Oronsay

The weather was brilliant (even though the rest of the UK was being lashed with storms and flooding) The "strand" between Colonsay and Oronsay is so shallow we could cycle across at low tide!

Colonsay

After a few days cycling on the mainland, we headed over to Colonsay and Oronsay (by Calmac ferry) with our bikes for the weekend.   Both are heaven for birders, with corncrakes croking seemingly from every meadow one passes. Great place for picnics too.

Ardfern

Back for a few days at Patrick and MAs "bothy" at Ardfern, with its fabulous view over loch Craignish....

CalMac

Lovely CalMac ferries take kayaks for free.  When Tom zoomed off to hitch a lift back to our car, 2 burly CalMac staff arrived to help me get all our stuff off the ferry, and the supervisor even came along too to make sure they did it right!

Port Askaig

Arrived Saturday afternoon and asked hopefully in the hotel for a room.... Unsurprisingly (as it was the long Jubilee weekend and the last day of the Islay whisky festival) they were full, but amazingly they took pity on us and let us bivi in their lounge!) We tethered our kayak beside their lawn and tucked into a wonderful meal.

To Islay

Continued gently down the West coast, past strange "easter island" rock formations to Port Askaig.  Crossing the sound of Islay needed careful timing, bacause the current is much too strong to paddle against, but even though it would be with us later, we had a slight head wind and didn't fancy the wind against tide effects.

Loch Tarbert

After a tiring day, seemingly with current and wind against us we arrived at the NW headland of Loch Tarbert.  The sun came out as we arrived, (followed by the washing) the view of the Paps of Jura was wonderful and we knew that if the wind got up, we did at least now have a bail out option of going to the head of Loch Tarbert and doing the portage over to the East coast.   Even had a mobile phone signal from the top of the hill!

Glengarrisdale Bay

Camped in the bay, with the bothy nestling under the hillside across a flower strewn meadow.

Corryvreckan

Fullfilled a long held dream of Toms and kayaked through Corryvreckan to the west coast of Jura.   Conditions were ideal.. Slack tide at Neaps, v calm weather and Toms meticulous planning meant we were there at the right time to the minute.   Nevertheless, there still seemed to be simultaneously an east going current of 4km/hr with a west going current of 4km/hr just beside it.  We swept through with a clutch of hopeful seagulls and camped in the nearest bay, Bagh Gleann nam Muc, getting up at 4am the next morning to avoid getting caught up in the eddies.

To Jura

Loaded the Kayak up with a week's worth of food (in case we got locked in on the west coast by the weather) and set off to Corryvreckan after a pleasant day's kayaking with our friends Patrick and MA in Ardfern

Loch Etive

Started our 2012 Scottish trip by paddling up Loch Etive on a beautiful calm sunny day to camp with our friends Philip and Monica at Rubha Bharr.  Its currently the hottest place in the UK at 27.3C.  For the first time ever, it was a pleasure swimming in a scottish mountain stream!