Scottish Sea Kayaking Photo Gallery

Sea kayaking in Loch Craignish.

A 21.6 Km paddle around the islands of Loch Craignish and into Loch Crinan: 12/10/03. 

We left Glasgow at 6:30am on Sunday 12/10/03 and dawn broke revealing thick low mist pouring over the shoulders of Ben Lomond. We arrived at Ardfern at 08:45 and were on the water an hour later. The best place to park is the village hall car park (NM812050). This is on the right hand side of the road immediately before the 30 MPH sign.  In the middle of the car park the ground is covered in burnt nails, presumably left after the village bonfire party. There is no public toilet so it is a good idea to stop at Loch Gilphead (toilets are on the left just before the roundabout to the A816 Oban road). We finished paddling at 15:30. The Galley of Lorne pub has a log fire and serves a good pint of Guinness but the earliest they serve food, even a bowl of soup, is 18:00!

Conditions on the day: 

• weather forecast was NE Force 4-5 gusting 6.
• tide times (BST) at Oban were HW 07:27, LW 13:47, HW 19:46 (springs).
• At Dover HW 01:03, LW 08:17, HW 13:15.

Forecast and tide tables:

• BBC 5 day forecast Lochgilphead.
• BBC 5 day forecast Oban.
• BBC inshore waters forecast.
• Online weather 4 day sailing forecast for Firth of Lorne. 
• BBC 6 day tide times Loch Beag (Craignish Point).
• BBC 6 day tide times Oban.
• Times of Maritime Safety Information broadcasts by HM Coastguard on VHF. Initial announcement on Channel 16 advises which channel will be used for broadcast.
  • MRSC Clyde: every 4 hours starting at 00:20
  • MRSC Stornoway: every 4 hours starting at 01:10

Tidal constants with respect to Oban:  

• Loch Craignish: -1:00.  
• Dorus Mor: NW (flood) starts -2:00 to -2:30 LW Oban, SE ( ebb) starts -2:00 to -2:15 HW Oban.

Hazards:  

• Loch Craignish is pretty sheltered but in NE winds there can be fierce gusts when passing valleys on the SE shore or in the gaps between the islands. 
• From my sailing days, I have experience of SW winds against  ebb spring tides setting up short steep seas in the shallow water at the mouth of the loch. (Like many sea lochs there is a shallow bar at the mouth where the glacier melted). 
• The NW flood through the Dorus Mor, off Craignish Point flows at up to 8 knots and the SE ebb flows up 6 knots.

References: 

• The Yachtsman's Pilot to the Isle of Mull and adjacent coasts, Martin Lawrence.
• Scottish West Coast Pilot, Mark Brackenby.
• Clyde Cruising Club Sailing Directions West Coast of Scotland.
• Admiralty Tidal Stream Atlas, NP218.
• Imray Chart C65.
• OS Landranger Sheet 55.

Common sense:

• The information here is given in good faith and is believed to be correct but it is every sea user's responsibility to check original data sources and conditions on the day before deciding if their experience is sufficient for a safe voyage.

GPS track of route. Total distance was 21.6 km, paddling time 4 hrs 15 minutes, average speed 5.1 km/hr, max speed 9.6 km/hr. 

Leaving Ardfern.

Straight into the teeth of the wind. Loch Craignish suffers from gusty squalls in a NE wind, as it funnels down through the hills and the islands.

Rhubha Dubh nan Cuileann, SE shore of Loch Craignish.

Rhubha Dubh nan Cuileann, SE shore of Loch Craignish.

Being blown down the NW shore of Eilean Righ. This route avoided the many fish cages in the channel between the island and the mainland. We noticed the windsock on a mast beside the house. Shortly afterwards a a very noisy small sea-plane took off from the above channel.

Looking SW through the gap between Island Macaskin and Eilean nan Gabhar to Garbh Reisa and Beinn Bhreac on Jura.

Crossing from Eilean nan Gabhar back to the East shore of Loch Craignish.

Creag a Bhanan, East shore of Loch Craignish.

Creag a Bhanan, East shore of Loch Craignish.

The East coast of Loch Craignish, looking towards, Benan Ardifuir.

"The Three Brothers", gathering lobster pots, though I only saw two of them.

Approaching Scodaig and Eilean nan Coinean.

Looking out through the Dorus Mor to The Gulf of Corryvreckan and out to the Atlantic Ocean beyond.. This shows the path taken by the flood tide which runs at up to 8 knots (15 km/h). The view  was taken from E of Liath-sgeir Mhor looking to the WNW.

Rounding Scodaig into Loch Crinan. We picked up a seal here, it followed us all the way up Loch Craignish, up the NW side of Island Macaskin, round Eilean nan Gabhar and then across to and round Eilean Dubh, a distance of 7 kilometres. It must have been bored! We also saw buzzards, heron, oystercatchers, swans, cormorants and shags and a variety of divers.

Lunch break in the shelter of Rudha Garbh-ard, Loch Crinan.

Northbound past Scodaig into Loch Craignish.

Looking out through the Dorus Mor to The Gulf of Corryvreckan. 

After passing up the NW side of Island Macaskin, we went through the gap between the islands and anticlockwise round Eilean nan Gabhar before crossing to Eilean Dubh.

The anchorage east of Eilean nan Gabhar.

Slipping through the reef at the north of Eilean nan Gabhar.

Eilean Mhic Chrion. Two hours after low water springs we were able to paddle (just) up the NW side of Eilean Mhic Chrion and over the barrier into the Ardfern Marina.

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Site editor: Douglas E Wilcox (D.E.Wilcox@clinmed.gla.ac.uk )
Last edited 22/10/03
Created 13/10/03