Club Expedition to Skye 2020 “Team Alaska go on a Skye #staycation!”	LCC Home Site Map Page last updated
News items or reports on club activities should be sent to website@liverpoolcanoeclub.co.uk		Archived Newsletters Major Trip Reports.…

Covid-19 might have led to a change of plan as this year’s Alaska trip was cancelled but we couldn’t have asked for a better alternative. Keith, Ian, Victor, Chris and Jenny headed off for 12 days paddling and wild camping around the Skye coastline and surrounding islands. A total of 192 miles covered allowing us to see: whales, otters, dear, dolphin, eagles (+ other birds I can’t name), seals, over friendly midges, porpoise, jellyfish, crabs, sea urchins, extinct volcanoes, mountains covered in purple heather, spectacular rock formations and colourful rocks galore! The trip got Keith’s “seal of approval” and Jenny had a “whale of a time”!

Jenny Brown	Chris Thompson	Ian Bell		Victor Leather

Day 1 (Saturday) 8th August – Balmacara to Camas Barabhaig

Off we went at 11:15am from Balmacara, after a few of us finished the long drive north. It was a lovely sunny day as we set off. The tide was with us through the narrows and overfalls so we whizzed along covering 17 miles before finding a campsite later that evening. The water was clear and there were plenty of porpoise and massive red jellyfish with tentacles like cobwebs. There were loads of seals along the rocky shore and a variety of sea birds as we paddled along.

We enjoyed lunch in the sun and some of us checked our boats for leaks as it was the first time we had packed a sea kayak for an overnight paddle. However, it turned out to be Ian’s front hatch that had been slightly caught on a deck line so had a slightly soggy inside. The dry bags did their job and the seal was double checked during the afternoon paddle – all dry, phew!

Then started the “seal of approval” jokes for the rest of the trip. It was finally time to find camp. We slightly doubled back on ourselves to find a beach after deciding the promising bay around the headland looked a bit of a boggy midge risk and had too many rocks to land safely.

Jenny Brown     More Photos……….    

Day 2 (Sunday) 9th August – Camas Barabhaig to Port an Luig Mhoit

We left at 9am - the water was like a millpond and we completed 20.7 miles round the Point of Sleat, crossing Loch Eishort and Loch Slapin.

A few guided groups were out paddling for the day from near the Armadale ferry terminal (South Skye Sea Kayaking). There was a bit more “ocean motion” round the headland as the sea had a slight surge up the rocks. We enjoyed super views of the Cuillin Range with the black and red colouring clear to see. More porpoise, shoals of fish splashing, and sea eagles were spotted as we paddled along. Plus, those big jellyfish - a bit off-putting for a swim!

There had also been a sea otter swimming about that day. We had lunch in a rocky cove just around the Point of Sleat. The water was clear and green with loads of different seaweeds below us. Eigg and Rum appeared on the horizon.

While crossing Lochs Slapin and Eishort we realised there were loads of tiny, tiny (size of my little fingernail) crabs floating about in the water and swarms of smaller pinkie purple and blue jellyfish. Turns out jellyfish are surprisingly dense when your paddle stoke swipes one. Plenty of whale food here as we had our first Minke Whale sighting - good spot Chris!

On to campsite on the headland (next to Prince Charles`s Cave). This needed a bit of a rocky carry to where we pitched and fell asleep before waking up to the sound of sheep walking about on the beach and me wondering if I’d put my boots in the porch or if a sheep could be wondering off chewing them.

Jenny Brown     More Photos……….    

Day 3 (Monday) 10th August – Port an Luig Mhoit to Loch Brittle

We got up to leave at 8am to try and reduce the midge breakfast. A few of us had been playing space invaders the night before on the tent ceilings - squishing them after they descended on us as we landed. It turns out Victor and Jenny were the tastiest (according to the midges) of the group and had plenty of red pimples to prove it.

After going afloat in our head nets, a gentle breeze soon got rid of the midges so we could enjoy elevenses and lunch in our shorts and t-shirts. We went to Elgol and then along the Soay coast and were welcomed by another whale sighting followed by an otter sitting on a rock, but it didn’t hang about for its photo to be taken – drat! We had a perfect lunch break beside a waterfall to restock the water bottles and have a freshen up. There were quite a few butterflies about in that cove.

The cliffs slowly grew higher and while watching for wildlife Keith missed that rock in front of him – bonk, he, he, he! We did a gentle 14 miles as the next location for a potential camp would have been quite an epic paddle for a day. Ian was offering round wine gums, but Keith was adamant he wanted “Rum” as he commented that we “Canna see the next island”. It turns out he was talking about the islands of Rhum and Canna. Annoyingly he kept saying “I Canna hear you” to our questions. There was a good sun set over the island of Canna as we camped on a 5-star Alaskan stone beach with an ensuite waterfall with plunge pools, deep enough to swim in. Our water was restocked, laundry completed, and baths taken.

