Scottish Sea Kayaking Photo Gallery

St. Abb's Head (St Abbs).

A 17.7km paddle from Pease Bay to Coldingham Bay round St. Abbs Head, 11/12/04.

We left Glasgow at 7:50am on Saturday 11/12/04 and finally launched at 11:00am at Pease Bay after setting up a shuttle and leaving a car at Coldingham Bay. There is a public car park NT794706 just outside the caravan site barrier, 250m from the beach. In the summer you would need to carry the boats through the caravan site but the manager let us in because the site was closed. At Coldingham Bay the car park is 250m from the beach and 30m up! we used a trolley to bring the boats from the beach up a private road with a gate/sign post that says "No unauthorised vehicles. No launching of boats". The St. Vedas hotel/bar is right next to the car park. The hotel has a webcam. You could also park/launch in St Abbs harbour for a small fee.

GPS track of route. total  17.7km, paddling time  3hrs  41minutes, average speed  4.8km/hr, max speed  9.0km/hr.

Detail of GPS track round St. Abbs Head.

11:07 West of Pease Bay.

11:21 Siccar Point.

11:23 Fast Castle Head from Siccar Point.

11:36 Redheugh

11:47 Black Bull NT837702

11:47 Black Bull

11:48 Swell at Black Bull

11:50 Bay to the east of Black Bull in possession  Grey seals and pups The males were "rutting" and bellowing. The bay was full of eider ducks and cormorants.

11:51 West to Black Bull.

12:12

12:17 Approaching Fast Castle Head, walkers on the cliffs give scale.

12:20 Winding between the Little Rooks

12:20

12:25 Below Fast Castle. The ruins of Fast Castle stand on the edge of a sheer cliff into the sea. It was excavated between 1971 and 1986. It dates from the Iron Age but the current walls were probably constructed in the 14th century and inhabited until the 17th century. As the border drifted back and forwards, it was used by both Scottish and English forces. In 1567 Sir Nicolas Throgmorton described it as "fitter to lodge prisoners than folks at liberty."

Gazeteer for Scotland: Fast Castle entry.

12:29 Wheat Stack.

12:30 Wheat Stack Photo: Jennifer Wilcox

12:30 A slow shutter speed and surging wave blurs David and the spray below Wheat Stack..

12:33 Wheat Stack.

12:33 Wheat Stack. Photo: Jennifer Wilcox

12:34

12:35 Approaching Brander Point.

12:40 Brander Point, spot the resident wild goats.

12:40 Brander Point. Photo: Jennifer Wilcox

12:41 Sea goats.

12:43 Convoluted 450 million year old Silurian strata at Brander Point. The strata were originally formed horizontally as mud deposited at the bottom of the sea.

St Abb's Community website, geology page.

12:54 Picnic spot opposite Hurker rock, the beach was quite steep here.

13:04

13:32 Looking west to Brander Point from Hurker. The swell could make landing here tricky.

13:32 Beach at Hurker under Oatlee Hill. There is a pair of markers for a measured nautical mile on top of the cliffs, we did not attempt to see how fast we could paddle it!

14:18 Photo: Crazy sea stacks and channels behind Stable Rock leading to Petticowick. Photo: Jennifer Wilcox

14:18 Photo: Jennifer Wilcox

14:19 Photo: Jennifer Wilcox

14:20 Photo: Jennifer Wilcox

14:20 West Hurker stack (east of the Hurker above!) and St Abb's Head.

14:22 Cave at Pettico Wick.

14:23

14:24

14:26 West Hurker

14:30 Between West Hurker and St Abbs Head.

14:30

14:31 Skelly Hole. The narrow surge channel to the right of the giant old red sandstone stack, Floatcarr Rock, is only just wide enough to take a kayak through, yet underwater it bells out as the stacks are severely undercut. A diver friend tells me that a couple of double decker busses could pass side by side on the bed of the channel!

14:37 Foul Carr and Crooked Carr.

14:51 Approaching Big Black carrs. Photo: Jennifer Wilcox

14:58 Photo: Jennifer Wilcox

14:58

14:59

15:00

15:01

15:01 St Abbs's

15:04

15:09 Surf breaking on Broad Craig off St Abb's Harbour.

15:26 Coldingham Bay.

Weather forecast:

Issued by the Met Office at 05:40 UTC on Saturday 11/12/2004. Rattray Head to Berwick on Tweed. 24 hour forecast: Wind: south or southwest 3 or 4. Weather: mainly fair, risk mist or fog patches near coasts. Visibility: moderate or good, locally poor.

Issued by Onlineweather: St. Abb's Head Sailing Forecast issued at 4:26 am on Saturday, December 11, 2004 Valid for 6 hours from 0600 GMT Saturday Wind: S, Force 2 or 3 ( 6 - 11 mph) Weather Mainly cloudy Sea State Slight Visibility 6 miles Valid for 6 hours from 1200 GMT Saturday Wind: S, Force 3 or 4 ( 9 - 14 mph) Weather Mainly cloudy Sea State Slight Visibility 4 miles.

Tide times St Abb's Head  (BST) LW 07:26 1.1m HW 13:40 5.1 m we took advantage of the SE flow. 

Forecast and tide tables:

• BBC 5 day forecast Eyemouth.
• BBC inshore waters forecast.
• Online weather 4 day sailing forecast for St Abb's Head.
• 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 Forth: every 4 hours starting at 02:20 GMT
• Admiralty, Easytide, 7 days Eyemouth.
  • The tidal flow at St Abbs Head turns NW at +02:40 HW Eyemouth and SE at +02:40 LW Eyemouth.

References: 

• The Yachtsman's Pilot to North and East Scotland, Martin Lawrence.
• Imray Chart C24.
• OS Landranger Sheet 67.

Local information:

• St Abbs Community web site
  • St Abbs harbour area large scale map from above.
  • St Abbs Head area large scale map from above.
• St Abbs and Eyemouth voluntary Marine Reserve

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.

Scottish Sea Kayayaking Photo Gallery: North of Ardnamurchan Menu.

Scottish Sea Kayayaking Photo Gallery: Main Menu.

Scottish Mountain Photo Gallery Main Menu

We also do whitewater!

Site editor: Douglas Wilcox (D.E.Wilcox@clinmed.gla.ac.uk )
Last edited 28/12/04
Created 27/12/04