Five Edinburgh-based paddlers met at a soupy Silverknowes. Though we were only two-and-a-half hours after low water, the usual stretch of sandy beach was barely visible from the road and the intended journey out into the Forth seemed in doubt, despite the generally positive forecast for later in the day.
Group discussion led to an agreement to head towards Cramond Island initially and see what we could see from there, adapting our plan in the pale light which might have broken through by then. After a brief and socially-distanced beach briefing, at 1050 we set off on our journey of discovery, the Island having appeared, a la Shangrila, floating on a bed of mist in the continuing gloom. As we closed in on Cramond, keeping tightly together as a group, the warship outline of Inchmickery revealed itself in encouraging fashion. We could stick with the original plan.
Out of the relative shelter of Cramond Island there was a little more bounce than expected, but we soon reached Inchmickery, choosing to wriggle through the pier stanchions, avoiding collisions with the horizontal struts lurking just below the rising tide. A large bull seal watched us leave and head towards Oxcars, where unusually there was no gang of other seals waiting to greet/investigate/surprise/chase us off. A direct route in a tight group across the shipping lane and a left turn took us towards Inchcolm, with a large RIB from said island politely cutting behind us. Swallow Crag aka “Inchgnome” directed us towards the northern harbour where we met up with a small group, including at least one other LSKC member, who had set out from South Queensferry. Lunch was appreciated at this stage, as was the current Historic Scotland signage displaying a sense of humour involving atrocious punning.
Though the murk had lifted, there was little sign of the forecast blue behind the clouds breaking through, so we re-embarked and headed round the western end of Inchcolm and paddled across towards Cramond. The nearness of high water gave us the opportunity to approach closer to the village than usual, though the flow of the river was still observable. Slaloming through the teeth of the causeway, we headed back to Silverknowes to land on the scrap of beach remaining at 1415.
Big thanks to Andy, Clare, Graham and Katerina for paddling tight in initial conditions which were potentially difficult, working together to reach consensus and remaining within guidelines. The chat was pretty good too.