Posts by Tudor:

Chelsea Kayak Club Western Highlands 2016

January 6th, 2017


Lismore Lighthouse

Day 1 Friday 22/07/16

Falls of Lora

CKC started the 2016 Western Highlands “Mulvonachoan” expedition at Connel Bridge, just outside Oban, where Alex and Geoff were pitting themselves against the rapids at the Falls of Lora, on Springs, for a Friday evening pre-expedition warmup paddle. Miranda, Loz and John wended their ways from Oban, through the lovely late afternoon scenery, to join them post-paddle for dinner at Connel Bridge. Then we all headed to the lovely Backpackers Plus hostel, in a converted church in Oban, and settled in for the night, ready for setting off for Mull the next day. In the meantime, Olwen and Philippa made it to the Backpackers’ hostel around 2 am, (after an interesting journey up from Wimbledon, via the wrong Backpackers’ Hostel), and grabbed a few hours’ kip.

Day 2 Saturday 23/07/16

Fionnphort

We all headed off on the early morning ferry from Oban to Mull. It was nippy out on deck, with greyish skies, but we were warmed by cups of coffee and enjoyed lovely views going past Lismore and its lighthouse, across to Craignure. We passed the “Women’s Stone,” and Philippa pointed out that it was a memorial replica of the stake to which two errant women were tied by highland clan chiefs, left to drown in the incoming tide for their devotional loyalties. Alex, as he read to us from his map, was mistaken for a tour guide by a couple of American tourists out on deck.

At Craignure, we piled into the two cars and with John navigating headed down the South Road towards the South West coast of Mull, stopping several times on the way, mainly hunting for gas cylinders. We found plenty, plus shortbread, friendly chats with shopkeepers, herring lines, (at Fingal’s), smidge, macaroni pie and other essentials… At the campsite in Fionnphort (pronounced “Finnyfort” as we found out later on when Kenneth arrived), we settled on a cosy camping spot by the sea, with perfect trailer access and a kitchen spot in the middle.

An evening paddle got us in the kayaking mood for the coming week. As we glided along in the golden evening sun of South West Mull, we encountered wildlife – a mink running along the shoreline, and seals, following our kayaks from a safe but friendly distance. Conditions became a bit bouncy for the first day, and dinner was within reach. So we returned – and were greeted by the sight of Kenneth on the shore, hailing us from a large sun-drenched rock. From which Loz and Miranda went for a swim excursion exploring the bay in the evening sun. The water was clear and we watched crabs scuttle across the sand beneath us as we swam.

Day 3 Sunday 24/07/16

Iona Circumnavigation: 10.2 Nm

We woke up early and made breakfast, and were on the water at the Fionnphort campsite for 0845, heading out for our first paddle all together – across to Iona for the Sunday service. The misty grey skies cleared as we started across the Sound of Iona, and the sun stayed with us for the trip across. After a calm morning’s paddle, we drew up alongside the slipway on a welcoming local beach, and headed up the road to the Abbey, mostly in kayaking kit, holding our valuables in dry bags.



Crossing to Iona

The service was quite an experience. The sun came out again just before communion, beaming down through the high windows above the altar table. We had an affable welcome from the Abbey volunteers, no-one noticed us turning up in kayaking gear (or they were too polite to say anything). The service was illuminating – there was a sense of collectiveness, in singing the hymns, in the chanting during the prayers, in  but also in the spiritual approach of Iona, which we read about in their prayer book – an inclusive ethos, with a collective concern for the environment, and for human rights. After the service oatcakes we ate the offered oatcakes, each one to be broken in half and shared with a stranger, and mingled. Philippa chatted to a fellow Londoner about the Abbey’s history and how a group from Clapham had rebuilt the Iona community in the 1960s. A few of the congregation trickled out into the grounds of the Abbey and pottered about or sat on the grass outside. We paused at the water’s edge in the bright, warm Hebridean sun and took photos by the MacLean cross.



Iona Abbey

Eventually we left the Abbey and headed back to our boats at the beach to get back on the water, and completed our circumnavigation of the island. The sun stayed out and the rest of the trip back was uneventful, peaceful and companionable. Alex managed to locate the spouting cave on the west coast, we lingered for a while, but concluded it was switched off. We just made it through Stac an Aoineidh, the “washing machine” rocks on the south-west corner of Iona, as the tide had turned and was starting to build against us. Any later and we would have missed the gate.



Heading back to Laggan Bay

We returned to the campsite in a slight drizzle, for a swim, dinner, hot showers. The sun was low and silver in the sky, and the gentle rain which had greeted us stopped just in time for our dinner. Loz and Miranda made lemon and coriander cous cous, topped with tinned mackerel and squeezed lemon, with carrot and raw mushroom on the side.

Day 4 Monday 25/07/16

Laggan Bay to Ulva: 5.5 Nm

The forecast was Force 4-5, increasing to Force 6. The plan was to break camp and head back from the south west coast in the cars, to the middle of Mull, and find a get-in where we could park up and paddle across to Ulva for a few days’ wild camping. We took our time packing up, cooking a camp breakfast of sausage and mushroom, filling up with water (5L each ready for the expedition), and loading the club boats on to the trailer. We drove East and after a couple of hours, the Isle of Inch Kenneth came into view, along with enchanting glimpses of beautiful Ulva’s little islands and bright greenery. Alex played us country tunes and a spot of Hebridean folk as the scenes of the bay and the islands flashed past the car window.

We parked and launched from Laggan Bay after an appropriate amount of kit faff. Eventually on the water, we paddled southeast, back past the ferry, and towards Loch na Keal. We rounded the tip of Ulva, and headed round to its SE coast, passing and playing in lovely rock formations with hexagonal pillars set bright against the setting sun.



Just before the rainbow, checking out possible campsites

We finally stopped at a couple of bays Alex had identified during the circumnavigation of Mull he’d undertaken with Geoff the year before. The first bay was sheltered and pretty but the second had a better camping area with a 270 degree panoramic view. We set up camp at around 9pm, which meant Alex had to mend his broken tent poles in the dark, helped by generous offers of food, drink and spare pegs to create splints.



