The Mull of Kintyre – Day 1 Carradale to Davaar Island

We were planning a weeklong self-sufficient sea kayaking trip to Scotland. This would mean wild camping from the boats and no planned food shopping stops. We could be paddling in conditions up to F4 and may be exposed to some swell. The final location was confirmed with 3 days to go, and the plan was to meet up at the campsite in Carradale.

We planned to paddle from Carradale harbour, around the Mull of Kintyre and north to Gigha Island. Although exposed to the Atlantic swells for part of the journey, the weather looked stable with the rest of the UK under an enormous high-pressure system and record temperatures for May. We would be right on the edge, and strong North Atlantic storms were squeezed by the high and rolled around it to the NW.

We all arrived at the campsite before dark, set up our tents and cooked an evening meal. Catriona had booked the site, which was excellent, with good showers and an ideal location, looking out towards Arran and Kilbrannan Sound.

Day 1 Sunday 2026 05 24

Faffing, flapping and forgetting… by Frankie A

Day 1 of our expedition began with an 8 am departure from the campsite to head to Carradale Harbour to load boats and get on the water by 10 am. The car shuttle had been organised before the Alfa Ladies (Christine and I) arrived at the campsite, which reduced the morning faffing.

The tide times meant that only half of the planned paddle for day 1 would be with tidal assistance, and most of it would be into what wind there was. It was perhaps a sign of what was to come when my coffee mug flew off the roof of the car, where I’d placed it whilst packing up to leave the campsite. Happily, it was in one piece when I ran back down the road to pick it up. With a little bit of time pressure, boats were unloaded, and packing began. Misplacing my car key before launching resulted in some extra flapping, which delayed the departure slightly, but eventually, just missing a bowl and spoon left at the campsite (or so we thought), we set off from the tranquil waters of Carradale harbour.

Exiting the harbour, the tranquillity ceased. There was a definite headwind and a small amount of sea state.

We were headed to Davaar Island, and Keith issued the instructions to remain as a tight group and made perhaps the first of many references to Menorca. Ella shared her plans to go and hunt for the Jesus cave (all will become clear later), and we happily chatted and enjoyed the scenery as we made our way past the beach by our campsite. The sun started to come out, but the breeze continued. We made our way to the obligatory elevenses stop near Campbeltown, by now the sun was out, and we were happy to sit on the beach and munch on lunch. Refreshed, we set off again, heading for night 1 camp. Some starfish and sea urchins were spotted along the way.

Arriving at Davaar island, which is a privately owned tidal island at the mouth of Campbeltown Loch, we picked what looked like the perfect spot to camp, along from the lighthouse. The island can only be accessed 3 hours either side of low water, so it was empty of tourists apart from the guests staying in the holiday cottages when we landed. From the island, you can see Arran and Ailsa Craig. It was a great spot.

Tents up, evening meal preparation began, and more of the forgetting became evident. Someone had not packed a stove, and someone else didn’t have a change of clothes for the land.

Stove sharing organised, meals cooked, a sub-group of 5 of 9 went looking for the Crucifixion Cave, painted in 1887, the cave is a site of pilgrimage. The 5 intrepid adventurers entered several caves that were not the one we were looking for. OS maps on the phone came in handy, and we located a cave in the correct place. We could tell from the offerings on a slab of rock that resembled an altar that we were in the right place; we just needed to turn around and look behind us.

Having looked and contemplated, we picked our way back to the tents. Arriving slightly after the others, I was surprised to see the group huddled together facing several highland cows, who were very interested in our tents and kayaks. Realising that the huddling wasn’t to admire the cows and say how cute they looked, I encouraged the most curious and obvious leader to step back from Ella.

They wandered off for a little while, only to return and use the boats as back scratchers. It was a wary group who entered their tents for the night, wondering if there would be any consequences from curious cows munching on anything they shouldn’t.

A great first day on the water.

So here is the quiz, complete the names

_______ left their bowl and spoon at the campsite

_______ left their stove in the car

_______ left their clothes behind

Have fun, but what goes on expedition stays on expedition!

Photos from the first day’s paddle below: