We left Glasgow at 5:30am on Saturday 18/10/03 and drove via Fort William and Loch Carron. We were on the water at Shielding by 11:00 BST. The best place to park is right on the front beside the most Northerly jetty (NG81554). There is a shingle beach to the north of it, it is steep so in a NW wind there could be dumping surf. We had intended to paddle Loch Torridon, but chose the shelter of Loch Shielding which runs NW to SE and so was sheltered from the very cold NE wind.
Area weather forecast was NE Force 4-5 gusting 6.
Online weather 4 day sailing forecast for Summer Isles.
BBC 6 day tide times Shieldaig.
BBC 6 day tide times Ullapool.
GPS
track of route. Total distance was 9.9km.
Leaving
Shieldaig jetty. Shieldaig Island still has a dense cover of Caledonian Forest which
once would have covered the whole of Torridon. Only the steep sides of the
island have prevented it being grazed by sheep, goats and deer.
Camas-ruadh.
Looking
through the gap inside Eilean a Chaoil to Loch Torridon and the giants of
Torridonian sandstone; Ben Alligan and Liathach. The wind was bitterly cold in
Loch Torridon and we returned to the shelter of Loch Shieldaig.
Returning
from Loch Torridon to Loch Shieldaig.
Approaching
the North end of Shieldaig Island with Ben Shieldaig behind.
On
the lookout for sea otters.
Southwest
side of Shieldaig Island
Torridonian
panorama. The little island of old red sandstone is not even on the OS 1:50,000
ma. but is located at NG793548. A sea otter was playing nearbyand there was a
large noisy Heronry on the nearby island of Eilean an Inbhire Bhain.
You
pays your money and make your choice....
Approaching
Shieldaig Village from the West. Another sea otter was cavorting in the water
off the South of the Island only 300 metres from the Village. The local seal
spent the afternoon only yards from the old Shieldaig jetty where we launched
and landed.
Liathach
towers over Shieldaig.
Packing
up for the long drive home via Applecross and the Bealach na Ba.
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Site editor: Douglas E Wilcox (D.E.Wilcox@clinmed.gla.ac.uk
)
Last edited 20/10/03
Created 20/10/03