Campsite on Ulva

Day 5 Tuesday 26/07/16

Ulva to Staffa to Ulva: 10.8 Nm

We had a lazy morning drinking tea, watching the wind and the world go by, and contemplating our planned trip to Staffa. Philippa explored the local area, finding lovely bays, plastic boxes and bird life – wrens in the rocks and an eagle overhead.

We crossed to Staffa, which didn’t take too long, and despite the weather conditions weren’t challenging. We took a route that dotted around via Little Colonsay in order to keep sheltered as long as possible. After a while clouds of puffins came into view, along with guillemots, shell ducks and several gannets, plunging from the sky to fish. We had reached Staffa. Threading our way between the rocks and crashing waves, as the Atlantic swell broke over the Staffa skerries, we explored the caves. Loz headed into Boatmans’s Cave, the entrance surrounded by crashing surf, and enjoyed an inadvertent but rewarding surf right into the cave entrance. When she returned, she reported the inside was square and box like.

Then the pièce de résistance – Fingals’ cave. Paddling into Fingals’ cave was a treat for all of us, but had been a life-long ambition for Olwen. We appraised the entry point. There was some chop at the immediate entrance to the caves but a straightforward passage in. Philippa and Miranda backed in first, waving at the tourists picking their way over the wet rock to the cave. We lay back on our decks, bobbing and staring at the blocky rock formations on the cave ceiling until Alex’s shout heralded a wave, which we paddled into and out of the cave. The group went in, two by two, closely followed by a tourist boat.



Ulva Seals

We paddled out and round the corner to have lunch then returned to the Ulva side of the island to make our way back, with Olwen returning via our exact starting spot to ensure a legitimate claim to circumnavigation. The paddle back was calm and lovely, Alex caught a whopping mackerel. He made a fire and cooked his mackerel in foil in the embers, just so. Then he added basmati rice, egg and lemon. A perfect tonic after a freezing swim with the curious seals.

Day 6 Wednesday 27/07/16

Ulva to Inch Kenneth to Laggan Bay: 7.88Nm Max Speed 8.5Kn (following sea)

Wednesday was the last day of our Ulva expedition, and the last day we would be seven, as Loz was returning to Oban. Our schedule involved kayaking the eight or so nautical miles back to the parked cars at Laggan Bay, on Mull, via a lunch stop on Inch Kenneth, and driving over to Tobermory on the north coast of Mull in order to catch the last ferry to Kilchoan, on the mainland.

We woke as early as we could, and as we emerged one by one from our tents into the dreich morning, a welcoming sizzling from Olwen’s tranjia indicated that breakfast was nearly ready. We shared a roll of fresh(ish) local black pudding, sourced by Alex and Olwen on the drive from Craignure to Fionnphort, sliced into disc-shaped chunks and served fresh from the pan with a baked bean accompaniment.

Warmed, we packed our kit ready to leave lovely Ulva, just as it started raining. All week it had been squally, both on and off the water, but the rain never seemed to affect group morale, as the showers were invariably interspersed with sunny spells, which would cast a bright warmth and set the damp landscape sparkling.

The paddle was calm initially as we set out, then, as we crossed the more exposed part of the bay towards Inch Kenneth we became aware that we had a following sea. Waves approaching behind us lifted the tails of our kayaks, rocking us with a regular up-and-forward-then-down-and-back motion. They were rollers – large, but uniform, and we soon got used to the rhythm, and all travelled well, and pretty speedily, with their assistance, hitting 8.5 knots at the fastest. After not very long, our destination, mile-long Inch Kenneth, came into view, and we parked up on its golden sheltered sands for an early lunch. Inch Kenneth is known for being the home of both Sir Harold Bolton, who wrote the lyrics to the ‘Skye Boat Song’, and members of the Mitford family who bought the island in the 1930’s. We explored the immediate area, with its ruins of the monastery (named after St Kenneth) and burial sites of past kings of Scotland.



Puffins on Inch Kenneth

After pottering round the island, we lunched at about 1130 on our last-day expedition rations. Alex foraged some seaweed and made up miso soup which he shared with Kenneth. Back on the water, crossing the mouth of Loch na Keal to head back to Ulva was our second challenge of the day – as we set out, the flow seemed fast from West to East along the coast. Up close, however, it wasn’t that fast and the crossing was straightforward. Progressing towards Mull, we headed rounded the south east corner of Ulva and up the narrow channel between Ulva and Mull where the ferry crosses. Paddling north up the channel, a strong headwind put us through our paces, but we hugged the shore and crawled steadily up until we hit the harbour. At the Boathouse pub, Alex and Kenneth magicked up hot chocolate, cappuccinos and a selection of cakes, which we shared sitting outside on picnic benches in the bright sun, overlooking the water. It was a short hop then to Laggan bay, where we were reunited with the cars and our warm, dry kit. We were pretty tired and damp after our 3 day expedition, and warm dry clothes were a relief after loading the boats and kit in the rain. However, the day’s journey was nowhere near complete – we still needed to push on to make the last Kilchoan ferry from Tobermory, and then to find somewhere to settle for the night on reaching the mainland.

We said goodbye to Loz, at the side of the road in the nearly rain, and she headed off back to Craignure with Olwen and Philippa. Alex wended us via the North part of the Island, passing Calgary, Dervaig and beautiful Glengorm, en route to Tobermory, where we joined the ferry queue just behind Olwen and Philippa who’d returned from Craignure in good time to secure their place on the last sailing. We managed to squeeze last into the queue, making it on with time to spare for the fish and chip van. Upstairs on the ferry we watched as the lighthouse went past, and Kilchoan came into view. We landed in the evening sun, and after a quick recce of local alternatives, and some discussion, opted for a wild campsite.



