Helensburgh CC

HCC Trip Report

Day Trip Loch Lomond Southern Island, Grade A

October 29^th 2022

Participants: Steve Wheaton, Gordon Smith, Gary Nealon, Damien Theaker

A second attempt at a trip to the Cumbraes and again thwarted by poor weather in the Clyde Approaches. Fortunately, Loch Lomond offered more sheltered conditions, F3 though with rain forecast for the afternoon.

1030 start from Luss alongside a waterside baptism ceremony. Easy paddling East in light winds,

Lunch at the South end of Inchcailloch.

Rounded Creinch where it was decided to not include Inchmurrin as rain had stated and the shorter route through the islands was taken back to Luss.

HCC Trip Report
Day Trip North End of Loch Lomond, Grade A, 16.6km
October 1st 2022
Participants: Steve Wheaton, Gordon Smith, Gary Nealon

Originally planned as a circumnavigation around Great Cumbrae, the forecast of Westerly F4s with F7 gusts required a more benign venue.

New member Gary was brave enough to venture out sporting his new Virgo boat and kit.
1030 on the water at Inveruglas and headed North following western shoreline. Good shelter found close into the shore but occasional gusts coming through the hills with the headlands often changing the winds direction. The intermittent sunshine making for superb views of the hills.
Lunch stop taken on East shore at the top of the loch. Afternoon spent following Western shore South with a stop at Doune bothy and again at Island I Vow. Crossed loch to Inveruglas Isle and back at car park for 1600.

HCC Trip Report
Club Expedition Ullapool to Arisaig
September 3rd to 11th 2022

Participants; Steve Wheaton, Gordon Smith, Steve Thomas

This trip follows on from two earlier trips: Helensburgh / Oban May 2019, Oban / Arisaig Sept
2021.

Originally planned to run South to North taking advantage of neap tides in Kyle Rhea and expected South Westerly winds, the forecast settled out to indicate predominantly Easterly / Northerly winds. The final decision to run N to S was made while travelling up over coffee in the Green Welly at Tyndrum.

Sat 3rd Helensburgh to Ullapool (car)
The advantage of a small team is that travel can be done in a single vehicle and subsequent logistics get the lucky driver some scenic runs on public transport. The Heathfield campsite in Ullapool could not be better placed with both town and beach at hand.

Sun 4th Ullapool to Mellon Udrigle Easterly F4/5, G7. High cloud, 30 Km
With a moderate Easterly wind we sped down and out of Loch Broom. Just to the E of Leac Dhonn Steve W was briefly inverted by what had become a cockpit filled with water by the following sea and a worn deck. Continued round Carn Dearg for coffee and deployment of an over jacket / combined deck. Interestingly Steve Ts boat was also largely flooded but his paddling skills had prevented him from testing his rolling. Crossed Little Loch Broom, Gruinard Island (now declared free from anthrax) and onto camp on the beach at Mellon Udrigle. Pod of dolphins at close quarters as we approached Mellon Udigle. Gordon & Steve T in for a swim. Evening walk up Meall nam Meallan.

Mon 5th Mellon Udrigle to Camus Mor E F2, bright with little cloud, 23 Km
0900 start and round Greenstone Point with the tide. Slaggan Bay for lunch and swim – beautiful sandy beach. Camas Mor for mid- afternoon. Other than a young couple that had walked over from Rubha Reidh for the day we had the whole place to ourselves. A beautiful location with a fine sunset.

Tue 6th Camus Mor across Loch Gairloch to an un named Bay South of Red Point. E F2, bright with little cloud, 36 Km
Earliest start of the week with 0630 on the water to get slack / start of the WSW going tide around Rubha Reidh. Conditions perfect and rounded headland by 0700. Into little bay to South of lighthouse for good and apparently rare opportunity to view the lighthouse from this position.
South down dramatic coast with sea eagles, caves and tunnels. Met a couple paddling North to Ullapool. Past Melvaig to Seana Chamas beach for mid- morning stop. Longa Island SW Bay for lunch. PM rounded Red Point to bay just East of Tioram Island. Evening walk out to abandoned fishing station.

Wed 7th Across Loch Torridon to Applecross Bay E F2, bright with little cloud, 29 Km
An 0900 start which became the norm for the rest of the week. Crossed Loch Torridon, break at Loch nan Eun. Lunch at Sand and chat with lone kayaker returning to Plockton after rounding Raasay. Swim in the bay. PM into Applecross Bay and found camp to North of the village. General camping in this area has recently been discouraged by the community though, as helpfully explained by a local ranger an exception would be made for a small party arriving by kayak. No fires were requested and complied with. Walk to the village for drinks.


