Helensburgh CC

Paddlers: Hugh, Gordon, Geoff and Andrew plus Pat, Joe and Andy (Clydebank)

Weather: A bit grey and overcast but no wind

Report: The session had been set up as a joint training exercise with the Helensburgh lifeboat but unfortunately on the day this was not possible. Although this was a disappointment we decided to proceed on an “as if” basis, going through the three scenarios planned by Hugh. These involved an on-shore serious accident (located just past Castle Point, Rosneath; a capsize/terrified casualty set at MacGruers; and a multiple capsize set back close to the lifeboat station at Rhu.

These worked well and were instructive; not least for this participant the section involving towing was informative on new methods. A useful and enjoyable morning.

Paddlers: Colin, Bill and Geoff

Weather: Grey and Cool. Wind F2 from north

Location: The south end of Loch Awe is rarely kayaked. 9 years ago the club had a weekend paddle reported at http://www.helensburghcc.org.uk/wp/2010/08/30/loch-awe-weekend-27th-29th-august-2010/ with the route shown below.

During that paddle we came across Innis Chonnel Castle, one of the most impressive castles and least known in the whole of Scotland. This was the target of this trip which also covered the Burial Island to the south of the castle, a nearly submerged classic crannog and the strange village of Dalavich. The route is shown below;

Report: The Argyll Council Access Map https://argyll-bute.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=7fa23d13020b4a2cab6485b39a22986d indicates by blue dots access points to the water throughout A&B. The indicated point in this case, provided parking a few steps away from an easy launch, about 6km north of the castle..

It was an easy paddle south with the breeze gently helping us along. A number of islets, which were potentially crannogs were investigated. The actual marked crannog was almost completely submerged because the Loch was so high.

From the crannog we pushed on to Innis Chonnel and the castle. Dating from the 11th century it was a stronghold of first the Campbells and then the MacDougals. For further limited information see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innis_Chonnell.

The entry is by some steep steps opposite the mainland and we were surprised to see a couple of open canoes parked there. Our surprise turned to astonishment as we climbed up into a scene reminiscent of Hogarth. We had inadvertently stumbled into the “morning after” an annual “rave” with a bank of sound decks, lights, a cover and a set of inebriated and/or high characters in strange outfits or parts thereof.

Apparently there were 50-60 friends at the party and camping on the mound opposite. The Rave has been going on for 10 years and we have no reason to doubt that the mess would be completely cleared up by the organizers as there was little trace over the rest of the castle

After a good look around we retreated from the scene and headed for the burial island of Innis Errich. This is completely overgrown with the old chapel just four low walls and a mass of brambles. Bill carried out his normal inquiries and established from the gravestones it was possible to read that it was in use from about 1750 to 1950

After lunch we headed across to Dalavich. Ten years ago this was a sad place. Built by the Forestry Commission to house workers but the forestry jobs had dried up. The village had no amenities and seemed strange and isolated. In the following years the atmosphere seems to have changed dramatically with a large community centre with a bar that opens every evening and a shop/PO /cafe to cater for daytime needs. There is a regular (if very slow) bus to Oban 4 or 5 times a day. Empty houses have been refurbished and rented out as holiday homes. A major change.

From Dalavich we headed back towards the car, with a slight detour to see if we could get up the river to the waterfall. We couldn’t so a brisk walk and Colin and Bill were in for a very cold shower. Why?

Back to the car and home after a very, very satisfying day. One club member doubted if it was worth going all that way for a day trip. It was.

Paddlers: Euan, Steve T., Bungie, Mason, Charlie, Ian, Stu, Sharon and Geoff

Weather: Excellent, calm and mostly sunny

Report: The trip followed the familiar pattern. From the beach at the north end of Luss we headed south, stopping just after the pier for the first “coaching” interlude, which in this case was Draw strokes. Meanwhile the Lomond Club, who were also meeting at Luss paid a visit

The river was unusual in having a good depth but little flow; ideal for introducing Beginners to moving water. Coaching point: Ferry Glides. From there we headed further south before crossing to Inchvannach at the narrowest point and rounding the point to the beach for lunch.

After an enjoyable lunch we headed back to the mainland and then out to Fraoch Eilean (Seagull Island) for further instruction on the seal launch (and kayak bouyancy!).

Sharon and Stu then left us to go sampling at the Cove Beer Festival whilst we went back again to Luss Water for more coaching and games. We got back to the north end of the beach at around 2pm after an enjoyable and we hope instructive four hours .

There has been some discussion on the effectiveness of a “trip” which involves a mix of journeying and coaching for a mixed ability group of paddlers. In evidence this trip seems to have “worked” for all involved (including the leaders). We do welcome comments from participants.