Kilchoan from our wild campsite

Heading across to the campsite involved re-packing the kit into the kayaks and donning waterproofs (some conventional, some less so) – as the campsite, it transpired, was only accessible by boat. By now it was late, and looking up, as we paddled across the bay, the sky over Kilchoan was dark, vast, and illumined with stars. The spot was good and flat, and right by the water, but it had its challenges. The ground was rocky and hard to pitch in, and the whole area liberally strewn with cowpats. It had been a pretty epic day, and a long journey, meaning morale was slightly lower than on previous pitches. We pitched camp, chatted and nibbled and finally hit the hay. We bedded down just before the rain started, which, happily, seemed to be the sequence most nights.

Day 7 Thursday 28/07/16

Kilchoan Regatta Day 1

We woke to clear skies and bright sunshine for the first day of Kilchoan regatta, devoted to sailing. While Alex got off to an early start to sail in the first race, Olwen, Philippa, Kenneth and Miranda had a leisurely start. Kenneth and Miranda paddled past Alex, sitting in the calm, virtually windless waters, and joined Philippa and Olwen at the marina then before setting out across Kilchoan Bay for a picnic on a shingle beach. Stopping at the castle, Kenneth established from friendly folk working there that it was being hired out as a B+B. We were pretty tempted after the previous night’s wild camping… But after a long lunch we headed back, leaving Philippa to head off for a slightly longer pootle around the bay where she found a standing stone before weaving her way back via a fish farm. We stopped at the quayside and greeted Geoff, who had flown in from South Africa just in time for the second sailing race, and then we all went up to Geoff and Sandra’s for a lovely shower and a curry. Sandra’s curries were  numerous and (of course) phenomenal – Keema Matar, an amazing chicken and pepper concoction, black dhal, and chickpea curry. The boys (somehow) headed back to the campsite on foot, while Olwen, Philippa and Miranda plumped for the nautical route, heading gently out into the bay, under the cool indigo sky, making the most of the  night time paddle. On arrival, Alex kindly strobed a guiding beam from the shore as we reached the campsite to hit the hay.



Geoff and Alex round the leeward mark, ahead of the rest of the fleet

 

Day 8 Friday 29/07/16

Kilchoan Regatta Day 2



Regatta Day

The second day of the regatta heralded CKC’s barnstorming performance in the kayak races. Olwen won the women’s single kayak race and the rest of us were not too far behind in claiming a few of the other kayaking and sailing titles, plus a whisky-based raffle win for John. We all had a fantastic time at the regatta, in particular because of the warmth and friendliness of everyone in Kilchoan in welcoming us and offering excellent company and sportsmanship. Not to mention the beautifully hewn rocky road rice crispy cakes which pretty much made the day for more than one of us.

The pub was fully booked for the evening, so we were treated to a second night of Chef Sandra’s beautiful cooking – this time we lucked out with not one but two excellent paellas washed down with red wine. Then down to the community centre for an evening of Ceilidh-ing. Another warm welcome from all, not least in the form of some very welcome dance step guidance, and a whirlwind of dance tunes – the Canadian barn dance, an Oh Susannah medley, Ye cannae throw yer granny off the bus, yankee doodle, St Bernard’s waltz, dancing in a circle to the left for eight to the right, then in pairs then forward stamp, back clap and through the arch to form the next six. A break for a seemingly endless raffle, a couple more dances and then we gave in to exhaustion. And a moonlit tramp across the fields which started well, strayed slightly into a bog in the middle, and ended in the right place. Just as the rain started, of course.



Ladies K2

Day 9 Saturday 30/07/16

Falls of Lora (Neaps)

All packed up early and headed back to Connel Bridge for our last day’s paddle at the Falls of Lora. All except Miranda headed out into the rapids (this time on neaps) under the excellent guidance of coach Tony Hammock. The crew successfully navigated overfalls, eddylines, spinning in whirlpools, a few moments upside-down in a whirlpool, breaking in and out of the flow with closed eyes, and rolling training.

We got off the water, packed the boats up and returned to Oban, to the Backpackers Hostel and its comfy bunk beds. The combination of soft dry bedding, hot showers, tea and chocolate digestives was extremely welcome. We sat for a few quiet moments, and Kenneth plugged his iphone in to charge and played us Ossian’s beautiful “I will set my ship in order” as we drank our tea on our bunk beds in the dorm. Then the inevitable mega faff as we sorted gear and switched cars ready for the morning’s trip home to London. Finally we all headed out for dinner on the quay at Oban. Crab, squid, scallops, crisp white wine, local ale and lovely company made for an excellent last meal.

Day 10 Sunday 31/07/16

We all got up early enough (despite predictions) to sit down together for our complimentary breakfast. It was a long drive back, re-imagining ourselves into city life. We chatted all the way, putting the world to rights and listening to some lovely tunes (thanks Olwen and DJ Kenny). And we reminisced – the curious seals enjoying the spectacle of us camping on the beach at Ulva; being outside all week; lovely evening paddles with the sun low on the water; the rainbow as we paddled alongside Inch Kenneth on the way to Ulva; drams of Auchentoshan as we got off the water at the end of each day; the warm satisfaction of drying kit on the beach when we arrived in sunny Kilchoan; swimming in the rain and early evening sun; the friendly buzz of the regatta (and excellent burgers); the taste of fresh mackerel cooked over a beach campfire; first sight of the puffins over the cliffs of Staffa; the whirlpools of the Falls of Lora;  Fingal’s cave; cheese and oatcakes; the vast views across Kilchoan bay and beyond; paddling under the stars…

Back at Kew, drivers Olwen and Alex both arrived at exactly the same time despite drop-offs on the way and unloaded kit, boats and people, thus completing CKC’s excellent 2016 Western Highlands “Mulvonachoan” expedition.