Jenny Brown     More Photos……….    

Day 4 (Tuesday) 11th August – Loch Brittle to Soay

Up we got sticking to our 8am start. Not many midges, until boat loading then it was full attack! A cool fresh rain shower soon sorted them out resulting in a “who can put their cag on at sea unassisted challenge?” Jenny nearly got to test her hood – she was already in it as it was the best resistance against bites as Scottish midges seem to treat Deet like ice-cream (human) sauce.

The rain drops fell on the calm sea surface, which again was like a millpond. Over 5 miles the cliffs built up and so did the wind and waves, which were reflecting off the cliffs. We stopped at a sea arch before deciding a circumnavigation might not be the best idea as thunderstorms were on the forecast and we were about to be exposed on the northwest headlands with limited landing options. Plan B – play in the caves and head to Soay to camp hopefully going to Knoydart and the small islands around the east coast. The swell caused the cracks and caves to gurgle and thump as we paddled along. Ian did some unplanned rock hopping – oops, I don’t think he was expecting that wave to suck away so quickly!

We stopped at another waterfall to fill up our bottles and a deer was on the beach. Sadly, an emergency wee break meant Chris and Jenny were a little behind and missed it – “oh dear!” The pebbles on this beach were amazing pinks and purples and we were sheltered from the weather and waves. Three other groups of paddlers were also about on the headland, but all paddled off to other destinations. It was a brilliant sunny, breezy evening so we sat out and enjoyed the views and watched the ropey Soay sheep. When we went to bed, we could hear loads of sea birds which were still out and about. Another 14.3 miles complete!

Jenny Brown     More Photos……….    

Day 5 (Wednesday) 12th August – Soay to Point of Sleat

Not a bad morning for midges this morning! Or so we thought, but then they descended just as we started to pack the boats. That sped us up and we were on the water for 7:40am. The weather was overcast, but the clouds over the Cuillins and Rhum looked spectacular while we paddled along on glassy water. There was a mist on the horizon as we made our crossing back to the Point of Sleat. Ian took the bearing as SSE just in case the mist came in. Mid-way the wind started to pick up and the waves grew. The spray on the rocky shore made a nice change in sea state, but we were all pleased not to be under the high cliffs exposed to the growing waves.

Later the sun returned, and the mist went. There was another whale sighting and lots of ferries out crossing to the smaller islands. As we went round the headland we landed on a white sand and gravel tombolo beach – spectacular! We’d done 12.8 miles, and this was going to be our camp site for the night. A great view and gentle wind to keep the midges away. A few sheep came to watch us as we pitched on their grazing area. We spent the afternoon enjoying the sun and said hello to some other paddlers that had landed for lunch. Ian and Keith made a driftwood bench, while Vic went out fishing for Mackerel – success! He enjoyed a late fish and limpet lunch. We all had a walk to the lighthouse to enjoy the views and see where we’d paddled before bed.

Jenny Brown     More Photos……….    

Day 6 (Thursday) 13th August –Point of Sleat to Teangus (Castle Ruin)

As we were expert at packing boats by now, we were on the water by 7:40am. There was nice breeze and no midges. A strong wind was building, so plan A to go to Knoydart was turned into a plan B to stay safe and camp on Skye again. We hugged the coastline to stay out of the wind. The Scottish coast looked impressive with the mountains engulfed in low cloud.

After an hour or so we found a beach with a stream and hammock for elevenses. Great to refill water, have a wash and a quick swing/snooze. The rock pools had a great selection of anemone and shellfish in the crystal-clear water. The beach had grey and pink stripy cobbles.

We continued along the rocky shore where there was a sea Eagle chasing some seagulls. As we passed the Armadale ferry terminal it was a quick dash against the headwind and waves to clear the terminal as we realised the boat was coming in.

White horses were growing out in the sound as the winds increased to a force 5. The crossing to Knoydart wouldn’t have been much fun so we took shelter after 10.5 miles behind a headland where there was a castle ruin. On arrival, a swordsman practising his moves against the castle skyline – aka Brave Heart.

There was a selection of 3 beaches so we picked the one with the easiest carry, but still decided tomorrow would be a 10am start to let the tide come in over the rocks and allow the wind to drop if it followed the forecast. An otter was spotted while we scouted out the beaches before landing and as we pitched, we were watched by some lambs in the field above.

After dinner a few of us went to sit on the rocks to watch for the otter again and saw 2 as they ran round the outcrops and jumped in for an evening fish - which is just what Vic was doing too. Before we returned to camp, a fish was spotted jumping, so we wondered if it was being chased. Some walkers turned up that evening and pitched in the castle ruins, we thought they might get blown away that night – but they were still there in the morning. A couple also came down to the beach searching for some pipe they wanted to salvage for a drainage system they were putting in.

