I had not long since become a member of the Lothian Sea Kayak Club, reading inspiring reports from members adventures on the west coast when I saw a trip to Ailsa Craig advertised! Since February 2008 when I moved to Ayrshire from Dorset in southern England to work for Ryanair I have been looking at this rock thinking it would be an incredible adventure to visit. Little did I know, I would one day have this opportunity.
As a new member and having not met any of the members, I really didn’t think I would be able to join the group. Nobody knew me or had seen me paddle to be accepted for this great adventure. I was confident I would be happy to make the crossing so I didn’t hesitate for long before sending David an email registering my interest in the trip. I briefly listed my experience and equipment to give David some idea of who he would be considering for the trip.
David replied saying the forecast looked good and to be in the car park for 09:00, on the water for 10:30-11:00. Time to dig out my check lists and go through the forms! I found the information on the web site really useful along with the expedition checklist and ICE form which I managed to laminate at work on night shift before the trip 🙂 Thanks boss!
The forecast was Looking amazing! High pressure 1030 ish mb over Scotland and very little if any cloud forecast on the west coast and light winds. I was super excited about this trip. I had 2 days off after finishing work to prepare before the trip. I took down the tides for Girvan and Dover for the tide stream atlas and started thinking about the crossing.
On a 315 deg heading from Carleton Bay the crossing was 14km in a straight line. High tide was 14:30 so we would be pushed to the north without correction. I figured Southend on the Mull of Kintyre would be good to aim at as a great reference. I emailed David on Friday night to confirm the trip was going ahead and he replied confirming the trip and a weather dance had been performed, securing success!
I arrived at Carleton bay at 09:00 keen to be ready on time and meet the team. David gave us all a brief and asked if we could all call our names before pushing off.
The conditions were some of the best I have seen! It was pure bliss to be pointing at this huge rock out to sea, surrounded with lovely people, a tent and a few beers in my boat, life was good!
I had been concerned the guys in glass boats would leave us plastic boats standing but David kept us all together with scheduled stops as briefed. As we paddled a few kilometers out of the bay, the wind started to pick up from the NW little by little against the southerly flow of tide giving us a fair swell. Perhaps 2m maybe more by the time we were half way. I still managed to get a sandwich out and make a fair dent in it on our break! I really didn’t want to be left behind so tried to match my pace with the rest of the group and found it manageable however I did notice the guys in the glass boats making it look easier than it was or atleast felt for me.
I was chatting to David who was monitoring our track noticing some of our group getting pushed North by the tide before coming back to re-group. I had been counting the kilometers down on my GPS all the time looking at the Island becoming clearer with more detail fascinated by each feature. I noticed the path running up to the summit which I thought looked steep and later learned it was!
We approached the island from the south, noticing the two young guys with sit on top kayaks we learned about before setting off had made the crossing and were already getting stuck in before we arrived. One or two members of the group had headed into a sheltered bay near the lighthouse to check it out as the rest of us headed through the waves around the corner to the pier where we had planned to land. We watched David cautiously approach the pier in the swell to find the best place to land. I don’t think anyone was in a hurry to beat him as we bounced around in the waves beside the shore. David landed on the north side of the pier and pulled his boat up ready to help others. Myself and Ross came in just south of the pier and both helped one another before offering to catch others. Ross didn’t seem happy to have got his feet wet! I was happy to be in one piece. Once we had all landed we set about lifting the boats and moving them up the beach to a lovely grass strip! Ideal except the tide would be a fair bit further down the rocky beach the next morning closer to Low tide. Half of our group must have preferred the more sheltered landing near the lighthouse as they set up camp.
We all stopped for a well deserved lunch and began to put tents up. I was so fascinated to be on the island, I just couldn’t resist a wander. Especially after eating most of my sandwich on the way over, I followed the tram tracks towards the lighthouse passing a walled area which we thought looked like a large workshop with diesel tanks outside. Having read the available information about this island, I eagerly continued along to the lighthouse to see the sights myself. Just as it’s described, there are outbuildings with windows smashed and furniture still in the rooms. Some with rusted gas cylinders and cupboards and others with beds complete with mattresses and bedding. I suppose this must be a very harsh place to live when the weather rolls in. No wonder the occupants fled when they did. Hard to imagine on this glorious day with light winds and wall to wall sunshine!
Time for a cup of tea and get the tent up 🙂 Some were keen to summit the rock and others were keen for a lap of the island. I really wanted to do both, so over a spot of lunch we hatched a plan to circumnavigate the island clockwise, land and then climb to the top before having dinner. Launching into the breaking waves was easier than I expected. Ross and I decided to try some surfing while waiting for others to launch. Although we had just been in the boats for the crossing, I was really happy to explore this interesting coastline after looking at waves all morning. Assisted by the wind and waves we skirted the south shore soaking in the sights of an old fog horn, complete with a collection of gas tanks and a tiny building. I kept thinking how hard it must be to have lived here and operated these safety systems and thought how lucky we were to float past it with all the time in the world to take it in.