Kilchoan at Sunset with mast light and houses

No Comments "

Kilchoan 2014

June 15th, 2014

Paddling the Ardnamurchan Peninsula and the Small Isles with CKC, June 2014



 

Kilchoan

Five Chelsea Kayak Club paddlers made their way North from London, through beautiful Scottish scenery, to join Geoff and Sandra in Kilchoan. The Argyll scenery is stunning, and Kilchoan is in a particularly beautiful part, nestled on the South Coast of the Ardnamurchan peninsula, with views stretching out across the Sound of Mull. Alex, Philippe and Dan, who had left London at 0430 in the morning in order to be on the water for 1830, made it in time to paddle out into the Sound of Mull for some pre-dinner rockhopping. Kenneth and I raced through the countryside and made it in time to join everyone for a gourmet Saturday night dinner courtesy of Geoff and Sandra, including fresh local lobster and gorgeous pavolva. Conditions for the week ahead seemed favourable, with force 4-5 winds forecast for the first couple of days, dropping off after that with sun poking through at the end of the week.

McLean’s Nose

Geoff, Philippe, Dan, Alex, Kenneth and I collected at the jetty in Kilchoan on a slightly overcast Sunday morning for our first day’s paddling.



Just before getting on the water, a slight heartsink for me –   the skeg on my Scorpio LV was not working – a pain as the wind that had been forecast was just starting to make itself known, reminding me that a kit check at home prior to leaving for a long trip is always helpful…

We launched at the jetty, and set out for a shortish paddle along the South Coast of Ardnamurchan, east from Kilchoan to McLean’s nose, stopping near Rubha Ruadh for lunch. Afterwards, the tide still out, the six of us wandered along the shingle beach, lined with hardy oak trees, and stopped to inspect the flotsam and jetsam.



On the way back we kept up a brisk pace, despite our unaccustomed paddling muscles (some more than others!), and arrived home in time for a chilled evening at the ranch. Alex carried out some boat maintenance. Over our first hard-earned dinner of mushroom risotto we planned the next day’s paddling.

 

Fresh Mussels

I got up a couple of hours early on Monday morning to fix my skeg, and was welcomed by grey skies and a light drizzle. And a few midges. As it turned out, 2 hours was just enough time – I had to try three fixes on the “kink-free” rope and bungee skeg system before it decided to spring into action – only after I’d realigned the elastic bungee on the cog that levers the skeg down, changed the cog orientation, and retied the knot to shorten the bungee, which had become overstretched.



After breakfast and haring round Chris’s Ranch in the usual pre-paddle chaos, we had  breakfast and set out in convoy to Loch Sunart for a lovely day’s paddling. Dan’s wire skeg had also malfunctioned due to a kink in the skeg wire which Geoff fixed before we headed out.



Paddling conditions were gentle and calm. We paddled under ethereal, bright, milk-white skies, the light diffusing gently through the thin veil of cloud overhead.



After heading down the beautiful Loch Teacuis, and stopped for lunch on Morven, where the CKC group had camped 2 years before.



 

Alex cooked up some delicious freshly collected mussels for us all, and then we set off round Carna Island back towards Kilchoan. 



We made it back in time for Geoff to take us on a trip to Tobermory in the RIB, and hit MacGoghan’s for a delicious seafood dinner – delicious local fish and chips, fish pie, scallops with garlic, scallops with pea sauce, battered scallops…

 

White Sandy Beaches



We made an early(ish) start and headed for Portuairk, where we set out to recce the conditions for a possible crossing to the Small Isles. After about half an hour, bouncing around in the clapotic waves along the shore, it became apparent that the weather was just too severe – the further out towards Muck we headed, the bigger the waves became.

We turned back nearer shore and headed East along the North Coast of Ardnamurchan, waves still enjoyably bouncy, for a chilled afternoon paddle in the sun. We stopped at Glendrian, (in the same bay we’d stopped at on the way back from our crossing from Eigg, the previous year), for lunch, and just a little bit of disco dancing in the sun, before launching into the diagonal surf (expertly of course under Geoff’s expert tutelage) and carrying on towards Fascadale.



 

After a short break for a cup of coffee, some dried fruit courtesy of Philippe, and a quick navigation check, we completed our journey to Port Ban for our first night of wild camping.



Despite the low lying cloud that had been with us all day, we pitched our tents in the beautiful warm glow of the evening sunshine, to the (happily quite vague) interest of a few passing cows. After dinner, as the sun went down we were treated to a stunning light show as the low fluffy clouds were lit up in dazzling shades of pink, pale blue, orange, peach, turquoise and rose by the setting sun.



Isle of Muck

I woke at 0723. For a moment I was at a music festival, crowds of people clomping past my tent. I re-oriented to my rugged Ardnamurchan home, and before venturing out of the tent, I remembered the passing thought I’d had as I drifted off to sleep – I bet the cows head down to the beach first thing in the morning for a salty breakfast, and we have pitched our tents right in their paths. I poked my head out. They did, and we had.



We all stumbled sleepily out of our tents to see what was going on and saw an extremely hefty bull standing down on the beach between our kayaks and the water’s edge. “Daddy” remained stubbornly in his seaside spot for ages. Finally the farmer came down and gave him a friendly slap and a nudge. He trundled after the rest of the herd to his breakfast on the hill in the next field.

We set off from Port Ban, the sea like a millpond. Geoff pointed out that after our early morning wakeup call, we were in good time for another attempt on the crossing to Muck, with plenty of time to return in the afternoon if needed. Everyone was keen. We listened to the Stornaway Coastguard’s 1010 weather forecast, which was excellent, and plumped for the crossing. Despite the forecast deterioration in the weather “later”, we hoped it would hold long enough for us to camp for the night on Muck and return to Sanna in the morning.

We set off again at 1030, and when we reached Fascadale, we took a bearing of 320^o towards Port Mor on Muck. Conditions were perfect, with a broad gentle swell and a light Southerly wind. We stopped for a water break every 40 minutes or so, and completed the 11km crossing in just over two and a half hours.

We arrived on Muck just after high tide, rafting up at the harbour entrance for the 1310 weather forecast on the VHF. After paddling the last half a Km into the harbour, we pulled our boats up onto the rocky shore, and meandered up the road to the tea shop, past two small lambs with matte black coats like coal. We ate our lunch lounging in the brilliant Muck sunshine – Cullen Skink with chunks of homemade brown bread, toasties with home-roast ham, pots and pots of tea, and delicious fruit cake and carrot cake. No holds were barred with the carb consumption as we now had another 3 hour crossing ahead of us – the weather forecast had banished hopes for a night’s stopover on Muck, as the wind looked to be up again within a few hours.



