Scottish Sea Kayaking Photo GalleryScottish Sea Kayaking Photo Gallery
Tide times: 3 days before springs.
Oban 25/2/06
LW 10:13 HW 16:15 26/2/06 LW 11:02 HW 17:00
Corran
25/2/06 LW 10:18 HW 16:20 26/2/06 LW 11:07 HW 17:05
Loch Leven head 25/2/06 LW 10:58 HW 17:00 26/2/06 LW 11:47 HW 17:45
Weather forecast for open waters of Firth of Lorn 25/03/2006 Wind NE force 5
to 6.
Weather forecast for open waters of Firth of Lorn 26/03/2006 Wind N to NE force
4 to 5
GPS
track of route 14.4km.
The
Isles of Glencoe Hotel proved to be
comfortable with excellent service.
The
Mamores.
View
from hotel window!
The
hotel is built on a peninsula composed of spoil from the Ballachullish slate
quarries. Slate was quarried from 1693 until 1955.
Looking
east tpwards the Great Ridge of Garbh Bheinn, 885m, on the Ardgour peninsula.
Beinn Bhan in the foreground, Sgorr Bhan, 947m, behind.
Sgorr
Bhan, 947m.
Eilean
Munde, burial place of the MacDonalds with the Mamores behind. On 13th February
1692 Campbell of GlenLyon (who had been staying with the MacDonalds of Glen Coe
with 128 men for 12 days) turned on his hosts and murdered 38 of them while many
others died of exposure after escaping into the winter hills. Although the
Highland clans all had a bloody history, the Massacare of Glen Coe is infamous
as a breach of Highland hospitality. MacIain of Glencoe, the MacDonald
chief, is buried on Eilean Munde.
Looking
west to Sgorr na Ciche (the Pap of Glencoe), 747m and Sgorr nam Fiannaidh, 967m.
Harvey
tries the Rockpool Alaw.
Heading
east again.
Sgorr
Bhan, 947m, with Sgorr Dhearg, 1024m, behind
Alison
with Glencoe Village in the background.
Approaching
Eilean Munde
Nigel
coming into the shelter of Eilean Choinneich.
Eilean
Choinneich.
Looking
east from Eilean Choinneich towards Sgorr na Ciche (the Pap of Glencoe), 747m
and Sgorr nam Fiannaidh, 967m.
Ballachulish
Narrows and Bridge.
Leaving
Alison's Bay NN060600. The wind had got up a bit so I left Alison here and
nipped back for her with the car.
Nearly
back at the Isles of Glen Coe Hotel.
This
photo is by Dave Watson and shows Alan Lindsay. They went on a different trip, further east to
the tidal narrows of Caolas nan Con in upper Loch Leven at NN137613.
GPS
track of route: 21.4km.
Dave
abondons his sailing rig for a new downwind technique.
The
Ballachulish Bridge opened in 1975. It replaced flat bottomed turntable ferries.
One of the last of these was the Glenachulish.
It was built in 1969 at the Ailsa yard at Troon on the Firth of Clyde. It served
the Ballachulish crossing until 1975 when it was moved to Kessock and Kylsku to
serve as the relief ferry until those crossings were replaced by bridges in 1982
and 1984. After this it moved to Glenelg
for the Skye crossing where it still serves today.
The
Ballachuilish Narrows at slack water.
A
breather at Camas a Chois.
Alan
enjoys his new Explorer HV (and dry suit).
Paddling
WNW towards the Sallachan Point light with Beinn Garbh, 885m, behind
Looking
SW down Loch Linnhe from Rhuba Cuil-cheanna.
Looking
east up Loch Leven from Rhuba Cuil-cheanna.
Looking
north up Loch Linnhe towards Corran lighthouse from Rhuba Cuil-cheanna.
Waiting
at Bunree for the coast to clear!
Approaching Nether
Lochaber.
Corran
lighthouse from the east Corran jetty at Nether Lochaber. It was built in 1860
by David and Thomas Stevenson. It flashes red every 4 seconds.
The
Maid of Glencoul. This is the backup ferry and I sailed on her in her first
season in 1977 when she plied the Kylesku crossing in NW Scotland (replaced by a
bridge in 1984). The main ferry is the Corran
which was built in 2001 when she replaced the Rosehaugh (built in 1967 for
the Kessock crossing and transferred here in 1982 when the Kessock Bridge
opened).
Corran
Lighthouse. The wind against tide (3 days before springs) 3 hours after slack
water produced some interesting conditions in the narrows. Three of us played in
the main stream. The eddy line at the Ardgour side was viscious.
Photo
courtesy of of Alan Lindsay
Heading
back for Loch Leven
Jeff
from Kari-tek admires the view to the Mamores and the Glen Coe hills.
Returning
through the Ballachulish Narrows, I had some good ferry gliding practice from
side to side.
Eilean
Munde
Jeff
from Kari-tek brought along an impressive number of demo boats!
Thanks to all Scottish Canoe Association members who contributed to running this weekend.
Loch Leven: in Ballachullish Narrows and Caolas nan Con in upper Loch Leven the tides run at up to 5 knots. The tidal constant at Loch Leven head is +0045 Oban.
Loch Linnhe: in the Corran Narrows the tides run in excess of 5 knots. The tidal constant at Corran is +0005 Oban.
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Site editor: Douglas E Wilcox (D.E.Wilcox@clinmed.gla.ac.uk
)
Last edited 13/03/06
Created 12/03/06
