Today we are going to head off with the group on the intermediate course for a two day trip with an overnight wild camp. Having not expected to go camping we manage to borrow equipment and a quick shop the evening before sees us ready and willing for an overnight stop with the kayaks. Our starting point for the trip is Plockton, a place we visited for the first time earlier this year. When we visited earlier in the year, we were already looking into the course and we thought wouldn't it be great to one day be experienced enough to paddle from Plockton. I guess things are moving quicker than we thought! On arrival at Plockton the Kayaks are unloaded and Willie sets out showing us how to pack a kayak for a trip.
Once packed, we got on the water and practice getting use to paddling the loaded kayaks.
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| Leaving Plockton |
We then headed around the headland and paddled through the small islands north of Plockton. Here I learnt my first lesson about looking after your equipment on a sea kayak. I took my sun glasses off to take a photo and put them on my spay deck next to my paddle. Forgetting about my sun glasses I packed the camera away and paddled on. When I thought about my glasses I looked down to see an empty spray deck. I guess my sun glasses are now living with the fishes. At the point at An Dubh-Aird we get a look at our first crossing, just less than 3km to the Applecross peninsular. In our open canoe the widest crossing on a fresh water lake that we have done is probably only 1km (if that). During the early part of the crossing we have a few seals that come to us to see what we are doing. On arrival at the beach on the other side we stop for a rest and find the edge of the sea is alive with hermit crabs. There’s a rumble of thunder towards the Isle of Skye and some dark clouds but it seems to just pass us by. The next part of the journey we head west following the coast. We both love the Isle of Skye and to see it in the distance from a sea kayak is just magical. Along the way we stop occasionally looking for fire wood on the beaches. We are heading to Rubha na h-Uamha and the bothy.
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| Tina, carrying firewood on the back of the kayak |
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| Isle of Skye in the distance |
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| The Bothy |
On arrival at the bothy Tina asks me what we should do first, having wild camped in Scotland at this time of year before, I’m keen to get the tent pitched in case the midges start swarming. Although there is a bothy we are going to sleep in the tents and use the bothy to cook and socialise in. We are even treated to some live music in the bothy as Marcus, our other instructor, has brought along a very small guitar in one of the kayaks.
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| Moving gear from the kayaks to the tent |
In the evening we see a submarine transiting on the surface, not that unusual around here I would imagine.
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| Submarine near Skye |
Oh and the midges? Yes the found us!
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| Midges |
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