Thu 8th Applecross Bay via Uags Bothy, Loch Alsh to Glenelg Bay E F2/3, bright with little cloud, 34 Km
Usual 0900 start and South with tide inside the Crowlin Islands. Hard push East to Uags Bothy for lunch. Bothy in a lovely remote setting above the bay. Long lunch break to time arrival at the Skye Bridge for the start of the ingoing tide to Kyle Akin. Encountered a work boat apparently leaving a fish farm as we crossed Loch Carron. We were going to pass just behind it until we realised that it was towing the fish farm. Afternoon tea in the old harbour at Kyle Akin. More paddling into the wind in Loch Alsh to arrive at the entrance to Kyle Rhea for slack water and then the start of the South going stream. Tides at Equinoctial Springs so relieved to get through in less than an hour. Zipped by the Glenelg ferry where filming by drone was taking place and tight into the North of Glenelg Bay. Just found room for our 3 tents below the single-track road.

Fri 9th Glenelg Bay, Sandaig Islands, Loch Hourn, Doune to Sandaig Bay E F2/3, bright with little cloud, 27 Km
South West out of Glenelg Bay to get a nice push towards the Sandaig Islands. Lots of mini whirlpools and easy to see how this area would need to be avoided in a strong wind against tide. Everyone feeling energetic so decided to push on across Loch Hourn for a stop at Camas Garbh. Sea Eagles at close quarters. Lunch on Airor Island. Chat with paddler off Doune (new owner of accommodation and restaurant) and invited to camp nearby. In the spirit of maintaining the remoteness of the trip plus wanting to have a short day to finish on we pressed onto Sandaig Bay. Walk onto Torr na Innse with views across South end of Sleat. Distant and certainly large marine mammals spotted, probably basking sharks moving up the sound. Good swim but savage midges. Darkness and a campfire eventually driving them away.

Sat 10th Sandaig Bay to Back of Keppoch E F1/2, bright and sunny, 16 Km
0830 start to cross loch Nevis. The dramatic scenery of the north beginning to give way to more mellow views. Plenty of sea traffic in and out of Mallaig harbour and very different to the past 6 days. Morning break on bright yellow beach below River Morar (many to choose from here). Down through the skerries to a beach below our Back of Keppoch campsite. Lunch and swim.
Gordon onto the train to start the trip back to Ullapool via a bus and overnight in Inverness. Dinner in the Arisaig Hotel for the 2 Steve’s


Sun 11th Inverness to Ullapool (bus) Ullapool to Arisaig to Helensburgh (car).
Gordon returned mid afternoon via Skye Bridge and Armadale ferry. Loaded up and all 3 of us back in Helensburgh for 20:00.

Summary
200 Km of dramatic coastline, high cliffs, caves, rocky headlands, loch crossings, sightings of seals, dolphins, porpoises, sea otters, sea eagles, basking sharks. Distant views of Skye, Rhum, Eigg, nearer of Rona, Rassay, Scalpay. Added in with a couple of major headlands and tidal gates and 8 nights camping.

A great trip now fondly committed to memory.

Next year – Cape Wrath!?

Steve Wheaton

Paddlers: Gordon, Andy R, Vonna, Sharon, Lorna

Sat:SWF2, 25km. Sun SW,WF3, 22km

Counter clockwise circumnavigation of Lismore from the layby opposite the middle of Shuna (OS 929 492). Plenty of parking space and OK launching spot but somewhat rocky and awkward. Lunch at Castle Coeffin. Small portage between Bernera and Lismore as arrived at low tide. With rising tide at Rubha Fiart at South end of Lismore there was quite fast tidal flow E-W – one capsize on entering the flow. Camped at OS 786357. Good spot although foreshore covered in slurry, seaweed and dead sheep so somewhat malodorous!

Sunday mostly sheltered from the wind. Mid morning stop on bar between Eilean na Cloiche and the southerly Eilean Dubh. Lunch at Port Moluag with an intention of visiting Tirefour Castle but no ready access. Would have been better to stop at beach on West of Eilean Dubh.

HCC Trip Report
Bute Circumnavigation
June 4th – 6th

Participants; Steve Wheaton (Ldr), Andy Rudden, Lorna Baker, Rem Fowler, Damien Theaker

After a spell of windy conditions and decisions whether to run clockwise or anticlockwise a settled forecast of light Easterlies and Southerlies appeared and the initial plan to go clockwise was confirmed.

