Day 02 Monday Loch Etive – The head of Loch Etive to Rubha Nan Cairn by Andy Garland
We arose to only a light smattering of midges and made our usual preparations for departure. The previous night a wedding party had been holding a reception by the loch shore, a few hundred meters from our camp, so I checked and double-checked that no bottles of unused Champagne had been left behind. Alas, there were none.
We all set off and paddled southwards along the eastern side of the loch, with just a hint of a breeze at our backs. The mass of Ben Starav loomed above, and I tried to pick out a route to its summit – reconnaissance for a future ascent with an approach by canoe perhaps?
We took ‘elevenses’ near Ardmaddy Bay, and then pushed on to find a suitable spot to camp. We passed our original launching place at the mouth of the River Awe and carried on for a few kilometres.
Finally, we spied a suitable beach near the headland of Rubha nan Carn, on the southern shore. Tents were soon pitched, and we settled down. However, we had unwittingly found a camp next to a railway line and were soon disturbed by the 16:38 train service to Oban (and again at 17:41, 18:52, and 19:30…etc.). Fortunately, the trains stopped at around 9:30pm, and we enjoyed a relatively quiet night (apart from the obligatory snoring from the neighbouring tent).
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