Harris and other places

….tired from 2 weeks of back to back wild camping kayak adventures north of here off Harris and the Uists I am somewhat lacking in inspiration to write.. luckily however I have some photos I can simply throw at you while I go off for another coffee. I have a day off today, hurrah.. and I’m not likely to get sidetracked into taking any day trips out from here in Castlebay  either thanks to the gale-force winds that are howling across the bay as I write :-)

The first week was characterised by high winds and heavy rain which did limit options for exploring to the many sheltered sea lochs on the east coast and made cooking for 11 an awkward affair huddled under a flapping tarp each day not to mention sorting out the food for the following week in driving rain one night in Leverburgh… Week 2 on the west coast of Harris with a small group of just 5 was magic… very high winds at the start meant hiking in fabulous mountain scenery rather than kayaking but things improved wonderfully as the week went on.. with lighter winds and just one very wet day.

I didn’t bring my own sea kayak up here, preferring instead to bring my surf boat. No bad thing, working boats take a hammering on these trips so I am paddling an Island Kayaks Expedition model belonging to Chris, my employer. It is the largest volume boat I have ever paddled which means empty with just my light frame on board it is quite amusing to paddle as it floats so high. Loaded however it is superb. The volume is handy as it swallows up everything needed with ease which makes squeezing food and gear into the other boats a less stressful affair. At the beginning of a trip it is something of a floating larder.. and by the end it is a floating garbage truck. I find it quite amusing how other paddlers are so resistant to carrying garbage once space has been freed in their boats by meals eaten…

Anyway, enough.. on with some photos. I never did replace my waterproof camera so not so many on-water pics but I hope they give a sense of this wonderful part of the world nevertheless. Captions where I could be bothered….

I'll start with a beach... the fine sand-bar on Taransay... a fabulous spot to spend a night
'my' Island Expedition resting on a rocky landing spot

not very 'beachy' but sheltered from high winds at the foot of Eaval on north Uist
fabulous late afternoon light
stormy weather
Loch Ainort

weatherbeaten retreat to the van at the end of the Uist week...
waiting for the ferry from Berneray to Harris... typically Hebridean weather..
a fine if somewhat damp evening hike...

patterns of foam in a peaty stream...
fine weather but gale force winds... a hiking day on Harris

wicked views down to the Sound of Harris

I had a double along on the Harris trip.. they were poetry in motion...
plenty of nooks and crannies to explore...

.. and caves
some tighter than others...

paddling upstream.....
when the heavens open.. which they frequently do.. the bothy bag is a warm place for lunch..

after a filthy wet day.. wonderful evening light
dry again - a group of happy kayak-campers..
heading down the west coast of Harris in a lovely rolling swell

a pretty, sheltered lunch stop
proper summer weather at last :-)

a fine Taransay camping spot...
essential protection... for when the wind does disappear legions of midges materialise... devils they are, devils...
an early morning of pleasant solitude on the ocean as I paddled back north early at the end of the trip to retrieve the van.. just the shearwaters and gannets soaring the swells for company :-)
stormy evening light over Harris
a final wild camp on Harris before a 5am start to get folk to the early ferry from Tarbert
evening from Harris

As a footnote.. these trips are hard work physically and logistically… non-stop 15 hour days and it takes me a week to earn what I could in a day in my past life as an aeronautical engineer… but up here I feel complete contentment and the satisfaction at the end of a trip when everyone goes home with a big smile on their face is beyond putting a value on. My season ends in a couple of weeks.. I plan to stick around a while to carry out essential kayak repairs and so do some surfing… as for the winter, don’t know yet… not worried about it :-)

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