Sat 4th
0930 Departed Colintraive Old Pier on last of S going tide. Bute shore held to avoid what was a weak N. going tide for most of day. Coffee stop at S. side of Kames Bay. Lunch off Mount Stewart and walk around grounds. Look at Kilchattan camping and despite proximity to a pub decided on the wonderful remoteness of Glencallum Bay. Enough firewood obtained from the beach, dinner and mercifully few midges. Approx. 30K, Wind E F2-3, sunny

Sun 5th
10:00 start and quiet rounding of Garroch Head. Coffee stop at Dunagoil Bay, lunch at Stravanan Bay, a look round Scalpsie Bay and onto Inchmarnock for the night. Camped on S. facing bay at the SE corner of the island. Walk up to the trig point via the abandoned steading called Midpark. Beach fire, dinner while as darkness fell, watched in the distance a returning submarine off Arran await its escort home.
Approx. 15Km, Wind F1-2 S & E, sunny.


Mon 6th
10:00 start and run up the E side of Inchmarnoch to view from the water Mid & North Parks plus alternative camping at the top of the island. Many inquisitive seal families came to inspect us. Crossing to the mainland and stop at S. end of Blindman’s Bay. Lunch in the Kames Hotel. PM on up the W. Kyle crossing at Rubha Ban to the Bute shore and the Maids, S. of the Burnt Islands and back to Colintraive for 1630.
Approx 21K, Wind Wind E F2-3, sunny.

Paddlers: Gordon, Steve W, Vonna, Andy R, Bryan, Dorothy, Innes, Geoff

Winds: Light

Distance: 19.5km

Started at Polanach layby (OS 938505) in fine conditions. Wind had been forecasted to pick up in the afternoon from the NW but either it did not appear or was delayed, or we were sheltered. Paddled round the outside of Shuna and through the skerries to lovely beach on NW end of Lismore for lunch. From there paddled round the islets by Port Ramsey and on to Eilean nan Caorach and from there across to Castle Stalker. Tide was quite confused as we crossed and wasn’t always flowing in the expected direction.

We don’t normally post for these but as 24th May was the first session of 2022, here’s a couple of pics…

Present – Gordon, Andy, Sharon, Stephen, Bill, Bryan and Myles

We launched at Letter, just south of Coulport MOD site at first lay-by. Not the best access as you have to climb over a road barrier but OK. The weather when we arrived was very calm, warm and sunny. The forecast was to get windy in the afternoon up to a force 4 from the south so we changed our plans and decided to head straight across the Loch towards Ardentinny.

The water was like a mill pond and we had a pleasant crossing, then headed south to the caravan park at Gairletter Point. We saw a few Harbour Seal who didn’t seem to bothered with our presence.

From here we crossed back to Eilean Beag (or Cape Cove as Bryan called it) and had a look at the modern house on the shore (used in the Nest TV series). We continued south to a lunch spot just past Cove sailing club. From here we could see signs that the wind was building, so after a short break we started to head north.

The water had become a little more lively as the wind had increased to a force 3 from the south. We had a bumpy ride, with the small, steep waves come from the aft port quarter, which was fun for all. The sea state calmed down quickly when we passed Eilean Beag and people had fun surfing the the smaller waves and enjoying the sunshine.

We continued to enjoy the small waves all the way back to the launch site, overall a fun day with a good mix of conditions.

Early season grade A trip on the Clyde to get people out on the water as a bit of a shake down paddle.  Original idea was to launch at Craigendoran and paddle towards Rhu, however the weather forecast was a F3 or F4 from the east so we moved launch site to Blairvadach to allow us to paddle into the wind first.  This worked well as it was very sheltered initially and allowed people to settle into things. Once we rounded Rhu spit the wind was in our faces, however it was an enjoyable sunny paddle down to Helensburgh Pier.  We had a break at the pier and enjoyed the sunshine and used the facilities.  No one had an ice-cream which was surprising….

We had a quick look at the new swimming pool building on the Pier before starting the return leg. The paddle back as a real joy as the wind was directly behind and the water flat, we went across the Gareloch to Roseneath and then returned to Blairvadach.

It was good to meet some new faces and enjoy the sunshine in company.

Paddlers: Gordon, Steve, Grant, Edward, Rem, Damian, Geoff, Colin
Winds: Light
Distance: 16km

First club paddle of the new year.   Simple but enjoyable paddle round the islands in light winds and intermittent rain.  As always, good to get out!
Launched from Luss.   Brief stop on NE shore of Inchfad for a leg stretch and then a nosey into the canal/boat yard on the southern shore.   Lunch stop at the NE end of Torrinch.   Then rounded Eilanderroch and Inchgalbraith on route back to Luss.