Islay and Jura - Gulf of Corryveckan - Day 7

This is the final post describing my sea kayak trip around the islands of Islay and Jura, it covers An Sailean on Jura, through the Gulf of Corryveveken and back to Crinan. 41km

With force 6 easterly winds due to come in mid afternoon, which would be blowing against the ebbing tide through the Gulf of Corryveveken, we had a real sense of urgency as we packed up in the morning. Neither of us had paddled through the Gulf of Corryveveken and with it's reputation we certainly didn’t want to be going through once the tide really got motoring.

We needed to cover 25km to hit the Gulf at slack water so we got an early start. The west coast of Jura is quite interesting but has a bit of a samey feel until Glenebade Bay, where it starts to get more rugged and broken. We didn’t have much time to stop to explore so we pressed on into the Gulf.

 Approaching the Gulf of Corryveveken at slack water

We reached the Gulf of Corryveckan a little later than we'd hoped to and ended up going through 30mins after slack water. We cautiously followed the north shore of Jura staying close to the rocky coastline not entirely sure what to expect. Despite being a neap tide, you certainly get a sense the power of the water through there, everywhere you look there's swirling eddies and areas of moving water. As we reached the east end of the Gulf the accelerating water was starting to be whipped up by the growing easterly wind, this created some roughness but thankfully nothing worse than we'd seen earlier in the trip.

The Gulf of Corryveveken

The Gulf of Corryveveken

We stopped on the tiny beach at Port an Furm for a well earned lunch and watched a boat bounce it's way through the rough water and into the Gulf.

Crossing from Port an Furm back to Crinan focused the mind! Within a few hundred metres of the Jura coast we were fighting with strong eddy lines, swirling water and all sorts of interesting tidal features. Despite aiming due west towards Sgeir nam Faoileann we ended up completely missing the south of Reisa an t-Sruith and after some eddy hopping and serious effort we eventually got to Eilean na Cille.

Crossing the Sound of Jura

By the time we left Eilean na Cille as predicted the wind had got up so we go our heads down slogged our way the final 5km back to Crinan.

Back to Crinan

Final thoughts

If you get the opportunity to do this trip definitely go for it, if you get the weather it's a fantastic location with superb, memorable paddling. If you want any advise or further information on the trip just drop me a line.

Drysuit vs long john wetsuit vs split (cag and salopettes)
After lots of deliberation, we decided to not take our drysuits and go for a split system with a long john wetsuit for an emergency. The forecast was for hot weather and we wanted the flexibility to strip down to t-shirts, however looking back on the trip I think I would have been happier on days 4 and 5 in the drysuit. It's a difficult decision for on a trip like this, 80% of the paddling is relatively easy and because the distances are quite long you want to be comfortable and efficient, however a drysuit would be desirable for the headlands and surf landings. After taking a swim in my cag and sallopettes landing on day four, I switch to the wetsuit for the rest of the trip. It was impossible to dry the wetsuit and I found the dampness really unpleasant. So in summary if you squeeze your drysuit in I'd definitely consider taking it, if you can't it might be work digging out the old wetsuit for a backup.







Use the zoom to view 1:50000 OS Map

[osmap gpx="http://www.seakayaktrips.co.uk/osmaps/ji7.gpx"]

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Islay and Jura - Kilchiaran Bay to An Sailean on Jura - Day 6

Islay and Jura Kilchiaran Bay to An Sailean on Jura  Day 6  47km

This is the fourth post describing my sea kayak trip around the islands of Islay and Jura, it covers to Kilchiaran Bay to An Sailean on Jura.

This felt like a long day, we'd planned to get further than Kilchiaran Bay the day before so we had some good mileage to make up. We calculated that we needed to be at the Gulf of Corryveckan by 1pm the following day, so we at very least we needed to camp on the south west corner of Jura. Thankfully the wind had dropped as predicted so we'd have an easier day.

This section of coastline is really stunning and littered with narrow inlets, islands and rocky coves. Unfortunately the swell was still quite big so we didn't manage to get as close to the cliffs as we'd like to have.

As we passed the point of an Clachan the swell really dropped off and we had a pleasant smooth ride up to Ardnave point.Ardnave point is really interesting and if you've time it's definitely worth exploring. There's some fantastic views and golden sandy beaches.

Watch out for reefs and breaking waves

 Ardnave Point

 Rhuvaal Lighthouse

We stopped at Bagh an da Dhoruis before recrossing the Sound of Islay. By this time we were ready to stop for the night but we had a schedule to keep, to we set out across the Sound of Islay. Crossing the Sound of Islay is relatively straight forward and only 5km across, but because it was already 5pm when we set out we headed straight for Rubh an t-Salilein, which is more direct but extends this to 10km. The Sound of Islay turned out to be a passage used by substantial sized shipping and we ended up having a relatively close encounter with a cargo vessel. In view of this I'd recommend using the shorter crossing .







We paddled into An Sailean to look for a camping spot and found the Ruantallain Bothy. On closer inspection we decided the tent would be a more pleasant option and camped near the beach.

Beach at Rubh an t-Salilein

 Camping at Rubh an t-Salilein

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Islay and Jura - Rinns of Islay (Port Charlotte to Kilchiaran Bay) -Day 5

Islay and Jura - Rinns of Islay (Port Charlotte to Kilchiaran Bay) - Day 5 - 22km

This is the Sixth post describing my sea kayak trip around the islands of Islay and Jura, it covers Port Charlotte to Kilchiaran Bay.

