Paddling Weather

With the recent long, sunny summer's evenings, and a high tide around 6.00pm, we've been going out in the kayaks and taking a leisurely paddle along the coast to the west of Kilchoan.  Yesterday, the sea was like molten metal: the droplets of water coming off the end of the paddle seemed heavy, reluctant to fall.

In these conditions it's great fun squeezing through the gaps between rocks, risking grounding on submerged shoals which, because conditions are so calm, don't show the usual warning swirls of water.

It's gentle, quiet kayaking, ideal for spotting wildlife along the shore because we can push in close, moving silently so we don't frighten anything.  The main disturbance comes from passing motorboats and yesterday, for the first time for some time, two very noisy jet skiers.

The sea has been slow to warm this year, with the result that the mackerel have been late appearing in the Sound.  At some point we'll go out in the kayaks fishing for our supper.

This picture shows Trevor Potts' Ardnamurchan Campsite, an ideal starting point for kayaking in the Sound.

For those who have more time and enjoy paddling in a group, there's the Kilchoan Kayaking Club.  They have spare kayaks and are due out this Saturday for a day's paddle and an overnight camp - contact Geoff Campbell here.