Lothian Sea Kayaking Club Trip Report
Arisaig 14th-16th June 2019
17 intrepid sea kayakers from the club descended on the campsite at Camusdarach (stony ground) situated on the road to the isles between Arisaig and Mallaig. The campsite, owned by Val and Jonny Stuart, is nestled among sandy beaches and miles of dunes which were made famous when they were used for the location of the film ‘Local Hero’. A major bonus for my wife Jo and myself was the delicious croissants, choc au pain and fresh coffee that could be purchased from the reception in the farmhouse. However, Jonny’s Barista skills were certainly questionable, as my requested flat white ended up as a kind of Lattacinno, which Val claimed was a “Jonny special”. To highlight how fantastic the location and facilities were, Camusdarach features in Robin and Jenny McKelvie’s Coolcamping Scotland book in which they claim that ‘Camusdarach must surely be one of Britain’s best all-round holiday destinations’. Claire’s choice of location could not have been better and let’s be honest, 2 Billion midges can’t be wrong!
One aspect that is less known about Camusdarach is that it formed part of an extended guerrilla warfare training establishment during World War 2. The farmhouse, or lodge as it was then, was requisitioned on 29th of January 1941 became Special Training School (STS) 25b where agents of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) were trained in the black arts of close combat, silent killing, sabotage, explosives, field craft etc… The SOE set up by Winston Churchill to hit back at the Axis powers to “Set Europe ablaze” was in effect a government sponsored terrorist organisation. It was, along with the nearby Garramor House (STS25a) and Traigh House (STS25c), the main training area for Czech personnel. Among the early paramilitary trainees that attended Camusdarach were sergeants Jan Kubis and Jozef Cabcik who would carry out one of the most audacious operations in the war. Operation Anthropoid resulted in the assassination of SS Obergruppenfuhrer Reinhard Heydrich the Butcher of Prague and architect of the ‘Final Solution’ of the Holocaust. There is a beautiful memorial in the village of Arisaig which commemorates all the Czech volunteers who trained in the area which includes carved stones a listing the operations and the names of the fallen, including Kubis and Cabcik who were betrayed by a fellow agent.
Day 1(15th June)
We began our adventure on the Saturday morning, launching from a small secluded beach on the campsite. We headed south with the coastline to port. The usual majestic views over to the Mountains of Rum and the Sgurr of Eigg were obscured by low lying cloud tinged with hues of grey and blue which only added to the foreboding atmosphere. The ‘Weather Gods’ were not with us as our trip was marred by periods of what can only be described as showers of biblical proportions. However, as Angus (aka Gadget Gus) quite rightly pointed out “the only time you don’t mind getting wet is when you’re kayaking”. That saying, the ‘Kayaking Gods’ were with us as the wind and water always seemed to be favourable. Our group split into 3 sections passing Eilean Ighe a tidal island that can be reached from the mainland at low water, then past the islands of Luinga Bheag (small) and Luinga Mhor(big) skirting the skerries before heading past Rubh (point or promontory) Arisiag, landing for lunch at the secluded cove of Port Nam Murrach. After lunch we headed north up through the South Channel into Loch nan Ceall (Loch of the Churches) passing the village of Arisaig on our starboard sided and back to Camusdarach, which according to my new Garmin fenix5 (kayak activity mode) we covered 15.40miles/24.7839kilometers and apparently I burnt off 1116 calories! The group reconvened on the beach at 19.30 for a well earned barbecue. We were initially blessed with golden skies but the Weather Gods had their say and we were subject to another biblical deluge and the majority of the party sought sanctuary from the weather in our tents. The next day I found out that not all of us were put off by the conditions and Graham and Kashka (apologies if the spelling is wrong) had braved the inclement weather performing their own version of the musical ‘Singing in the Rain’ on Kashka’s sofa sized folding chair.
