Scottish Sea Kayaking Photo Gallery

"Otters and oystercatchers by Hestan Island, Solway Firth ."

January 29th 2005.

Launch site Auchencairn Bay: NX821495, 14.5km total trip time 4 hours..

Tide times at Hestan Island
Sat 29 Jan
HW	LW	HW	LW
01:48	08:10	14:02	20:44
7.7 m	1.6 m	7.9 m	1.5 m

GPS track of route.

Trolley's are a help to get the kayaks from the car park to the beach.

11am. This was 3hrs before HW Hestan Island. If only we had waited half an hour, the mud was terrible!

Hestan Island. At low tide it is connected to the mainland by a causeway called the Rack. Edward Balliol, a puppet King of Scotland built a manor on the island in 1342.

Balcary Tower at the mouth of Auchencairn Bay.

Daft Anne's steps at the south end of Hestan Island.

Daft Anne's steps are a set of rocky pillars extending from the south of Hestan Island. In the Story of Hestan Island, published by Auchencairn History Society, Mark White gives the following account. Daft Anne was a person of weak intellect who lived in Auchencairn. In those days the tide in Auchencairn Bay went out further than today and it was possible (but not recommended) to cross from Balcary Point to the south side of Hestan Island at low tide. This saved a long trek round the north end of the bay to Almorness Point and the safer crossing to the north of the island. Needless to say, Daft Anne got drowned on the short crossing.

Daft Anne's steps and the Hestan lighthouse.

Looking north east to Barcloy Hill and tree covered Ironhash Hill, venue of the Dalbeattie 7 Stanes mountain bike track.

A pair of otters were playing round Jennifer's boat.

East side of Hestan Island. Jennifer did not fancy putting the trolley complete with stinking mud into her hatches.

Looking north west up Auchencairn Bay to Orchardton House.

Notice the Solway fog on the horizon to the south of Hestan Island. On this occasion it came to nothing but a compass is an absolute necessity on the Solway. Sometimes the sun is shining 0.25 mile inland but there is dense sea fog.