Jenny Brown     More Photos………. 

Day 7 (Friday) 14th August – Teangus (Castle Ruin) to Loch Hourn

A lazy start as the wind dropped. 10am and we went straight for the crossing over to the white houses at Airor. The wind was force 3 making a fair chop on the sea. The tide was still low, so it was quite a carry to get on the water. The team were now so efficient we were on the water before Keith!

We stopped for elevenses at Airor as the wind started to drop then paddled around the coast into Loch Hourn. As we got to the headland there was a rock covered in seals with their pups. They all launched into the water on our arrival. Lots more trees along this coastline and fish farms with jumping salmon in. Vic got his line out again and caught dinner while we paddled with the wind now behind us.

After 13.3 miles we found a Tombolo (a beach joining an island to the mainland) to camp on and enjoyed the afternoon watching the seals and someone flying a kite further up the loch. There was a lot of mica in the rocks that sparkled in the sun. Vic hiked off for water from a nearby waterfall and Jenny was pleased to have got to Knoydart, this had been on her to do list for a few years. Ian and Vic enjoyed a swim and another paddler stopped to say hello.

Jenny Brown     More Photos……….    

Day 8 (Saturday) 15th August – Loch Hourn to Kyle of Lochalsh

With good weather and the tide with us this was our longest day at 21.7 miles. It was also the longest day as at 3.10am a few of us were woken by the sound of the tide getting rather close to the tents. A mini rock pyramid was built at the waterline as a marker and by 4.10am Jenny was happy the tide was finally dropping and went back to sleep.

We packed up in a midge-free breeze and Chris and Jenny’s tent was caught in a gust and tumble turned towards the sea where thankfully it was saved. We paddled off at 8am along the northern shore of Loch Hourn with the wind behind us, wildlife spotting for birds, otters and seals. The sea was clear and deep with large shells, urchins and a variety of seaweeds on the bottom. Small fish flitted about the rocks. We had elevenses in the shelter of the Sandaig Islands as the wind dropped and the sun shone. A few boats were moored with snorkelers splashing about.

We were thinking about stopping before the narrows, but we had made good time, the tide was racing along with us so we decided to push on to the other side of the Bridge of Skye. The heather on the mountains was starting to come out creating a purple tinge, which then got stronger through the next week. As we went through the narrows there was some frisky seals making a good splash and a head wind picked up. We crossed Loch Alsh to go along the north coast to shelter from the wind. We all had a snigger at someone doing naked yoga on a rock and battled on against the wind to stop for a quick shop at Kyle of Lochalsh just as a fog bank started to drift in.

We stopped on the beach behind a rocky outcrop just north of the bridge on Skye as the fog really came in. Chris and Jenny went to work on fixing a broken tent pole – success, but as it was foggy outside, they stayed inside with only 1 porch up for the night. Later at 10pm the fog had lifted and there was a lovely pink sky.

Jenny Brown     More Photos……….    

Day 9 (Sunday) 16th August – Kyle of Lochalsh to Brochel Bay (Rassay)

We woke up to find a fog bank bridging the sound. Annoyingly, as Chris and Jenny opened their tent another tent pole snapped under the tension. It was a mirror image of the other tent pole breakage so they remained with only 1 porch for the rest of the trip, but plenty of spare poles if anything else broke. Off we went to have “nineses” on Pabay the fog coming in around us from both directions.

We saw porpoise as we set off to Longay noting the compass bearing of 320 degrees. We carried on past the Skerries rocks (Sgeir Dhearg and Sgeir Thraid) and went north up the east coast of Raasay. There were loads of sea birds, 2 circling us looking for food. We had elevenses in the fog before finding a waterfall with a freezing cold down draft for a freshen-up. Jenny got to test her hood finally!

There were no sign of any submarines training, but Ian was adamant there could have been. We soon popped out the other side of the fog bank to find sea eagles and rock climbers on the landslides and cliff falls. After 16.6 miles we stopped on a gravel beach of purple brown pebbles (Brochel Bay) to camp with great views towards Appleby and the NW with many seals watching us.

After dinner, a pod of bottle nosed dolphins were observed in the distance some jumping fully out of the water as if being chased or playing. Jenny had a swim while Keith got Ian to refold his maps once again. After dinner, a singing seal could be heard from around the corner. It was a very starry night with the Milky Way clearly visible.

Jenny Brown     More Photos……….    

Day 10 (Monday) 17th August –Brochel Bay (Rassay) to Manish Point (Via Rona)

Another long day on the water - 20.4 miles. We were up and packed by 7:40am to find a toad hiding under the kayaks. Today we were off to Rona with plenty of seals and sea birds on the way. Ian spotted a dear and a whale.