Day 2 (16th June)
The group gathered at a jumping off point at the Jetties on the south shore of Loch Airlort
(Post croissants and Jonny Special extravaganza). We cast off heading over to the Ardnish side of the loch. Passing the islands of Eilean Dubh, Eilean Buidhe, Eilean nam Bairneach and Eilean a’Bhuic we reached our destination of Peanmeanach. Located on the rugged headland of Ardnish, the small bay is rich in history dating back to the period where it was a Viking settlement. The name derives from Pean Peighinn (pennyland a unit of Viking land rental) Meanach (middle) and there is evidence of a Viking Naust (safe haven or harbour) where an open or roofed boathouse would be constructed. At its height, Peanmeanach was a bustling fishing village and had a population of over 150. A census carried out in 1841 recorded a population of 48 people in 7 houses and the occupations as 7 farmers and 2 female servants.
What dominates Peanmeanach now is the mid-19th century But & Ben Bothy which sits amid ruined ‘black houses’ These houses, (tigh dubh) tugadh (thatched) and Dubh (black) were designed to offer minimal resistance to prevailing winds. Built in sheltered areas they had a low construction with rounded corners and thatched roofs held down by large rocks suspended in netting below the eaves. These dwellings were shared with livestock and had a low internal wall to divide the people from the animals. The residents of the black houses were famed for their open door hospitality. The population of Peanmeanach would have shared many of the add-on occupations of residents of Ardnish who harvested kelp to pay rents. The burning of kelp was a lucrative business as it produced soda ash used as a bleaching agent for the production of soap and glass. As well as a food source the collection of shellfish such as whelks, winkles and cockles would have provided another source of income. Initially the Bothy was the residency of the local school mistress but in the late 19th century became the Post Office for the whole area around the Sound of Arisaig. The settlement was abandoned in 1942. Two of our compliment, Francis and Michael, had spent a sardine style night in the Bothy, when their plan to wild camp went south due to a perfect storm. Not all of the group landed on Peanmeanach, but Catherine was determined to pull a Cilla Black on her wild camping daughter and boyfriend which fortunately did not turn out to be a Surprise Surprise!
It was after Peanmeanach that Richard came into his own. Richard was determined to educate and expose the group to the ancient settlement of Slocht. (According to the English translation the name derives from the Gaelic Sloe which is a pit or gulley). Richard began the Quest by adopting a Gandalf like persona, leading the Fellowship, as we had become, to the ruins of Slocht. This settlement also has indication of Viking heritage with evidence of a Naust. The census carried out in 1841, recorded a population of 20 people with the main occupations being 2 farmers and 1 Cotter (farm labourer). The remnants of the houses are of black house construction and a large cave dominates the north side of the fresh water stream that dissects the village. It is theorised that the earliest settlements in Ardnish were these cave dwelling abodes. One of the Fellowship David, would have welcomed Richard’s/Gandalf’s Lord of the Rings type intervention as he had shown obvious signs of Hobbit like predilection for food, which included 1st 2nd and 3rd breakfast.
The Fellowship departed from Slocht to continue the Quest onto the aptly named Eilean nan Gobhar (Goat Island) which has 2 vitrified forts at it summit. These structures are difficult to date and may over 2.000 years old. It takes in excess of 1,000 degrees Celsius to get the loose rocks to melt into a flux and fuse together to create this effect and as such, many theories have been expressed on how in ancient times these extreme temperatures were generated. Some of the Fellowship reflected on this over lunch (or 2nd lunch for David) but the Fellowship cast a vast shadow of doubt over Graham’s suggestion of Alien involvement! Richard suggested the Fellowship inspect these structures. Morphing into Gandalf the Goat he did a very sure footed impersonation of a Himalayan Tahr traversing the small steep overgrown path to the summit with ease. My own ascent was reminiscent of a stumbling bambi on ice. On reaching the summit, I managed to control my respiratory convulsions after 10 minutes, only to lose it again to the majestic panoramic views over Eigg, Rum and Muck augmented with Skye to the north and Ardnamurchan to the south. The view was truly breathtaking and I would like to thank Richard for sharing his knowledge with the Fellowship in relation to Slocht and Eilean nan Gobhar. The Fellowship then traversed over to Glenuig where we loaded and bade farewell until the next time. I would like to thank Claire and Neil for organising and leading such a fabulous trip and all of the Fellowship for making it such a memorable experience.
James Boyle