7 adventurers visit the Small Isles (well, half of them)

All the weather forecasts we checked were consistent and showed low wind (less than 10mph) for the next 6 days for plan A, a trip to the Small Isles. We were confident we had a weather window for this trip, which involves several open crossings and has the potential to be exposed to Atlantic swell.

Day 1 Tigh-na-mara to Camas Sgiotaig, Eigg (Singing Sands) Ella

With spirits high and day one of our expedition promising favourable weather, we began our first crossing of the trip, from our campsite in Arasaig to the east coast of Eigg. The sea was calm and visibility was good, which meant that there were plenty of opportunities to look out for wildlife. Many dolphins and porpoises were spotted, along with a brief glimpse of a very large aquatic mammal (controversy reigned all week about the identity of this animal, with the group split between a small whale and the biggest dolphin they’ve ever seen). 

It took us about 3 hours to complete the 10-mile crossing, and after a quick lunch break, we continued up the east coast of the island before landing on a beautiful sandy beach for the night. Tents were pitched on the sand, the sun was shining, and several braver members of the group took the opportunity to cool off in the sea. Before long, a waterfall was discovered, running directly onto the beach and giving us a source of fresh water to fill up are bottles.’