Paddlers: Geoff, Andy, Serena, Gordon, Colin, Bill and the spirit of Vonna

Report: This was a hastily put together “WhatsApp” Peer Group trip on a lovely sunny afternoon in September. We met Bill and Vonna at Carrick Castle, Bill having paddled up from Lochgoilhead. Sadly Vonna was called away at the last moment to rescue a hired van that was to take a micro-brewery from Bute back to Carrick Castle but had met the bus and been pushed into a ditch. Bill took the opportunity to paddle back to Finnart with us and get a lift onwards to Lochgoilhead.

The trip was uneventful (and scenically stunning) with short breaks at Carrick Castle , the ruined village at Carron (identified from an old photo by Bill) and Mark Cottage bothy. Speed for the 12km was between4 and 5kph Little more to say other than thanks to the organisers for a great afternoon

Objective: The object of the website is threefold, to keep a record of club activities, to encourage those who might be thinking of taking up the sport with the club and, finally to provide information about where to go, where to park and what to expect. The Search system on the website, for example can be used to call up any trips by club members to Ailsa Craig. This Blog report is on a trip by the “Mid Week Sea Kayakers WhatsApp Group ” not the Club , but it is believed this report will more than fulfill the other two objectives of the website.

Report: The coast between Ayr and Turnberry is a spectacular mix of exposed rocky cliff and long broad sandy beaches. In addition there are two lovely villages at Dunure and Maidens, a spectacular ruined castle at Dunure and the huge majestic Culzean Castle (NTS). There are established car parks at Ayr, Croy and Turnberry. Because of the time taken to get to the start (nearly two hours) a weekend trip along the length, with a car shuttle, is an attractive proposition.

We put in at Croy where there is an excellent car park and toilets. The sea goes out a long way and a trolley is suggested. The concrete slip onto the beach has a scaffolding type barrier but the boats on the trolleys will just go under the one on the extreme right (looking at the sea).

The beach is an excellent surf beach; good enough to spend a day practicing here. The weather was an F2/3 breeze from the South West and the cloud was due to disappear as the wind got up to F4/5 in the late afternoon. The forecast was wrong; the cloud coverage increased and the wind got up quickly so that there was a strong F4 by midday.

We paddled south towards the castle that dominates the cliffs at the far end of the beach

The shore/shallows are very shallow here making for an enjoyable section of rock hopping. The cliffs have a number of caves accessible along the shore at low tide. The first (most northerly) was apparently used for smuggling whist the second has been “improved to form a 3 floor apartment with tunnel to the main castle.

We pushed on south in increasing wind until white horses were occurring with some frequency. Just before Barwhin Point a decision was made to turn north again back to our starting point with the possibility of then heading further north to Dunure. The resultant trip was a very useful “skills” practice.

When we reached our initial departure point, enthusiasm for continuing was absent and so the final task was to get ashore without capsize. This correspondent would like to report an absolutely perfect straight, fast run-in on possibly the biggest wave of the day. Chuffedness knows no bounds.

A very short yet highly satisfying day. This coast is really worth paddling but possibly a 2 day trip as it is a long way to go in some horrible traffic.

Paddlers; Matt, Geoff, Bungie and Mandy

Weather: Beautiful; sunny whilst light, clear later.

Report: The plan was left deliberately open as Matt and Geoff were in sea kayaks whilst Bungie and Mandy were in their inflatable double. There was also a degree of mis-communication about objectives with Geoff suggested going as far as Creinch and Mandy assuming we were going directly to the pub (she had not eaten!)

Having started from the beach mid way along Duck Bay at just before 7pm we headed out to the west side of Inchmurrin Island. After a short discussion, we then headed north before rounding the tip of Inchmurrin island. A short on-water stop to alleviate hunger was followed 10 minutes later by a stop at the pub, arriving just after sunset.

The paddle back to Duck Bay was in the dark with no moonlight. It was however completely calm and cloudless, which resulted in a lovely “night paddling” experience. We got back at around 9.30 having paddled some 11km, a good rate for an inflatable.

Paddlers: Andy, Stuart, Serena and Geoff

Weather: Glorious; Hot and Sunny with no wind

Report: The Ailsa Craig trip (previous post) was most definitely a C Grade with 10 miles of open water. This trip was drawn up at the last moment for those unable through inexperience or other commitments to go to Ailsa Craig but wanted to make use of the fantastic weather. It was recorded by Stuart using a 360 Automatic Go Pro mounted on his foredeck.

For those interested a section from the video of the group heading north from Rowardennan video is available at https://youtu.be/ONFch1Php2k  

WE arrived at Luss Car Park at 10.30 and by 11am the car park was completely full. After the mayhem of the beach the paddle north east was quiet and quite delightful

We stopped for a pint at the pub at Rowardennan which was relatively quiet although the car park here was also full as were the beaches. After a mile or so north along the shore we headed north west to Firkin Point before tuning for home.