Rinns of Islay

The Rinns of Islay is the only leg of this trip included in Doug Coopers 100 great Scottish sea kayak journeys guidebook. It's an interesting and unusual trip because you essentially paddling around the edge of a village on a 6kn tidal race.

Despite having much stronger tides than the Mull of Oa it definitely felt a lot less sustained and serious. We again had a very early start, however the paddle between Port Charlotte and Rinns Point was relatively relaxed.

After Rinns Point, it really kicked up for 10 or 15mins until we were in the shelter of Orsay. There's strong tides all around this headland and you really notice the power of them between Orsay/Eilean Coinnich and Portnahaven.

Sheltered from the wind the water looks more like a fast moving river, so unless you're looking for a serious workout you'd be well advised to time this to be going with the tide!

Approaching Orsay

Calm at slack water between Orsay/Eilean Coinnich and Portnahaven.

As soon as we left the shelter of Eilean Coinnich we were out in the rougher water again and it was quite exciting until we turned the headland of Runha Na Faing.





After the Rinns we'd planned to stop for a break at Lossit Bay, however we were fraught again by the swell. The backs of the waves looked like a scene from a surfing movie, so slightly worried we decided to plough on rather than attempt a tricky landing.



From the map, Kilchiaran Bay looked like a better option and thankfully proved to be sheltered from the swell and also had plenty of good camping spots. We struggled to get a mobile signal on the beach so walked up hill towards Port Charlotte and after 30mins managed to get a signal. Fortunately for us the forecast was for a reduction in the swell and wind and clear skies for the next few days.

Sheltered Kilchiaran Bay

Andy route planned for the following day

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Islay and Jura - Mull of Oa - Port Ellen to Port Charlotte - Day 4

This is day 4 in my sea kayak trip around the islands of Islay and Jura, it covers Port Ellen to Port Charlotte - 34km

Mull of Oa

So far apart from long days the trip had be relatively relaxed, but the next section stepped up a gear in terms of exposure, commitment and the conditions we encountered. Once wemove around to the west coast of Islay your really start to feel the Atlantic. Port Ellen has good mobile service, so if you carry a smart phone it might be worth checking Magic Seaweed for the swell forecast.

The Mull of Oa is the first main challenge of the trip and unless you're after an adventure getting the tides right is essential. For us this meant getting up a 4.30 which was very unwelcome, however seeing the sun rise and an otter feeding was an added bonus.

Early Start from Port Ellen

We cautiously paddled around the headland of Rubha nan Leacan not entirely sure what to expect and got our first taste of Atlantic swell. We aimed to hit the Mull of Oa at slack water and we were more or less spot on and as expected we had a bumpy ride.

The Mull of Oa before we hit the swell

The Mull of Oa

As we paddled further north the swell really built up and unfortunately the cloposis prevented us getting close to the sawing cliffs, which was a shame because the coast looked well worth exploring close up.

Looking at the map landing along this section of coastline was clearly going to be tricky. We'd planned to try landing on the Laggan bay beach, however from 3 or 4 km's out we could see the plumes of spray from the back of the surf, which ruled landing there out.

Looking back at the Mull of Oa

The Mull of Oa, was proving to be a really tricky day for me, shortly after getting around the Mull, I started to feel really queasy. This was the first time I'd been out in big swell and unfortunately I discovered it makes me sea sickness (what a place to find this out!). Thankfully I've since discovered Boots Calm travel pills work well and don't cause no drowsiness.

Approaching the Laggan bay beach, I knew I had two options, land or empty the contents of my stomach. Thankfully we found a narrow inlet and small beach at Port Alsaig and managed to land (although unfortunately a wave caught me off guard and gave me a soaking on the way in).

Port Alsaig

 Wild goats at Port Alsaig

After a recovery brew, we set out from Port Alsaig to Port Charlotte, it was hard work but uneventful and as we grew closer the swell thankfully lessened.

Making the crossing to Port Charlotte

If you're heading for the campsite on the south side of the village there's a number of small inlets and beaches below the campsite . Port Charlotte is a charming little village with a small general store and a couple of places to eat, we ate at the Croft Kitchen and I can definitely recommend it.

Landing at one of the narrow inlets below the campsite at Port Charlotte

Looking back at the Mull of Oa from Port Charlotte

Campsite at Port Charlotte

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Islay and Jura - Day 3, Sound of Islay to Port Ellen

This is the forth post describing my sea kayak trip around the islands of Islay and Jura.

Day - Sound of Islay to Port Ellen - 31km

We made an early start and crossed the Sound of Islay to McArthur's Head lighthouse. It's worth reading the pilot, especially if there's a spring tide. The Sound of Islay has reasonable strong and complex tides and it also mentions overfalls around McArthur's Head (although we didn't experience any)

McArthur's Head lighthouse

We were really surprised at how much the contrasted to Jura. As soon as you're heading south on Islay you'll discover shallow bays, skerries and plenty of wildlife. Leave plenty of time for exploring there's lots to see.





If you're a whisky fan on your way to Port Ellen you'll also be passing Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Laphroaig.



We reached Port Ellen late afternoon and after initially exploring the bay we ended up paddling back out and camped in the small inlet on the south side of The Arid. It's not ideal because it's a popular dog walkers spot, but if you want to be near the town it's the best option. Port Ellen is a reasonable sized town, with a Co-op for suppliers and a few places to eat, we found a nice little café which served a good curry.

Campsite at Port Ellen

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