Home

 Then home to start the process of washing and drying everything and packing it away, with the help our our nephew Tamlin.

 

CalMac

 CalMac take kayaks for free, and we had a lot of gear to upload

Unfortunately, trying to load all gear onto the ferry in a hurry (to avoid delaying the already late-running ferry) I sprained my knee.

 As I couldn't put any weight on my knee at all, it rapidly became clear that it wasn't feasible for us to disembarg on Eigg.  

The CalMac crew were very helpful. They loaded the kayak and everything into their truck and took us to Malaig, where one of them stayed late to help Tom put the kayak on top of our car.

After trip to A&E in Inverness the next day, we started the journey home.

Very pleasant overnight stay in Appleby Manor

Samhnan Insir Beach, Rum

 From Rubha an Dunain, we paddled the 12km, past gambling dolphins to the delightful Samhnan Insir Beach on Rum

 

A chance to relax and do some washing, while being careful to avoid disturbing the deer (which are part of 50 year research programme)

The next day we paddled past an apparently abandoned fish farm to Kinloch to get the CalMac Ferry to Eigg

Rubha an Dunain.

 Rubha an Dunain is a stunning place, thats been used as far back as the Mesolithic

We camped beside the harbour and dry dock complex, that was built by the Vikings, using facilities that have clearly been used and refined by users of small boats for 1000s of years.

 

 

  Above us was a Dun, built of massive blocks defending the headland looking over to Rum

 

At high tide, in the evening light, we saw at least 100 dolphins feeding on a shoal of fish.  Gannets and gulls fed on them from above.

To Rubha an Dunain.

 We spent a few days paddling round the S west coast of Skye to Rubha an Dunain.  Lots of brilliant views.

 

 Having found ourselves battling an unexpected force 4+ headwind, we paused a few hours in the little cleft of Rubha a' Gheodha Bhuidhe under the Cuillins, waiting for the winds to decline (luckily they did) 

The coast is quite committing, because its not always easy to land, even for a pee.

Our "Basha"

 This trip we solely used our basha, leaving our Hilleberg tent in the car. We like the basha because it is spacious, light weight (1kg) and compact and gives an excellent view.

It is now quite a sophisticated and versatile design. The outer is made of a rectangle of 36g/m2 silnylon, with 2 triangular side wings to increase the shelter it gives.   On this trip we brought a pair of light weight walking poles to support it, but if we were somewhere with more trees, we'd probably leave the walking poles at home and just find some dead branches to use.

Critically important for Scotland, it now includes a zipped inner made of  midge proof netting, with a sewn in groundsheet.

On a calm evening, the midge protection is vital!

Theres a front "porch" that can be rolled down to increase protection from rain or dew.  For this trip we'd created some additional "awnings" (one is visible in grey in the lower photo) that can be attached to the sides to increase protection from rain or wind if needed.

 

We use paddles, (or nearby trees, or fallen branches or even bikes) to create a "skyhook" to hold up the rear.

If we want to cook in showery conditions, we sometime also add a paddle at the front to lift up the porch and create a nice sheltered area for cooking.

 

It works really well, unless the winds are strong (>Force 4) from the front, at which point one needs to turn it round or re-pitch somewhere more sheltered.

The fabric came from our favourite supplier, Extreme Textil in Germany. Sadly, because of Brexit, theres now a 160Eu minimum order value for shipments to the UK, and we know of no UK stockists.

Equipment

 A few things that make life comfortable and hygenic.

Washing up

We really like our folding washing up bowl (OK yes, we really do take the kitchen sink with us!) and a little mini-washing up kit. This consists of a small bottle of washing up liquid, a scourer and a third of a sponge in a net bag.

Going to the loo...

 When wild camping, dealing with "waste" is critically important. 

We have evolved a system with a "poo pack" this consists of a titanium trowel, a small roll of loo paper in a snappy bag, a bottle of hand sanitiser and some snappy bags for disposing of loo paper if we're somwhere where it won't degrade in the hole we dig. Scottish Sea Kayaking advise taking all loo paper home with you.  It's all wrapped up in a snappy bag.

We also like our "his n' hers" containers ... When its raining or midgy outside, it can be very nice not to have to leave the tent!