Although the loch had become much busier, with jet skis/bikes, speed boats and water skiers, compared to Luss Beach which we got to about 3pm, it was a quiet oasis. Loading the cars and simplt exiting the car park was not a pleasant experience. Advice: Avoid Luss on hot sunny Sundays.

The total journey time, including stops, was around 4 hours and we covered some 16km. A good trip.

Paddlers; Steve W, Gordon, Innes and Hugh

Report: With the Islay trip to round the Rhinns and the Oa put off on the Saturday due to wind that made it marginally untenable it was decided that this peer group go for Ailsa Craig at 1630 on Saturday afternoon when the wind was forecast to drop from F4 to F3 allowing us to overnight and explore (summit) on Sunday morning before returning.

We set off from just N of Lendalfoot for the 7.5 Nm crossing with a helpful SSE breeze in sunshine and temperature about 21 degC. An uneventful crossing saw us land on the Craig at 1920 with enough daylight for a quick look round, getting the tents up and a driftwood fire going. A warm, dry pleasant evening ensued around a good fire and although Campbelltown and Arran were a fair distance away we could just catch the occasional faint aroma of their distilleries. Our sleep was somewhat disturbed by squawking birds and some strong gusts of wind so earplugs are a good idea if camping.

On Sunday morning we headed up to the castle which is more of a keep but nevertheless interesting and then steeply up to the summit at 340m (1120ft), a fairly spectacular viewpoint on a clear day. From there we could see a couple of small vessels carrying tourists out from Girvan. They had a picked one of the few days when it was exceptionally warm and no foul weather gear was required. In the higher parts of the island seems to support a substantial rabbit colony and many were out and about during the day.

Exploration continued back at shore level with a walk to the granite quarry and the redundant N foghorn served by a complex walkway with several bridges with wire handrails in rather unsafe condition. Evidence in the broken granite of curling stone diameter having been core out showed how some of the work was done before transporting back to the buildings for finishing.

The crossing back to the mainland was very pleasant in warm sunshine and calm sea and was made special by the appearance of what appeared at first sight to be a dolphin but turned out to very probably be a Minke whale. It surfaced several times as we approached – and in the Clyde! The Minke whale is the second smallest averaging about 7-8m and weighing 5 tons.

Paddlers; Steve Wheaton, Colin Hosey, Gordon Smith, Damien Theaker, Robbie MacLachlan

Route: Anti-clockwise from Port Appin

Sat Aug 10^th 2019. Port Appin to Southern end of Lismore via West side

Weather: NNW F3-4, HW 15:10, just past neaps, sunny intervals

Port Appin 1100hrs, cars left in public carpark, boats launched alongside slipway.

Lovely paddle across sound with little N. going tide felt. Through islands off Port Ramsay where several good campsites spotted. Lunch at Castle Coeffin among ruins with superb vantage across Loch Linnhe to Kingairloch.

Passage inside Bernera Island and coffee break on beach facing Bernara Bay. Late afternoon with S. going tide underway met very choppy sea for 1.5 Km NE off Eilean Musdile. 1700 hrs all glad to find shelter in the passage and the camp site on bay at S. tip of Lismore. Very little wood available from the beaches but managed to split enough from the one substantial log found, so food and merriment round a fire for the evening.

Sun Aug 11^th 2019. East side of Lismore to Port Appin via Eilean nan Caorach

Weather: NNW F2-3, LW 10:07, cloudy with showers later

0900 departed for run up E. side of island. Plenty of shelter from the island to the N wind. A fine and interesting shoreline with many limestone features  

Stops at Port Kilcheran & Achnacroish, pondered the climb up to Tirefour Castle on cliff top but left for another trip.

Pushed on past top of the island for lunch on Eilean nan Caorach using the shelter of a lime kiln from the drizzle.

1600 returned to Port Appin. Total distance 40Km.

Creagan Hotel for coffee and scones.

Wildlife seen;

• 1 Eagle
• 4 otters
• Numerous seals

Paddlers: David, Martin, Damien, Geoff, Andrew and Grant M.

Weather: Still, clear, stunning

Report: A hastily arranged Tuesday evening paddle saw 6 of us at Craigendoran for an evening paddle. First stop was the Sugar Boat, where we disturbed fifty or sixty shags/cormorants. The number of shags and their roosting patterns suggests the former.

The cruise liner anchored at Greenock was our next objective. The Azamara Journey is a mid-sized ship of 30,000 tonnes (compared to the monster liner berthed with her until 5pm the Brilliance of the Seas, 90,000tonnes) . She left Greenock at 10pm .

From the international quay we headed east to the Grand Harbour, passing en route about a dozen paddlers from the Royal West Club on their club night trip.

As the sun started to descend in the west the paddle across from the harbour via Ardmore was a wonderful combination of perfect peace and gorgeous surroundings.

We landed at 10pm just as the cruise liner left and the dark rolled in. A great evening.