We had elevenses at an MOD site on the northern tip of the island under the lighthouse. There was a nice breeze and a slight swell behind us as we started to paddle south. There was storm winds on the forecast later in the week so we were coming up with a Plan A (paddle to the Crowlin Islands, camp at Uags and head to the cars Thursday morning) and Plan B (head along the Skye coast sheltering from the SW winds and straight to the cars early afternoon Wed) to make sure we were in a good position to respond as the forecast updated.

We paddled past the small islands of Eilean Tigh and Eilean Fladday stopping in caves and navigating through cracks in the cliffs off Raasay. The views of Skye where fabulous along the Skye cliffs and out to Lewis on the horizon. The breeze started to die so it was time to find a camp before the midges came out. We found a cobbled beach at Manish Point with a stream, pitched and made drinks before quickly taking cover from the midges in our tents. In Jenny’s case head net and full paddling kit seemed the most effective protection - even if a little hot! A short rain shower was very welcome, but not quite enough to fully clear the midges.

As the evening sun returned we snuck out to make dinner and Vic tied the boats up to a large rock as there wasn’t a huge amount of space above the seaweed line and we weren’t quite sure where high water would come to. The boats were packed after dinner in preparation for a speedy departure as we thought it could be midge-tastic in the morning. There was wood around and we were tempted to make a fire, but the midges returned so we jumped back into our tents. We were all content that we’d managed to cook outside though as that’s always nicer than cold wraps in the tent for dinner.

Jenny Brown     More Photos……….    

Day 11 (Tuesday) 18th August - Manish Point to Camas na Geadaig (Scalpay)

We launched at 7:30am (Keith was still in his tent!), packing the boats the night before knowing we would be setting off at high water where we’d left the boats tied up. There was a bit of a swell on the water surging up the rocks and making a splash. As we came south level with Portree the wind dropped, and the sea became flat. There was a fab “Skye line” in front of us as we paddled. There were lots of caves and rock formations to potter around with seals and sea eagles.

We had had 9’s on a beach with a stream to refill our bottles. We paddled on through huge swarms of jellyfish – oddly enough no one fancied doing any rolling practice! Next stop was lunch just round the west side of the Rassay Ferry terminal. We found a perfectly positioned bench with a grassy verge and watched the ferry come and go. Lots of Urchins and fish around the jetty.

The breeze returned as we crossed to Scalpay to camp on a sandy beach with grass backing and 2 streams, one either side of the bay. The gravel on the upper beach had an orangey purple stripe. It was a slightly shorter day – covering 13.5 miles. Vic went out fishing again while Chris estimated that the circumnavigation of Skye would have been about 150miles - so we’d ended up doing a greater distance island hopping.

The strong winds were still on the forecast for Thursday evening. Plan A was still an option, but the mornings forecast would have to be checked to make the final call. We went to bed listening to the bees buzzing about as the heather was out.

Jenny Brown     More Photos……….    

Day 12 (Wednesday) 19th August - Camas na Geadaig (Scalpay) to Balmacara

We were up and the forecast was for gale force winds coming in that night slightly ahead of schedule. It was a midge-tastic morning, so we raced onto the water in our head nets and quickly paddled offshore in hope of some wind – nothing! Once we had outpaddled the midges we made a plan. There was a fog bank over the Crowlin Islands, it wasn’t that thick but with no wind it might not have been moving soon.

We went with plan B to make sure we were safely off the water and not caught out crossing the sound in fog or high winds if they came in early. Getting storm bound for a couple of days only an hour from the cars wouldn’t have been much fun. We did 17.6 miles round the tree lined west and south of Scalpay and over to Pabay for a bite to eat before heading through the bridge back to the cars.

The heat of the day increased, the fog lifted and atmospheric clouds were left hanging round the mountain tops. As we went under Skye bridge Jenny was melting in her midge safety suit (cool weather paddling kit). Just passed the jetty on the Skye side was a massive sand crab and another castle. We crossed back to the Scottish mainland - no naked Yoga man this time - then got to the cars at low water. Vic went for 10 victory rolls and we started to carry the kit over the seaweeds and rocks to the cars.

Ian and Keith set off for home ahead of the wind while Vic, Chris and Jenny stopped for lunch by the sea in the sun. They were going to stop overnight rather than heading straight home. Vic headed to Dalwhinnie to consider paddling Loch Ericht if the weather wasn’t too bad. Chris and Jen went to the north coast of Skye. That night the wind picked up at 1:30am and howled all the next day – it was definitely a good decision to get off the water when we did and finish as we started, paddling in perfect conditions! All got home with no news of roof racks flying off cars in the strong wind. Now to look forward to the next adventure.

Jenny Brown     More Photos……….