Nautical Chelsea Tractors?

Well, yesterday was indeed very relaxing. We had a late start and enjoyed relaxing on our beach on Loch Alsh, watching the passing boats heading east and waiting for the afternoon westborn tide "window" when we would be able to go through the narrows at Kyle of Lockalsh and out into the open sea. However by the afternoon, the wind had got up.. We didn't fancy a slog into a good force 4/5 westerly, so decided on an early morning start the next day.

When the alarm went off at 05:10, surprisingly it still seemed like a good idea. It was a georgeous day: sunny and calm, with just enough breeze to deter the midges. We cruised North, through silken waters with gambling dolphins, arriving at lunchtime at the wonderful Applecross Inn for a huge plate of Applecross bay prawns.

During our trip, we've seen quite a few nice yachts, but I'm getting increasingly suspicious that they are the nautical equivalent of a Chelsea Tractor. Almost all of them seem to be chugging around using their diesel engines, even if there's a nice following wind. The only boats we've seen that were REALLY sailing, was a small (engineless) dingy tacking up into the wind a few miles south of Applecross , and a gorgeous yacht from the Youth Sailing Trust Scotland on Mull with a crew of 17.

Are the sails just for show: the nautical equivalent of having 4x4, when you seldom use it for anything more challenging than the speed bumps at Waitrose? Maybe a yachtie can enlighten me!?

BTW. mobile phone coverage may get a bit sparce from here on, so we'll have to see where we can next post the blog from ...

Sgritheall and Kyle Rhea

Yesterday, (yet again) we had a super but strenuous day, which ended by us saying "we really must relax a little more!"

Tuesday morning we had kayaked up to a beach just south of the kyle rhea narrows between Skye and the mainland, then carried our (rather heavy) camping gear a few miles up the Glenn Beag valley, visiting several Brochs on the way. These are amazing structures: about 2000 years old, looking a bit like double walled cooling towers. They were probably built partially for defensive purposes, but also for living in. Glen Beag has the second best preserved example which is about 10m high (the best preserved is on the island of Harris in the Outer Hebrides)

The next day we climbed Sgritheall (pronounced Scriol!) for a wonderful view from Ardamurchan peninsula to Torriden and the Hebrides, before coming down, repacking the kayak and zooming (at 15kph) on the tide through the Kyle Rhea narrows. The tide slooshes through here to Loch Alsh and out through Kyle Akin, giving 2 narrow opportunities each day to go through. The next opportunity was going to be 4am Thursday. Not an attractive proposition!

We finally put the tent up on a beach just W of Kyle of Lockalsh at about 7pm, determined to relax the following morning while we waited for the next tidal "window" to open at 3pm so we could go through the Kyle Alkin narrow to the open sea once more.

Knoydart Crofter

The North wind lessened so we could paddle away from Eigg, feeling inspired, heading for the mainland. Again the shearwaters put on a wave-skimming flying display for us. Returned to a beach just south of Morar, where I led a group of Barnardo boys Kayak-camping in 1967. Got a beautiful sunset over the Skye Cullin, as in the film, Local Hero.

I'm fond of Mallaig, but it was pretty crowded, so the next day, after shopping and fish & chips, we headed into a northerly headwind again. We were glad to reach Airor in the west of Knoydart, where my old friend Dave lives. We worked together at Camusrory (at the head of Loch Nevis), where Barardos had an adventure school - but he stayed!



He's been crofting on Knoydart, the most remote part of UK mainland, ever since. He was making silage for his cattle when we arrived, but took the time to give us a fine welcome. I couldn't refuse his beef stew -my vegetarianism relaxes about once a decade in "3rd world", non-factory farm, situations. Dave's pushing 70 and is considering scaling down his crofting, but wouldn't move -he loves the real neighbourliness of this isolated community.

Muck to Eigg

Had a second day roaming Muck: with vivid views & time for relaxed chat. The bright skies & superb visibility are from a stable weather pattern, also bringing fresh North winds. On Thursday we loaded up the kayak & paddled to the East end of Muck, hoping to cross to Eigg. The wind had risen since we'd first looked, so we landed & climbed to a sheltered spot, waiting for it to lessen. Studying the crossing with binoculars convinced us it was still too rough for us & we returned to camp on a headland with fantstic views. The wind veered in the night & we eventually moved the basha to a more sheltered spot to avoid the noise of incessant flapping!

The Small Isles are served by Calmac ferries that take Kayaks for free - perfect for this situation. We were ferried to Eigg where we've spent a couple of days exploring, staying at Jackie & Mick's B&B. The island's celebrating the 10th anniversity of its community buy-out this year. It's also has virtually 100% renewable electricity from hydro, wind & solar, although last year when we visited the diesel generator was back on because of a severe drought. Lots of dramatic landscape to see, much of it volcanic, as with these lava bombs.

Tomorrow the forecast is for less wind & we hope to paddle to the mainland.

Muck

Great weather made crossing to the Isle of Muck a dream, paddling past rafts of Manx Shearwaters that would sometimes take off & fly at great speed, alarmingly close to us, skimming the sea. Last year we saw the burrows on the Rum mountains, where they nest. Having migrated from South America, they take turns parenting for alternate weeks, meanwhile nipping down to the Bay of Biscay to feed. When the young have grown enough, they're abandoned and find their own way to South America!

Muck is a welcoming small Island that we ambled about today, marvelling at its colourful variety and views of Islands, all around, including the Outer Hebrides, right down South to Mingulay. We get tantalising glimpses of small island community life, which appears idyllic today. People are relaxed & friendly.

The Port Mor House Hotel is providing us a luxury break, which is especially welcome because Anne has strained her back, Kayak lifting - it's now getting better.
When we and the weather are good, we hope to contine to Eigg, where a parcel of more maps & some useful bits should await us.

Rounding Ardamurchan point

Yesterday we rounded the feared Ardamurchan Point, in blissfully calm seas. We had lunch drifting up and down beside a little island where the sand eels (and hence fish) apparently flourished. We put out our mackerel line, with its newly acquired mackerel lures and waited hopefully, salivating at the thought of barbequed mackerel for supper......

Final score: Fish 2,Tom and Anne nil. We continued on our way, fish-less, leaving one fishhook embedded in a lobsterpot rope, another in the seaweed.

We camped on the headland a little futher round the coast, where we got a tantalising view of all the small Isles: Eigg, Muck, Rum Canna and Skye. While we had our (fishless) supper, a basking shark and a minke whale fed in the calm waters below.

Context

UK canoeing was popularised in 1865 by John MacGregor with his book "1000 Miles in the Rob Roy Canoe". Canoeists pioneered our NW waters, opening up routes like ours, before pleasure yachts arrived. We've been reading the marvellous "Canoe Boys", describing a 1934 trip like ours by 2 young men from Glasgow tennements with amazingly basic gear. Their trip was celebrated a couple of years ago on TV by Simon Willis, whose website we much admire.

We'd arranged a kayak rendezvous with Simon & Liz on the south Morven shore, but they turned back because of a bad forecast & urgent demands from his imminent guide-book, based on their Gigha to Ullapool trip last year: . Got a great view there of a white-tailed sea-eagle, perched in a shoreline tree.

We're now staying at the Ardnamurchan Campsite & Study Centre, run by Trevor Potts, who's done some amazing journeys including kayaking across the Bering Straight & re-enacting Shakeleton's Antartica to South Georgia epic. Time now to pack up & head round the Ardnamurchan Point, which, with beautiful conditions, shouldn't be epic. Trevor's told us some good fishing spots.