We set off again at 1530 and headed out into the bay. The wind picked up. It made for interesting swell on our return journey to Portuairk. Initially conditions were helpful enough, windy but with a following sea. As we paddled on, the swell grew taller, and more clapotic. After about half an hour of bouncing around, I noticed that the rest of the group was disappearing regularly into the troughs of the waves, (putting the Sea State at 4, or “Moderate”) which were coming at us from behind and to the side. Despite the stability from the fully loaded boats, we were all being thrown around quite a bit in the swell, and paddling now required concentration and frequent brace strokes. A trailing low brace came in handy on the most clapotic waves, but for the most part we stayed stable by keeping momentum up and powering forward, placing blades firmly into the front of the waves as they came at us from the side. We arrived in Sanna Bay at 1800, exhilarated from the trying conditions, all of us on a high, after three hours of paddling absolutely in the moment without a thought for anything extraneous.



A wee dram was in order, and we toasted Geoff as a thanks for a great day’s kayaking. The tide was well on its way in as we lugged boats up the beach and loaded cars. As we had paddled up the cove on our way in, we’d noticed a sheep stranded on a low rock and despite the day’s efforts, Alex still had enough oomph to rescue it and send it scampering on its way.

Wild Camping and Fine Dining



Restored by Kenneth’s hearty dinner of bean and vegetable stew and toasted bagels on Wednesday night, followed by cheeses, oatcakes and a couple of glasses of wine, we were more than ready for another day’s kayaking on Thursday morning. Eventually. We made it out of the ranch at about 2pm, headed for Loch Moidart, loaded up with firewood and some good food for that night’s campfire meal.



The drive to Loch Moidart was stunning, through breathtaking scenery, and on the way we stopped at the shop in Salen. We bought Nutella and fresh rolls for the next day, stocked up on Whisky and had a little sit-down for coffee and cake (as it was still only 3pm…) Then we made our way to the get-in and loaded the food and whisky into the boats, along with plenty(!) of firewood. After our chilled, meandering day, we set off at 1700 for our paddle through the Loch. No-one was in a hurry, and it was low tide as we made our way past the Casteal Tioram ruins, down the South Channel and out past Eilean Shona to the open sea.



We pootled up the coast to our second wild campsite, going quietly as we passed a group of seals resting on the rocks, and arrived in time to set up camp before sunset. Alex donned his rubber suit and headed back in the water to perfect his already not-too shabby offside roll. I pitched my tent, on a hillock above the beach, as a sea-otter fished for its supper in the bay beyond. There was a lowered sandy plateau on the beach below our campsite, with a lovely echo – perfect for Dan and Kenneth to have a little percussion jam session with the firewood. Then Geoff lit a perfect cooking fire for our evening meal, (the usual paddle nosh but also baked sweet potatoes, carrots and shallots warmed in foil in the fire). We ate on the sand, enjoying just being, under the sky and by the sea, as the sun set over the Sound of Arisaig.





Sun and double scallops

Day 7 dawned sunny and lovely. We left our beautiful campsite, and paddled our way through turquoise waters, in the blazing sunshine back to Loch Moidart.



We made our way through the North Channel, stopping to explore on the way. We beached at Casteal Tioran, our lunch stop and climbed up to the Castle ruins for a wander. Passing walkers and kayakers were friendly and had come from all around. We chatted to an older couple from Cheshire, out walking their gorgeous collie, (who wasn’t allowed any leftover salami due to his special diet) and two other sets of sea-kayakers enjoying a beautiful sunny day paddling round the peaceful waters of Lock Moidart.



We had a pretty epic lunch, finishing off all the left over provisions, topped off with coffee and delicious maple waffles drenched in Nutella (thanks Kenneth!) We meandered back to the get-in, stopping before we got out for some skills practice (who could resist in the beautiful warm sun), Geoff demonstrating a beautifully poised balance brace, Kenneth slickly executing a roll, and Alex practicing leaning backwards into a low scull. I went for a long, cool swim in the Loch – my first wild swim of the season – and then we unpacked the boats, loaded them on the cars and headed back to Kilchoan. We just about managed to unload and rinse the kit in time to get in the RIB and head back across to Mull – spotting a porpoise on the way out, heading toward Tobermory lighthouse. We celebrated our last night in style at MacGochan’s – there was a good old Scottish jam session in full swing when we arrived. Two accordions, bagpipes and a frenzied percussionist playing sticks on the table top belted out reels, jigs and a traditional medley of Marie’s Wedding and Scotland the Brave. Brilliant. Then a round of double scallops and dark ale before heading back to Kilchoan across the dark and quiet Sound of Mull.

 









Miranda

Photos courtesy of Miranda, Alex Hester, Kenneth Tharp

No Comments "

November Sun

December 14th, 2013

Bognor Regis Winter Paddle, 24th November 2013

On a beautiful crisp winter morning 5 intrepid CKC members (Neil, Dan, Rob H, Miranda and Jac) headed to the south coast.

There was a lovely shingle beach –



 

(not so gently sloping in places) and free easy parking – perfectly selected.

We had a lovely paddle, using the reverse eddies in our favour up to Little Hampton and back (even though the Coastguard didn’t think we would make it).

 



We paddled along bathed in the pinkly ethereal light, until the spell was broken by four noisy jet skis – we then took this opportunity to start heading into shore for lunch.

As it was the first super cold paddle of the season lunch consisted of discussing the pros and cons of various thermos and concluded with Neil’s £4.95 Morrison’s version being the best of the lot.

Heading back Jac thought Neil needed to challenge his last reserves of stamina – so without much convincing he hooked his towline to her boat, allowing Jac the opportunity to perform the role of trip photographer.



 

Dan found some cosy couches by the fire for a cheeky drink before the drive home.

 



No Comments "

Cremorne to Kew

May 5th, 2013

Gorgeous day, and we all made it down to Cremorne bright and early for a paddle out west. High tide was at 1130am so we had the tide with us for a good chunk of the first leg.



