Summer Isles Saunter:   24th – 31st May by Andy B

Andy, Christine, Eamon, Ian, Gary and Roger

The origins of this trip are a bit hazy, but the seeds were probably planted on one of the sea kayak day trips organised by Dave and Fi in the latter part of 2023. Andy and Christine fancied a bit of gentle paddling somewhere in the far NW, others showed varying degrees of interest and collectively we decided the Summer Isles, weather permitting, would offer some interesting day and short multi-day trips to widen our paddling experience and maybe learn some new skills. Gary and Roger added a degree of gravitas and, it has to be said, a bucketload of useful experience.

Fast forward …. end of Day 1 …. the smell of barbequed steak wafted across: Eamon was, as ever, keen to maintain the highest culinary standards and had brought a portable barbeque, steaks, a tray of chicken wings, all accompanied by the essential herbs and a pre-prandial can of beer…. I awoke from a brief reverie and surveyed the stunning backdrop of mighty An Teallach, Slioch and the other Fisherfield Munros as the sun started to set. We’d paddled from just north of Achiltibuie to the island of Tanera Beg, dragged our kayaks, bodies and kit over a nightmare of slippery, seaweed-strewn boulders and were now camped above the ‘beach’ of Mol Mor, enjoying the closing moments of the first of a 4-day trip. 

Fast forward again …. Day 2 … Priest Island loomed large and we headed for a prominent east-facing bay for a refuelling break, landing on another slippery, bouldery ‘beach’. A pair of sea eagles hovered above as we relaxed in the sun and contemplated the pleasures of circumnavigating the island. Priest Island offers a wealth of features; we dipped in and out of caves, gulleys, arches and geos which all added excitement to the trip. A modest swell built as we rounded the headlands on the west side of the island, finally landing again on the east side for another break, before heading back to Tanera Beg. A long, tiring, but immensely satisfying day

Day 3 and conditions had become a bit more lively. We packed, launched and in gloom traversed the coastline of Tanera Beg south, then east, before contemplating the wisdom, or otherwise, of making the crossing to the isle of Eilean Dubh to the south. The craggy skerry of Sgeir an Aon Lomairt offered shelter and a staging post, so we could regroup and reassess conditions. Collectively we felt happy to complete the crossing, landing on a NE facing bay where there were clear signs of habitation: a pier, timber-clad bungalow, artists workshop and such like.

The feeling of exposure to the elements was heightened as the rain and wind built and we took shelter under the pier, hoping for an improvement in conditions. Finally, we felt it was time to leave and we braced ourselves for a windy spell and following sea heading for the relative calm of Carn Deas and Carn Iar. Carn Deas offered a fine campsite, perched above the narrow isthmus which joined the two islands, soon to disappear beneath a rising tide. One of the more observant of us, Eamon noticed that the kayaks were in danger of disappearing at the same time, so towlines were deployed to secure them.

Continuing our short but epic journey on Day 4, we rounded Carn Deas and Bottle Island to the SW, again exploring the rocky features, caves, geos and arches. Then we began the crossing back to Tanera Mor, arriving at its southern shoreline around lunchtime, before paddling around its eastern headland, Rubha Dubh, and entering the prominent east-facing bay, The Anchorage. After a pleasant exploration of the bay we headed back to our launch point on the mainland, relaxed, sated and ready for a welcoming campsite and shower.

Altandhu campsite offered the perfect launch point for exploring the Isles of Ristol and Eilean Mullagrach to the west on Day 5 and the coastline up to and north of Reiff on Day 6. On the last day of our mini-expedition, Day 7, we packed up and drove south to launch and paddle across Little Loch Broom, south of Ullapool. We landed and spent some time exploring Scoraig, inhabited by a small self-sufficient community established in the 1960’s and still flourishing. We reflected on a great trip as we headed home; we’d been fortunate with the weather and paddled every day in great conditions, but now we needed a rest!