes and eaten with salt and butter under a sky which had cleared to show a swathe of the Milky Way.  All in all it was a pretty perfect evening, and it was as well that we enjoyed it as the following evening would be quite a contrast....

The "Car" in Carradale

When we arrived back at Saddell Bay after walking up to the Abbey the view across the Kilbrannan Sound to Arran was obscured by heavy rain showers.....

...but there were signs of the weather improving with blue sky and sunlight giving an almost strobe effect as alternate light and shadow passed overhead.

We got on the water and almost as soon as we set off had a wonderful wildlife encounter.  As I paddled through a gap close to the rocky shore an Otter surfaced quite cloe ahead of me.  Rather than diving immediately or showing alarm, it swam quite deliberately almost to my boat, then dived and swam past to one side; I could clearly see it underwater as a silver shape with bubbles trailing from its coat.  Having surfaced behind me, the Otter took a look back then just went on hunting - a great close-up view.

The weather continued to improve as we headed north and by the time we stopped for second breakfast at Torrisdale Bay we were able to enjoy our coffee in pleasant sunshine.

Across the bay is the site of a hillfort situated on the headland of Carradale Point.  We paddled across and climbed up to explore the fort - little can be seen apart from the shape of the walls, now overgrown.

The place was built with a view though - right up and down Kilbrannan Sound and beyond to the Firth of Clyde.

Like many of these hillforts, there are signs of vitrification at Carradale Point, the most obvious section was just outside the main wall; we could clearly make out the joints of individual boulders had been fused by intense heat.

It's a short paddle from Torrisdale Bay to the harbour and village of Carradale, but we planned to stop again at the harbour to use the public toilets and to replenish drinking water.  Douglas had warned me that Carradale might not be what I imagined, and he was right........

Approaching the harbour, we paddled below an absolute eyesore of jumbled wreckage.  Old caravans, furniture, derelict Portakabins and cars were piled up at the edge of the water near a grim looking house.  It was a jarring sight and we later found out by chatting to a local that all this rubbish and more had been caused by one individual who owns a property at the harbour, and that there was little the community were able to do about it.  The village itself lies uphill from the harbour and is neatly kept, so it's doubly unfortunate that the harbour is such a mess.

The breakwater and pier were built in a curving sweep, originally in stonework.  This became very expensive and labour-intensive to maintain so a these days the stone is encased in steel sheet-pile, less picturesque but an effective way to maintain the operation of this working harbour.  Aside from Creel boats we saw a couple of modern and functional fish farm work-boats leave the harbour to service the large fish farms to the north.  Carradale village has undoubted charm, if only the "car" bit could be tidied up......

Arriving in Campbeltown with a bang

The weather pattern across Scotland in late July 2016 was unsettled with periods of dry weather and strong winds punctuated with short periods of complete calm accompanied by heavy rain. With the pattern seeming set to continue, Douglas and I looked to try and make the most of it by doing a trip which would start in the rain but then get some of the bright and breezy weather, but at the same time maximise shelter from the strongest of the wind.

On the afternoon of 24th July we arrived at Ardrossan ferry terminal in good time to catch the 1350 Sunday sailing to Campbeltown.  The three times a week Campbeltown service runs from the end of April to the end of September and has this year been put on a more permanent footing after a period running as a pilot scheme.  Aside from the advantage to both local businesses and car visitors to the Kintyre peninsula (access by road involves a very long journey) the ferry opens up great opportunities for cyclists and sea kayakers to start or finish trips - both bikes and kayaks travel free on Calmac services and users pay the pedestrian fare.

Our plan was to journey up the sheltered eastern side of the Kintyre peninsula, then cross to Arran to paddle around the north of the island and down to Brodick to catch a ferry back to Ardrossan.  We planned a relaxed pace with plenty of time to explore and had packed sufficient food for three nights wild camping.

Having packed our boats in heavy rain we were glad to be able to wheel them down into the vehicle deck of the "Isle of Arran" and head up to the to take luncheon in the cafeteria, both of us opting for the excellent fish and chips.  Boat trolleys are pretty much essential for using ferries, it just wouldn't be practical to try and carry loaded boats on and off the vehicle decks. Our KCS Expedition trolleys are tough and stable and can be dismantled easily to fit in a bag on the rear deck when the kayak is full with kit and food.