Before we knew it we were at Kew, in fact we were there by 1145 so some time to kill before lunch.  We found the shingle beach, and couldn’t resist “lunch from a shingle beach”



The pubs of Richmond beckoned, but consensus wagered a seat would be hard to find, so we went for a mosey up the Grand Union Canal instead. Interesting. A little too interesting as it turned out…



The Thames Lock was fun on the way in, my first lock and going up to a whole new water level was fun. On the way back after lunch, however, the water levels were less amenable to changing. In that the lockeeper was nowhere to be seen. So we considered our options. Shooting the weir was discarded as we couldn’t really see where the route went after the weir. Yelling out for the lockeeper got a bit boring after a while. We phoned him but that didn’t work either.

So portage was the only option. We took it in turns to clamber up the wall, and hauled the boats out with towlines. The get-in on the other side of the lock was even more fun. Vern immediately sprung into action and organised a team lowering the boats down the 15 foot wall with a pulley system of towlines, and Gieve went down first to help people make the leap from the ladder into their boats.



Jacqueline, Neil and David did a slightly longer portage and lauched off a jetty round the corner and we all met up to cruise back out on to the Thames and navigate with the ebb tide back down to Cremorne under Dave Tuttle’s expert navigation guidance.



Great day, thanks all!

Miranda

No Comments "

Hayling in the Snow

January 21st, 2013

The skinny middle aged runner we encountered in the carpark of The Ship pub was the first to speak.

“Ah someone more mad than me,” he said, having spent 90 minutes jogging in sub zero icy and snowy conditions.

He was vacillating between sheer admiration of our chutzpah to circumnavigate Hayling Island and the ludicrousness of doing so in such extreme weather. Such thinking was of course, not lost on Andy, Jay, Kate, Miranda and me. Surely snuggling up and enjoying a Sunday morning sleep in was preferable to de-icing the skegs and foot rests while fingers were painfully cold?



Getting the boats out

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, at the time maybe, but once we started out, the microclimate in the kayaks ensured a comfy paddle, especially so with the wind initially behind our backs and we were riding a fast tide. We had a relatively calm sea and a bit of fun riding small waves at the bar on the South East corner of Hayling. And early in the paddle we encountered some some friends Richard and Steve heading in the opposite direction.

The next observers were some yachties cleaning their boats while we sheltered from the constant snow under the verandah of the club for a fuel stop. (The planned lunch spot in the protected bowels of the club was closed). “Didn’t you check the weather forecast?”was the incredulous question.

We had of course, and were well prepared. Jay’s hot chocolate, Miranda’s spare fleece and some bacon sandwiches made from breakfast leftovers helped keep the shivering to a minimum. But there wasn’t any luxuriating. It was back on the water, enjoying the sea with a couple of spectacular MOTHS and an old fashioned rowing boat as quickly as possible.The rowers, surprisingly, given they were out in the same conditions, were heard to loudly mutter “are they f….king kidding?”



Paddling in the snow

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wind was still blowing, but this time in our faces, the snow still falling, this time landing on cheeks and eyelashes, and the tide that was meant to be giving us a nice sleigh ride home was non existent. Still, Kate amused us with a planned roll, executed perfectly and Jay had given us some paddling technique tips to work on. By the time of our mid afternoon return to the pub the boats were hoisted on roof racks in record time and we adjourned, with enormous enthusiasm to the roaring log fire and warming coffee (ok, a couple of us had a beer).



Loaded in record time

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



View from the pub

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I suspect that while many people had done little on this particular Sunday, we had a memorable and most enjoyable time and have notched up a rare experience: paddling around Hayling in the snow.

Jacquelin Magnay

No Comments "

Mulled wine, mince pies and flashing hats – a chilled paddle on a calm night

December 22nd, 2012

Thursday night and time to head down to Cremorne for some respite from London’s pre-Christmas bustle.

Late as usual after a hectic day but Olwen Jac and Christoph waited patiently with all the kit ready, and their patience was rewarded with… Flashing Christmas hats!



Lowering the boats off the pontoon (wearing our flashing Christmas hats), we saw that the choppy waters spotted from the pier had calmed, and as we pottered west alongside the riverbank the relentless clicking and whirring of London life melted away. There was hardly any traffic, the open stretch of water was dark, cool and quiet, and for a couple of hours life was just the river, the rhythm of paddling, and pleasant conversation.

Our course weaved between the pontoon posts, headed past Wandsworth bridge then Putney bridge, and splooshed quietly past Bishop’s Park with not a jeering stone lobbing yob in sight. Gazing up at the riverbank, and imagining frenzied London working, shopping and partying, the quiet was hard to believe, but welcome.

A little pause at Craven Cottage to hang with Michael Jackson, and take in the view of not much except river stretching up to sky, then we remembered the mulled wine Olwen had brought and headed back. Rounding the bend after Putney, and instead of choppy water and a brisk breeze we were met with a still river and a beautiful serene view – along the riverbank the water shimmered in green, purple, red and gold, and Albert Bridge’s festoon of lights danced and glimmered downriver. We glanced up to look at the clear crescent of the waxing moon, and saw Orion’s Belt glinting through the darkness.

The sights stayed with us as we crossed back to Cremorne and celebrated with wine and pies and warmth, and the stars and the stillness stayed even longer. All serving to remind me that Thursday winter paddling is a weekly must to stay relaxed and sane in hectic London, over Christmas, New Year and beyond…

 



Miranda

No Comments "

Visit to PLA VTS and London Coastguard, October 2012

October 28th, 2012

We had a very interesting visit to the Port of London Authority (PLA) Operations at Woolwich yesterday.  Seven of us were met on a bitterly cold morning by Tom Southall, the Deputy Manager of VTS.   The PLA ops and London Coastguard are based in the same building just beside the Thames Barrier (which is independently physically operated and maintained by the Environment Agency.)

