Evening Light, Skye

My paddle around Scalpay had been very leisurely. I'm about to go to work abroad for four months, so I wanted to savour the moment. The sun was dipping fast and made a dramatic silhouette of Beinn na Caillich on the Skye shore.



The shafts of sunlight angling from behind a cloud added to the reflection



But as the sun continued to sink, it was time to leave Scalpay and head back to Corry.





The sun was setting and the temperature plummeting as I arrived back at Corry Pier. The 30km circumnavigation had taken me nearly seven hours; the slow pace suited the day - it wasn't to be rushed.

It's days like these that keep me going until the next time!

Rocks and Birds

Near to the spot I stopped for lunch was this small island. It's called Eilean Leac na Gainimh which translates as something like "Island of the Sand Slab"

The island is an outcrop of very soft sandstone with pebbles embedded as a matrix, seemingly defying gravity.

This isn't a great photograph, I was so blown away by getting a view of a Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)from less than 20 metres that I forgot about the camera! The bird didn't immediately fly off, and gave me a stunning moment; I could see every feather and clearly read the bird's wing tag.

I reported the sighting via the Scottish Sea Eagle Project run by Scottish Natural Heritage, and found that this is a nine year old male, hatched in Wester Ross. He's part of a breeding pair who have successfully raised a couple of chicks of their own.

I've not been priveliged to have had such a close view of a Sea Eagle before, normally I've seen them at a distance. There's something very satisfying in the knowledge that they are on the increase and recolonising former haunts. The birds surely add to the seascape and the sky of Scotland.

Reflections, Scalpay

November often brings stormy weather, but sometimes there's a period of calm, settled conditions. On just such a day I started out from Corry Pier, near Broadford in Skye, to paddle clockwise around Scalpay.

The day was perfect, cool but not cold and very calm. Although it had initially been overcast, the sun began to break through and light up the slopes of Beinn Dearg Mhor and Glamaig. Caolas Scalpay framed the view beautifully.



As I paddled along Caolas Scalpay, I passed this cottage on the shore. It's called Narrows Cottage and is one of the holiday cottages on the island. It's in a great spot.



The water and air were so still that reflections were rendered perfectly and every sound was amplified. Shortly after this spot, I heard a commotion on the shore and saw an Otter with two well-grown and boisterous cubs.



I emerged from the Caolas (pronounced "kyles" and meaning a strait or narrow channel) and went around the north end of the island. Soon I found a nice bay to stop for lunch. It had plenty of fresh water for making tea, and a lovely view across to North Fearns on Raasay; where I paddled earlier in the year. A couple of seals were curious enough to approach within a few yards of the shore and another Otter, this time a large dog, swam across the bay. It was idyllic and I kept having to remind myself that this was November!

Soup

The end of Logie Head is composed of a huge blade of rock with a small window through it. A pair of climbers were gearing up to do some routes on it when I passed.


I arrived in Cullen, home of the famous Cullen Skink
The harbour was very peaceful with none of the summer bustle.


The bow of a traditional boat was reflected perfectly in the still water. This is a closed deck fishing boat of a type once common on the northeast coast.


On the way back to Sandend, the swell bursting on the rocks was creating another kind of soup

Findlater Castle

Today I paddled on the Moray Firth, from Sandend to Cullen and back. It's a short trip of around 14km, but there are so many opportunities for rock-hopping that you actually cover far more distance. Right from the start, a big swell was breaking on the rocks. One of the features of this coast is the relative lack of shelter and there are few safe landing places.



I managed to land in a rocky bay below the dramatic Findlater Castle. This castle is perched on a cliff in a most dramatic position. There are records of a fortification here before 1245. The site was repaired and improved by King Alexander III in preparation for an invasion by the Norse King Haakon IV. Ironically, the castle's name comes from Old Norse - "Fyn Leitr", meaning White Cliff, and it was held for a while by the Vikings. Most of the visible remains are from the 14th Century.


The castle is a superb viewpoint. This is looking west to Logie Head; Cullen is in the bay beyond.


It's possible to scramble down into the part of the ruins. There are two main rooms and a tower in reasonable condition. The roofs of both the main rooms are vaulted, but look to have been constructed at different times. This is the view out over the bay below. Must have been a draughty place to live!


The castle is connected to the main cliff by a narrow neck of rock, guraded by a type of battlement. It must have been a great defensive site, but doesn't seem to have had a water supply.

Paddle 09 at Perth

We spent most of the weekend at Paddle 09, the SCA's annual canoe and kayak show, held at Bell's Leisure Centre in Perth.


There was lots to see. Our personal highlights were the premiere of the "Sea Kayak with Gordon Brown" DVD, and an outstanding illustrated talk by Dr. Douglas Wilcox, which showed some of his wonderful photographs to great effect on a large screen in a side hall. The talk covered trips to Colonsay and to Coll & Tiree, and included a graphic account of Douglas having to reduce a dislocation to his own knee on a remote beach in the Sound of Gunna- cue 150 people squirming in their seats!


Above is the Karitek stand, with a selection of SKUK and Rockpool boats one side, and their skeg and handling products displayed on the other side. The blue boat in the foreground attracted some attention, it's a Rockpool boat made from "Carbonite 2000". This material looks like a composite, but is actually a type of thermoformed ABS. It's certainly light and is rumoured to be pretty tough. Perhaps a material which will become mainstream in time. Rockpool aren't the first to use it; it's been in use by Eddyline kayaks for some time, but if a well respected UK manufacturer starts to use it, others may follow.


There were some interesting bits tucked in amongst the retailers and manufacturer's stands. This is the Tiderace Xplore-X used by Patrick Winterton for his Scotland to Faroes paddle with Mick Berwick. The device around the cockpit is an extended cover to allow sleeping in the boat.


And this is the boat's shiny new siblings on the Tiderace stand.

All in all an interesting and well attended show.

A Flood

This is the River Don at its normal level. In early September there was a very wet day which brought the river to high levels, but that was nothing compared to the flood which has resulted from two days of persistent heavy rain.


This is taken from the same bridge. It's a frightening torrent of brown water, with uprooted trees hurtling downstream.


The surrounding fields and parkland are totally inundated


And the new bridge at Montgarrie is getting a serious test.

All over the region, roads have been washed out and cars stranded. Tragically, it seems that a farmer trying to get to some stranded cows at Kintore near Aberdeen has been swept away from his tractor, which was submerged in the burst River Don. It's a sobering reminder of the potential power of the river.

Autumn Bites Back

Yesterday I paddled on the Moray Firth from Whitehills to Portsoy and back. The weather was wet from the start, but the wind was light. On the way back, the forecast easterly fresh to strong wind materialised, and combined with the comparatively shallow water and rocky coast, soon built up some interesting conditions.


There aren't many pictures from this paddle!