Paddlers: Hugh, Kerry, Gordon, Geoff, Colin, Steve,Damien
Weather: Very low, thick cloud but little wind
Route:
Report: The journey to Colintraive featured a lot of damp as we passed through cloud en route at the Rest. At Colintraive the normal old jetty was blocked off to build a new large ferry car park so we headed on towards the church, eventually parking on a lay-by adjacent to the beach. Although gloomy the scene still had beauty
After passing through the Burnt Islands we rounded the point and travelled along Bute’s unknown north west coast
Our first stop was at a small beach almost opposite Kames/Tignabruich
Lunch over we then headed for Kames hoping to see an ice-cream sign but sadly none were viewed so we headed north again. A short on-water break in the natural harbour and then west to the marked fort on the most northerly of the islands. When we arrived at the islet we were met by a cacophony of gull cries and the sight of large furry chicks scuttling across the rocks. With no “fort” apparent we decided to leave the birds in peace and headed for a beach on the mainland. On the beach were some model houses in concrete and the statue of a small boy.
Just off the beach was a small cottage with two large heads made of wire and some tiles; it slowly dawned that we had stumbled upon the Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park (http://www.scottishsculpturepark.com/about.php) . Some of the exhibits were wonderful, others such as a pile of rocks and timber in the middle of the lawn, were problematic. The argument on the nature of art was encapsulated on a debate about a blue and white hammock just on the shore.
From the park we headed on down through the narrows back to our start. Despite the weather it had been a beautiful, calm, relaxing paddle, thoroughly enjoyed by all. 