After lunch we went out on deck to find that although the heavy rain had stopped, the breeze had died too and the island of Arran was draped with very low cloud.  The occasional glimpse of blue sky gradually disappeared as we passed south of Arran and arrived in Campbeltown......

...where the rain resumed very heavily almost as soon as we wheeled our boats off the ferry.  As we stowed the trolleys onto the boats and prepared to get on the water there was an intense flash of lightning followed almost instantly by an enormous thunderclap, which had definitely not been forecast.  We appeared to have arrived in Campbeltown with a bang, and given that we both had carbon paddles and aluminium kayak sail masts we elected to wait awhile before getting underway; we had no desire to leave our earthly existence with a similar bang!

While waiting we watched a huge and very heavy section of a wind turbine being discharged from the cargo ship "BBC Holland" the weight of the section being loaded to a heavy truck obvious as the ship heeled a couple of degrees.  Ships which have large deck cranes to discharge and load cargo are particularly suited to harbours such as Campbeltown where there are no port cranes.

The turbine section left on a low-loader accompanied by a police escort bound for one of the large windfarms which are proliferating on the Kintyre peninsula.  As there hadn't been any more lightning flashes after the impressive single discharge some 30 minutes previously, we judged that it would be good to leave too.....

...and headed out of the harbour past the fishing pier.  The rain continued heavy and the scene was fairly grey and grim for a July afternoon!

As we left Campbeltown the rain eased to leave flat calm water and a cloudbase less than a hundred metres above the sea.

In these low light conditions any bright colour seemed intensified - while certainly not the ideal "summer" afternoon there was beauty in the scene as well as absolute pleasure in being out on the water at the start of another trip.

Campbeltown Loch is sheltered by Island Davaar, not a true island as it is connected to the shore by a shingle spit at low water.  At the steep north end of the island is Davaar lighthouse, built under the supervision of David and Thomas Stevenson in 1854, the light is a double white flash once every 10 seconds and visible for 23 nautical miles.

As we came level with the lighthouse our route turned north to head north up the coast of Kintyre into Kilbrannan Sound.  Our pace was leisurely - we had just over 15km to paddle and plenty of daylight in which to reach our planned camp site.

Memories of 2014

Looking back over 2014, I've been blessed with some outstanding days in the outdoors both on the water and on the hill.  Sea kayaking trips again featured heavily; an early Spring overnighter, a super multi-day trip around Arran, long days in the far northwest of Scotland, white sands and clear water at Arisaig and an introduction to the intense colours of summer on the Angus coast were all highlights.

On the hill there were numerous day walks, camping high in the Cairngorms and the opportunity to share in the experiences of Duke of Edinburgh's Award teams on their qualifying ventures.

As ever, it's difficult to pick a single memory from the year - and this January I'm going to cheat and indulge in two special memories.

The first combined hillwalking, sea kayaking, swimming and wildlife into a single day.......

...on a superb trip to Ailsa Craig.  In the course of a single day Douglas and I paddled over 35 kilometres, climbed to the 338 metre summit (more difficult than the height would suggest) swam in the sea and explored the lighthouse.  But it's the wildlife spectacle on the west side which leaves the greatest impression - on all the senses.

This "day trip" was amongst the best outdoor days I've ever had, and involved me leaving home at 0430 and arriving back at 0130 the next morning, the drive home (literally) illuminated by a rare display of noctilucent cloud.

Talking of which, the second outstanding memory of 2014 was all about cloudscape..........

...on an early morning crossing of the Kilbrannan Sound to Lochranza - the sheer beauty of which was impossible to put into words. 

A good friend has recently written compellingly about the gift of gratitude at the turn of the year - and looking back over 2014 that's the dominant theme.  In a year which brought both sadness and joy to our family, we've so much to be grateful for.  These two memories illustrate great days shared with friends; and I'm so grateful to have shared these and all the other wonderful experiences that 2014 offered.


So there you have it - two moments from another year in Scotland's outdoors.  What's your outstanding memory of 2014?