Tom was very welcoming and encourages these sort of visits where users of the river get to understand more about the operations and the variety of craft they encounter.  He firstly gave us a presentation explaining everything from where they fit in and relate to different agencies and stakeholders, such as IALA (International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authority), MCA, (Maritime and Coastguard Agency and IMO (International Maritime Organisation), training and background, their geographic reach and what services they provide and information systems they use.

We then got taken upstairs to the Control Room, where we met the two VTS guys on duty ,who explained the various screens and equipment they were using.  It was fascinating to see all the radar and visual images of traffic moving on the Thames, views from their various CCTV cameras on bridges over the river and real time tidal and wind information being monitored.  It was a blustery morning and the anemometer was veering around all over the place.



 

Next we met Sam who was the Coastguard Officer on duty. This is the only place in the UK where the Coastguard and VTS are co-located in the same building.  Tom reckons this undoubtedly saves many more lives as they can share information instantaneously when incidents occur and Search and Rescue operations are easier to coordinate.  Sam also gave a quick overview of the Coastguard operations and it was reassuring to hear that all information has a back up with dual control from another Coastguard for when Sam goes for lunch. (Usually Thames). They work 12 hours shifts, which must be pretty stressful at times. 

View of the Barrier from the Control Room



 

 

The Team with London Coastguard



It was a great morning and everyone enjoyed themselves. The time flew past and it was very generous of Tom to give up so much of his personal time.  We greatly appreciated it.  We are hoping to plan another trip for those who couldn’t make it this weekend and we’ve also invited the VTS and Coastguard guys to come kayaking with us to see the Thames from water level!  Maybe they will take us up on this.

 

 

No Comments "

The Only Way is Essex

October 9th, 2012

CKC team up with Maldon and Dengie Canoe Club for a paddle around Osea Island on the Blackwater Estuary

August 2012

By Ann Gales

As well as exotic trip locations such as Sardinia, Denmark and Kilchoan, we like to try to organise some fairly local paddles in the South East, so when Rob Horton rang me to say he fancied paddling on the Essex Coast, Blackwater Estuary, I thought is was an excellent idea. (Not least because it’s the nearest bit of coast to where I live!).

With the Olympics still in full swing in early August and many folk on holiday, only a few of us could make the trip.  So, on chatting with Rob about launch sites, I suggested we team up with some friends form the local Maldon and Dengie Canoe Club, who are based in nearby Burnham on Crouch. The more the merrier.

So setting off on what was a beautiful sunny morning, Rob, myself, and David N, trundled down to the slipway at Bradwell to meet the local Essex boys and girls.  Altogether there was 8 of us in the group.  Having dropped off the boats at the slip and then parking the cars in the nearby Bradwell Marina (they don’t like you launching and getting out on their own slipway at the club but parking for a small fee is fine), we set off on the incoming flood tide which helped take us up the Estuary.

The Essex coast is challenging mainly because of the numerous sand banks and mud flats.  However, on a calm day, the paddling is usually straightforward, just as long as you get the tide times right.   Our plan was to paddle west with the incoming tide so we could circumnavigate Osea Island at high tide and then paddle back out as the tide ebbed.

Osea Island is only accessible at low tide via a causeway and its natural geographical isolation therefore made it a perfect location for rehabilitation of drug and alcohol abusers.  Until a few years ago, it was used by celebrities such as Amy Winehouse who paid up to £10,000 a week to stay at The Causeway clinic, in the large Edwardian house on the island.  Now the island is privately owned and anyone can hire the main house or one of the 18 cottages on the island as holiday homes or locations for big celebrations.  (Though it’s not cheap!)

On this glorious sunny day when we went paddling, the water was busy with numerous watersports users, and families having fun on one of the few real hot summer days of 2012.  It was an easy paddle apart from keeping a close eye out for jet skis and powerboat users.

 

Rob and Brenda at the SE corner of Osea Island with the beach behind

Having paddled round Osea Island in a clockwise direction, passing directly over the causeway which was by now submerged on high tide, we decided to land for lunch on the small beach we had passed earlier on the south east corner of the island.

Some of us went for a quick swim to cool down, whilst Clive demonstrated his rolling skills.  The Essex boys, determined to show the Chelsea visitors their sophisticated side, had brought a barbecue, so bacon butties were quickly rustled up by Adrian and Clive even had the gin, tonic AND a flask with ice at the ready.  What style….  I’ve made a note to add these to my essential kit list on our next CKC day trip.

As we munched away on sandwiches and lay sunbathing on the beach, it was definitely Costa del Essex and we were very happy and content.  We were entertained watching some kids play on inflatable rings towed behind Dad’s powerboat and then we had the wonderful sight of the Tiptree Thames barge going past.  We had seen it earlier in the distance heading out of Maldon on our way round the Island.

 

The Thames Barge



We eventually goaded ourselves into getting into the kayaks once again and pootled back out with the ebb tide.  Navigation was straightforward with the landmark of Bradwell Power Station sitting at the mouth of the estuary straight ahead.  Even industrial sights don’t seem ugly on a lovely day.  As the tide gathered strength we just had to make sure we ferried in towards the marina rather than miss our landing spot and drift casually out to the North Sea.

 

David N heading back to Bradwell with the now disused Power Station in sight.



We arrived back at Bradwell marina, loaded up the kayaks and had a quick drink at the nearby pub, chatting to our new friends.   Everyone had had a really fun day out.  We really must do this again sometime.  Maybe the Walton Backwaters next time??

 

 

No Comments "

CKC Trip to Fyn (Funen), Denmark, August 2012

October 5th, 2012
Danish Delights

by Ann Gales

When Pia casually suggested last year that she would want to invite her friends at CKC back to her home in Denmark to paddle and see some of the beautiful coast of the Island of Fyn (Funen in Danish), I don’t think any of us imagined just what an outstanding trip this would be.

This short blog can’t possibly do justice to the wonderful 4 days we had. But I tried to summarise the trip and give you the highlights.

