This trip was planned and organised by Martyn Tunstall but sadly he couldn’t make it due to a foot injury. The trip suffered further drop outs from the group signed up to it but luckily, Claire Chapman still wanted to go. A few logistic phone calls/texts and we were in business.
It was a Grade B paddle to the Sourlies Bothy starting at Mallaig, turn right, head down loch Nevis through the gap and continue to “Britain’s last wilderness” as it’s described in Doug Cooper’s kayak guide. It’s a 48 km round trip and what a forecast we had for it! Light winds, calm sea and sunshine (well, mostly).
Claire and I arrived at Mallaig and were on the water for 11am after a quick call to the coastguard and the usual prep. Low tide was 11:37 so this would give us a flooding tide to be assisted through the gap which was 16 km from Mallaig. We estimated this should take us around 3 hours with an average of 5 km/h. This was really the only aim with quite a relaxed feel and little other factors to consider other than to arrive at the bothy before dark.
We had only just left the “busy” (very quiet) Mallaig harbour and taken an Easterly heading when I caught sight of a pod of dolphins not 100m to the North. I called Claire as I could see she missed the brief sighting. Then the male “bull” came to check us out as the pod was with a calf. With the clarity of the water, I could see the bull swim right under my boat and surface at the end of my paddle! Not a bad way to start a trip 🙂
Clair and I agreed we could have our first stop behind a wee island named Eilean Giubhais where there was a small sandy beach in full sun! Cup of tea and steak pie time. I had been fortunate to pick up steak pie from my local butcher who insisted for me to have two of the “new” pies free of charge! They know how to keep customers happy. Clair picked up some mussels from under the rocks as an addition to dinner.
Clair and I headed down the loch towards the gap when I spotted the “beached whale!” just after Stoul. I had previously remembered reading the guide which mentions the beached whale but no further information……. I said to Claire and she was intrigued so we altered our course to have a closer look. As we approached the outdoor centre/bunkhouse, we could see the proportions of this whale were just not quite right. We spotted propellers and windows in this…. Whale. It turned out to be a heavily modified fishing vessel. Many additional wooden panels had been added and carved to make the vessel whale shaped including a very large tail which sticks up into the air. After almost beaching ourselves trying to take photos of the whale, we paddled on wondering how the small amount of dwellings exist. How do you build, get food? All the things we take for granted living in such isolated areas must be tough. There was a house we spotted nestled into the Druim Chuilinn head/peninsular which I admired for its grand presence and architecture. Clair and I chatted about a future trip she would do on Loch Morar and thought about a possible alternative route back with portage over the Tarbet coll. Paddling on nice flat water is so much easier with laden boats so it remained a thought and no more.
As we approached the “gap” we noticed the tide had a good flood into the loch. The guide advises of 3kts of tide through the narrows at max spring rip. We were on a waxing gibbous so I didn’t expect quite that but we clocked 9 km/h ground speed on my GPS. Entering the more inland water, the water was calmer still making for lovely paddling. I’m sure it was at this moment I caught sight of a fishing otter, busy in his afternoon feed. The bothy still felt a stretch away but we had our goal well in the bag. We continued to chat about the small number of dwellings we floated past on each shore. Some are in very good condition. We agreed, most must be holiday homes. We could see the Westerly spine of sgurr na ciche knowing roughly somewhere on the south side would be our home for the night. When we arrived, the sun was out meaning it was beer time! Beer in hand, we left our boats to check out this bothy. We had the place to ourselves (for now……). Dinner on and we found a wee burn from the hills providing perfect cooling facilities for the remaining beer. Life is good! We climbed up the shoulder to see if we could get some phone reception but luckily we couldn’t. I offered Claire my garmin inreach to send a message over the satellite network to let loved ones know we have arrived safely. It was a grand spot and midge free!!! Later two hikers arrived who looked like they had done ten times the effort we had to gather in the bothy for the evening. They had hiked in from Glenfinnan and were on route to Inverie via the sourlies. We exchanged stories of the efforts endured to gather here over the fireplace in the bothy. Claire and I had brought a fair bit of wood from my wood store but the wee fire just didn’t kick the heat out. I think the chimney was the only thing which rose in temperature!
Knowing it may rain overnight and early morning the cover of the bothy did appeal but the draw of a night under the stars in my bivvy bag was just too strong. The morning brought a dreich start to the day but flat calm water. Claire and I were keen to get on the water as low water was at 12:07 we faced an ebbing tide. Timed right, we should be assisted once again but we both underestimated just how quickly the bay dried! We moved our boats a number of times before finally getting afloat and waving goodbye to our fellow bothy companions. We discussed what route our hikers may take for the next part of their journey as we almost effortlessly glided past the stunning scenery. We spotted some large birds of prey cruising out over the loch. From memory they matched that of sea eagles. What a treat! We continued to observe them as they returned to a nest made on the remains of a windblown tree.
Back through the gap we made good use of our assistance which no doubt was credit to Martyn’s planning for this trip? We decided to stick to the north coast homebound giving variation in perspectives. We briefly stopped for a quick cuppa and relief in a wee bay east of braomisaig which had a basic but lovely looking holiday cottage looking out at spectacular views! Another steak pie and back to it passing Inverie where the famous “remote” pub is situated. Well looking into the bay, there was a small village! Not quite what I was expecting after all the wilderness chat which comes with this pub.
Claire and I spotted a white sandy beach across the bay, just on the mouth of the loch which looked perfect to stop for lunch knowing we had broken the back of the trip. We estimated how long it would take up to get there. I said “2 ish k…… about 20 mins Claire said longer and we were both wrong but Claire was closer. Good exercise to test “eyeball” judgement with a cheap digital watch on the shoulder strap of the buoyancy aid. The bay had a large statue “our lady” high up overlooking the bay. We pulled up, kettle on and the last steak pie for lunch. It was a lovely place to wrap up the trip sitting in full sunshine knowing we were a few paddle strokes away from Mallaig. A short hop over the water and back into Mallaig which was very quiet meaning we could pull up where we started for a simple extraction.
What a lovely way to spend a couple of days. Good company, scenery, rich wildlife, idyllic paddling conditions and steak pie! I don’t think Claire has ever drank so much tea as with me on this trip 🙂
My thanks to Martyn for putting this trip together and to Claire for joining me on a lovely weekend paddle.
Ben Johnson.
Photos
https://photos.app.goo.gl/9wjyBMdPxQUr5zBQ6