Firth of Forth (+ Knoydart), May 2 - 9

Many thanks again to Helen for organising the Firth of Forth event. Most of us travelled up on Friday evening, but our leader arrived in her own inimitable style on Saturday morning. Weather was forecast to be dry, but wind a 4 from the south east. We therefore almost repeated the trip of two year's ago out to Bass Rock, and marvelled at the snowstorm of gannets as we approached.

Not much to be seen of seals this year though the gannets seemed more numerous and closer.
A view of a herring gull eating a guillemot's egg while layer looked on was a reminder that it's not all sweetness and light.

On then in a gentle swell to Fidra, and many more nesting birds. As the sky brightened we returned to North Berwick.

Sunday began with drizzle and light rain, so it was not an early start. We paddled out of Aberdour to Inchcolm for phase one of lunch. This kept us out of the way of the gas tanker, but the custodian restricted us to the intertidal zone unless we paid the admission charge to the island (he was very nice about it). So we contented ourselves with a view of the outside of the abbey before heading across the estuary to Cramond Island for phase two of lunch.

Monday brought a big change in the weather - still a gentle south easterly, but now accompanied by blue skies and mirror sea. Most people wanted a short day before heading home, so we paddled fom Skateraw Harbour (which was merely a sandy bay) beside Torness power station up to Dunbar and back past Barnes Ness lighthouse. Dunbar was quite a surprise - a harbour approach between two big stacks of basalt populated with noisy kittiwakes. More than one of us compared the entrance to something out of Lord of the Rings.

With the others' departures back to England and work, Royanne and I enjoyed a rare settled period of weather at Loch Hourn and Knoydart. A gentle paddle with following breeze past Ladhar Beinn to a camp on the shores of the Sound of Sleat gave us an excellent view of sunset over the Cuillin just as an otter swam past, a porpoise leapt and a seal came curiously to study the campfire.

On the following day we climbed one of the hills near the end of the Rough Bounds (Bein na Caillich), and rescued a common lizard that chose to escape us by diving head first into a water filled cavity under a tussock.

Packing the boots away, we continued back up the Loch in bright late afternoon sunshine.

Camp that night was just as good - a kilometre or so up Loch Hourn from Corran and Armisdale. Though here we had less welcome visitors in the shape of midges and ticks.

We're looking forward to the Mull of Galloway trip in a couple of weeks - but I'd be surprised if the weather repeats itself for then.

Bill