Seven of us flew over to Copenhagen early on the Friday morning and were met at Kastrup airport by Pia and her paddling buddy Jakob. Pia took us for a quick whirlwind tour of the Copenhagen centre, where we had a traditional Danish lunch by the canal, before driving the two hours to take us westwards over to the Island of Fyn and to Odense, where Pia and Jakob are members of the Odense Kayak Club.

We had a special treat in store for our evening meal. A fantastic little “restaurant” run on a type of cooperative basis for members, where everyone takes turn at cooking meals. For a very small fee to cover food costs we were treated to a fabulous meal and wonderful Danish hospitality.

We then picked up our boats from Odense Kayak Club. We were all stunned by the fabulous club facilities, which included a gym, kitchen and dining area as well as sauna! (Think we should make a note of that in any ambitious future plans for CKC.). The club was very generous in letting us borrow some of their high quality kayaks and kit and some private members lent us their own fibreglass boats, which was extremely kind and trusting.
Another drive, some shopping en route, and we arrived in the little summerhouse we were renting near Faabourg, on the southern coast of Fyn. A long first day, but it was fantastic.

Now for the paddling…..

We awoke on Saturday morning to dry, but windy conditions and Pia suggested we head down the coast to launch further east. The paddle out to the islands of SkarØ was a bit of slog into a tough headwind but on the plus side the windy conditions made for a more interesting paddle. We spent the rest of the day paddling between a few other islands, stopping for lunch on HjortØ where we met another group of Danish sea kayakers (sea kayaking is understandably very popular here) and then heading west to DrejØ, Although we crossed one of the deep ferry channels on the way, much of this area of water is incredibly shallow. This gave Fiona the wonderful excuse to do some kayak snorkelling, a sport, which she seems to have personally invented. It involves snorkelling upside down in your kayak whilst eskimo rescue style/leaning on someone else’s boat. Mesmerised by the marine life beneath, Fiona seemed oblivious to anything else.



DrejØ was one of the larger islands and had a small town and shop, where some of our group purchased much needed coffees, teas and some rather delicious chocolate cakes and biscuits.

There islands are so beautiful and peaceful, yet in typical Danish fashion they all seem to have at least a picnic bench and some rather high quality toilet cabins.

We headed home, exhausted after a wonderful days’ paddle and Tim cooked an impressive meal to help us re-charge the batteries for the next day.

Looking out the window the next morning it was obvious that it was once again very windy and consequently lots of chop on the sea. Pia and Jakob suggested we drive further down the coast to an area more protected from the wind. A day of fun and games was in store and there was generally a lot of messing about in boats. The highlight was the CKC Viking Boat racing championships. The photo best describes the event, which involved 3 or 4 people rafting up, creative use of paddles and cagoules to sail, whilst the paddler in the middle bravely holds the boats together and those on the outside stand in their kayaks, holding the “sails”.



Viking Racing the CKC way

This was followed by some more rescues, fun in a playground on the island where Jakob was crowned Champion of Swingball, and Paul threw caution to the wind and launched himself head first down the waterslide. Hilarious.

The next day the sun shone brightly and we had a fairly gentle paddle from the beautiful town of Faabourg round the east side of Horneland and past the town of Dyreborg. Some more messing around in boats with practice rescues, another Viking race and more kayak snorkelling took us to the end of our stay in the south of Funen. We were all sad to be heading back up north.

We reluctantly had to return our sea kayaks to Odense Kayak Club for their Monday evening paddling training. We pitched camp in the grounds by the canal and hung our wet gear out to dry.

But this was not to be the end of our fun filled kayaking weekend.

The next morning, having been woken by Andy on the club megaphone giving the impression of a SBS commander, we quickly got everything packed up and prepared for a morning of experimentation with Odense Kayak Club touring and racing boats. (Yes they really are generous with their wonderful kit). Pia and Jakob were sniggering as they looked forward to seeing how the visitors got on in these more wobbly boats.

In short, it was more fantastic fun. We tried lots of different boats, increasing in wobbleyness as the morning passed. (I’m sure Racing aficionados use the “Wobbley scale”?) The amount of falling in also increased but I think it’s fair to say the CKC team did itself proud and we all mastered at least some of the racing craft. After a hasty lunch, (thanks to Paul for some cracking sandwiches), we had to rush to get back to the airport for our return flights.

Well, this was the most fantastic trip. We all came back wanting to return to Denmark. Thank you to Pia and Jakob for their wonderful hospitality and to Odense Kayak Klub for their welcome and letting us their kit and facilities.

Our Hosts, Pia and Jakob



We felt very privileged to be given such insights into your beautiful country and the chance to paddle there.

Hope they might invite us back again …maybe…….

No Comments "

The Lido Sessions, Brockwell 13/05/12

May 14th, 2012

Brockwell Lido Session

Brilliant Springtime evening sunshine welcomed us out onto the lido, beautifully vibrant and blue after its recent renovation. The water was cool, but inviting, and Tom jumped straight in for a swim before we started. 

We all had  a great time practicing rolling in various boats, with excellent coaching from Geoff, resulting in Kenneth mastering his roll in characteristically stylish fashion!

Geoff brought his paddle float as well as boats, paddles and kit, and we all had  a go at using it for self rescue, rolling and various other techniques. The standing up in the kayaks was slightly less successful, but just as fun…

It was a great session – several of us became much more confident with our rolls, we got to practice self rescue techniquies, sculling, draw strokes and all sorts of things. And what a great setting to do it in!

Afterwards we loaded the boats onto the trailer, and then headed to the new plush changing rooms to shower in style, followed by a glass of wine round at Geoff and Sandra’s and some good old kayaking chat (another round of “no, the wave was this big…”) before heading home.

I really enjoyed my first lido session, the location is stunning, and an hour and half is a perfect amount of time to get some techniques down as well as have a bit of a giggle in the process! It was easy to get to – short bus ride from Clapham junction or Brixton Victoria line (or free parking outside if you drive) – and fantastic getting to practice with sea kayaks in protected conditions, rather than go straight from rotobats to trying things in choppy water in a sea kayak, and I can’t wait till next week!

Hope to see you all there…



 

 

Miranda

No Comments "