Scotland: A Solo Kayaking Trip on the Sea

In early April I found myself back up in the Scottish Highlands. I’d originally meant to join a trip to the Small Isles with a friend, but that was scuppered by poor weather and I didn’t feel quite up to the alternative plan due to some health issues at the time, so I opted to stay near Oban and just enjoy being up there. I made the most of getting out on the water where I could, and enjoyed a fantastic trip up Loch Etive with my friend Donny on Good Friday, in a very tight weather window before the mundane sounding Storm Dave made landfall in the UK and chased us all indoors for a few days.

I didn’t film that trip as the very short window of opportunity meant there’d be no time for me to shoot in the way I like to, taking my time to set things up properly, especially as we needed to make a very early start on the Saturday morning to get back down the loch before the winds picked up. But you can enjoy Donny’s video linked above, if you’re interested.

As the days went by, I was determined to get out for another trip before heading home, and when another weather window opened, I decided to go out. I packed up my kayak and headed up Loch Etive, originally planning to return to a spot I’d camped the very first time I’d paddled the loch. When I arrived at the pier at Taynuilt, the conditions on the water were a bit spicy as the last of the incoming tide met an opposing wind. Wind was definitely going to be a large factor in the day but I was prepared for it, and pushed my way northwards into it, working my way up the southern shoreline. The timing of my launch also meant I was paddling against the tide but this at least meant the sea state would be very flat, despite the gusts, and the tidal streams become quite weak once you’re passed the Narrows at Bonawe anyway.

What would usually take me around an hour and a half took over three hours because of the headwinds, which were around 30mph at times, although thankfully these gusts never lasted especially long. It was still very hard work though and by the time I got up to Ardmaddy Bay, I realised that the way the wind was funnelling through the upper glens would make the southern shore too windy to camp on, so I crossed over to the northern shore and headed for Rubha Bharr, where I’d now camped several times over the winter, including the trip in my Being Here film.

I enjoyed a wonderfully warm, gentle afternoon just sitting in the sun and soaking up the atmosphere before turning in for the long night. Reflecting on the deep contentment that comes from trips like this, I made a film that was quite personal, sharing my love of solo journeys and the disconnection from modern life that they allow us to have.