The Mull of Kintyre – Day 4 Cara Island to Tayinloan

The Beginning of the End  (Day 4, Kintyre Peninsula Expedition) by Ella B
 
The morning began on a beautiful beach on the island of Cara. The team relaxed whilst eating breakfast and loading boats. Eamon could be viewed packing up in the distance (he had been Eamon-ing the night before). But before long, the peace was broken as Keith began Keith-ing, and the group rushed to get on the water.

We set out around the second Mull of the trip. The Mull of Cara treated us to stunning cliffs, calm seas and even a gliding sea eagle. We paddled up the west coast of the island, making good time despite battling a small headwind, before stopping for a short elevenses.

Soon we were back on the water for a short paddle round the northern tip of the island, before a second elevenses stop was made. Multiple members of the group partook in a small amount of Mike-ing before summoning up the courage to take on the windy 3km crossing back to the mainland of the Kintyre Peninsula.

We arrived back in Tayinloan mid-afternoon, spending the afternoon relaxing in the cafe, enjoying the sunshine and moving the boats 3 times! With our weather window closing, we had completed a 6-day paddling trip in 4 days, and we all felt accomplished. Cars were collected from the starting point, and we prepared to pitch our tents when dusk fell.

However, by 10 pm, F6 winds were blowing right into our little beach campsite. The whole team began Catriona-ing.  Stones were collected, dry bags filled with sand, and makeshift guidewires created. But after some teamwork, the tents were up (some sandier than others), and we settled in for a windy night’s sleep.

**Addendum:
The LCC Dictionary of Expedition Language:
Adyaing: the ability to squeeze multiple outfits into an already full boat (x3 cags).
Catrionaing: the joyful art of embracing chaos.
Christineing: the equally joyful, but opposite of Catriona-ing. See above.
Eamoning: to strike the balance between teamwork and strong independence.
Ellaing: the subtle art of troublemaking.
Frankieing: the mastery of healthy eating on expedition, even without a stove.
Ianing: to live in a constant state of laid-back calm (well, most of the time).
Keithing: to pretend you’re not in a rush, whilst actually being in a rush.
Mikeing: the skill of napping in the afternoon sun.