Soon we turned north into calmer water, now on the Lee of the rock. We caught sight of masses of seabirds all flying close to the cliffs where they have been nesting amongst the rocky face. Hard to imagine how a bird could nest on such a hostile scene but they would be safe from any predators unable to fly that’s for sure. As we continued around the island Tim had his map out to point out the features of the island, including little Ailsa, a small rock island just away from the coast and some caves. As we approached the Northwest corner it was clear the next section of the paddle was going to be a bit more challenging watching the leaders of the group paddle out of the sheltered water into the waves and course water. Paddling into the stiff wind was perfectly achievable and in fact my only concern was I may lose my hat at any moment as I had it fairly loose for the crossing. This made it harder to admire another massive face of rock, again, alive with seabirds. The final leg of the paddle was in fairly large swell and wild frequency waves as the waves from the sea bounced off the shoreline to give a very bumpy ride. Final push and back to the pier for another go at landing on the large rocks.
Satisfied we had done our paddling for the day, we got changed into dry clothes for the climb up and re-grouped at the lighthouse where half the group had pitched to head up. We found the very steep path starting at a White House which looked in fair condition and secure. As we headed up we very quickly took in the different perspective of a view from above. It was breathtaking! Just before reaching a small tower building, Tim noticed a number of gannets swooping and diving into the sea in mass. We figured they must have found a shoal of fish to be had and soon we spotted Minkie whales surfacing in a pair. What a spectacle! I felt like I couldn’t be anywhere more impressive.
After the activity on the sea settled we continued up the steep path, keen to summit. The path was dry and difficult enough. I think we all agreed it would be a different story when it was wet! We approached the top with hundreds of small burrows in the hillside. Finally we saw the cairn followed by warm sunshine. The views out to the Mull of Kintyre and beyond, Ireland in the distance, the south end of Arran with cloud free mountain summits and the whole of the west coast glowing in the evening sun. I was keen to take photos and heard Penny saying no photo would do this justice which I could only agree with. I was tempted to run down to get my tent with so many places to pitch it would be an incredible camp spot. Maybe next time 🙂
Time for dinner and a camp fire! Heading back down the hill we managed to find a better path which passed the wee loch and back down to the tower and finally back to the beach. There was still a moderate breeze but otherwise a fine evening to sit around a fire and chat over a few well deserved beers.
David had asked if we could be on the water for 10:00 giving us a lie in and all day to get back. I set my alarm for just after 07:00 to open my tent at sunrise. This trip just couldn’t get any better! A bit of breakfast in the morning sun and coffee and then more coffee before packing up and heading to the boats. We left our bags near the waters edge as the tide was a fair bit lower (not far off the low) it would be easier to carry the boats down and then load. David len’t us a pair of carry straps to help carry the boats but with so many people and unloaded boats, it was no problem.
The forecast was for less wind and roughly the same direction pushing us back towards the west coast. David, suggested we could circumnavigate the island counterclockwise as a number of us went clockwise the night before. Pushing off the large rocks was a relief for me. It was hard going to walk around the rocky shore preparing to leave. We waited for the rest of the group at the lighthouse and we were off. It was nice to see the east coast in calmer conditions and take it all in. Another large fog horn was spotted along with the narrow tram line some had explored on foot.
As we rounded the Northeast corner, again catching sight of a sky full of life in the morning sun. This was breathtaking. We had a slow pace as best to enjoy the island views before meeting up on the south shoreline where many seals were checking us out. Some were very large and we even spotted a baby seal amongst the rocks and seaweed. Perhaps that was mummy not too happy with us.
David gave us a brief and spoke about our return heading and corrections for the transit across. Again with the arranged stops each hour. We were off in just the most glorious conditions. Stunning high pressure day with the main land under cloud but we had blue skies and very little wind. The sea was near flat calm. Just a gentle swell edging us along. Enough to entice a play for some and others to enjoy the assistance. I really didn’t want this trip to end and had little motivation to push other than to keep pace with the group. However I did feel bad as I found myself at the back of the group with David checking up but I soon joined the group again at the stops. Ross and Jonathan were quite far north of the group, not that it was a concern as both seemed solid experienced guys with one another to help if required.
David had mentioned it would be a great day to see basking sharks! I had heard they swim in these areas and was keen to see one. Part of me was concerned as I know they are rather large! But I do think it would be quite something to see. So my gaze was as wide as I could with a check on heading and position from the group. At the halfway-ish stop, David mentioned our position was very close to the optimum as the stern of our boats was pointing at the rock and bow the cars. I had not thought about this to check your position along a route but it makes perfect sense. So much to learn! We were making great progress and would be back in no time. I had my thoughts on getting back as I knew I would need to be up at 04:00 the next day for work. So getting back early was very welcomed. The group converged on the beach enjoying the last paddle stroke in the perfect sunny conditions. I was very aware of how lucky we were and how this may not be an opportunity available for a while. I did think about venturing up and down the coast to get more from the trip but I feared this would only spoil the amazing paddling we had.
Everyone landed and helped one another in a casual effort to get on home and expressed how much we all enjoyed the experience and each others company.
Massive thanks to David for organising this truly memorable trip and for having me along with the group. Thank you also to those who helped and of course you all for your company and warm welcome 🙂
Hopefully see you on the next one 🙂
Out
https://photos.app.goo.gl/cSrZSTivjodfmmam8
Return
https://photos.app.goo.gl/sGk2KFQERkEJE5QS6
Cheers,
Ben.