Loch Eishort - June 2009

One day I'll finish my write-up of my June 2009 trip!

For this particular day the weather forecast wasn't particularly brilliant but the sea still beckoned. Heading across the mouth of Loch Eishort towards Rubha Suisnish, the outline of Bla Bheinn is particularly difficult to ignore. The sea also slopes hereabouts. Honest!

The view north from the mouth of Loch Slapin is also one to sit and admire. There be eagles in them there hills, and a lot closer....

Heading back along the north shore of Loch Eishort I came across this cliff which had repeatedly collapsed in to the sea. Under my kayak were huge slabs of rocks and boulders, some disconcertingly close to the surface. Not a place to practice rolling!

The cliff line was broken in places by pebble beaches and interesting rock scenery. On this particular beach the smaller pebbles are on the right and they graduate to larger stones towards the left, presumably due to the variable affect of exposure to the prevailing wave direction and action.

Boreraig is a now a ruined village, having been cleared in 1853 by the owner, Lord MacDonald, in favour of sheep. Many of the people were shipped away to New Zealand. There is no romance in Scottish history.

Near Boreraig is this delightful waterfall and in the rocks along this section of coast there are some interesting fossils.

Lunch stop #1, complete with a view to Rum and a wrecked toy tractor. Otters hunted along the shoreline, oblivious of me and the kayak. Somewhere you could linger all day if you were so inclined, but I wanted to get on and complete a circuit of the entire sea loch.

I headed on past the community of Heast, working against the falling tide and exploring the interesting coastline in this area.

Towards the head of the loch what was presumably a mussel farm was located off Drumfearn. Beyond here the loch narrowed and then opened out again in a very large pool, in the loosest sense of the term. The tidal flow rotated around the loch here and I let the kayak drift with it while watching a black throated diver fishing. Curlews and other waders were flying in to feed on the newly exposed mud.

I paddled hard down the southern shore of the loch to the delightful islands lying north of Ord. Coral sand beaches are exposed on the falling tide and seals haul out on the exposed rocks.

This part of Skye is often ignored by visitors going for the more spectacular scenery on the island. You can't not like this largely hidden side of Skye.

Happy 50th Birthday, old man!