Date: Easter 2019
Team: Maccy & Helen; Andy Johnson; Adrian; Thompa; Alex Mc; Tom; Ian; Marion & Me
Two Hobos Sitting on a Canoe
Marion & I headed up to Strontian with Alex & Tom - I love the drive to this area: quick visit to the Green Welly; Corran Ferry - all good! We were to spend the first night camping at Sunart Camping & Cycle Hire which is a great spot. After eating at the Ariundle Centre we met up with Andy, Thompa, Maccy & Helen at the Strontian Hotel for a couple of drinks - it was a great start to the week!
Ian & Adrian arrived on cue bright and early the next morning to the already well forecast issue of high winds - South Westerlies gusting well over 40 mph. Stood at the car park in Strontian considering our options it was great to bump into Colin Skeath (of canoe circumnavigation of Britain fame) - we chatted about our plans and Colin offered us some useful local insight. Maccy, Adrian and I ran the shuttle down to Lochaline, our plan had been finalised, we would go with our initial intentions and broadly speaking: Paddle Loch Sunart from Strontian to Carna; hang a left into Loch Teacuis; portage to Loch Doire nam Mart; line on to Loch Arienas; paddle the River Aline & Loch Aline. The high winds were to rob of us of any meaningful progress on the first day and we simply waited for the right tide to make a short hop to an island just off shore for our first night camping. The time spent there on this first day was excellent: talking; cooking; a bit of canoe sailing and even a bit of snorkelling on the lea side of the island!
Good Times
The morning dawned with what was still initially about a force three wind blowing straight down Loch Sunart from west to east. The tide was right so we headed off on an open crossing straight over the loch to pick up what lea we could from the higher ground to the south before heading west, whether the wind dropped a little or the strategy just worked progress was absolutely fine and we paddled down the loch with curious seals swimming close by and porpoises spotted too. We made swift progress down to Carna and made the left turn into Loch Teacuis around slack water.
Ad & Thompa heading down Loch Sunart
Loch Teacuis remains a gem of a secluded place, although in the 14 years that I had been away I would have to say that the fences and gates which have appeared at the head of the loch & the extensive de-forestation that has taken place do detract from its former appearance. We paddled down the loch with the benefit of an flooding tide and had some further encounters with the local seal population, progress towards the end of the loch was swift and by mid afternoon we were searching for a campsite. Previously camping in the woods close to the edge of the loch had been a very agreeable experience, unfortunately much of this tree cover has now been torn down leaving behind it the devastation which is sadly so commonplace with forestry operations. We finally found what could only be described as a rank, dank, minging area of woodland - some chose to pitch tents and hang hammocks, Marion & I along with Ian chose to make our calculations and take our chances in the inter-tidal margins. Marion & I electing for the slightly more risky option set an alarm for something around 4 am which was about half an hour before high water - just to make sure we didn't get flooded out. The picture shows how close we cut it!!
About a metre to spare at high water!
Ian's tent the following morning - looks safer but there wasn't much in it!
Wednesday morning was sunny with only the slightest of wind and we made short time of arriving at Kinloch Teacuis. This was to be the start of our only portage of the trip - up on to the single track road for a mixture of trolley portage and carrying to the tussock grass above the lochan of Loch Doire nam Mart in order to be afloat again. It was by now a pleasantly warm early Spring day and under bright blue skies the portage could have been worse!
The hard road!
By the time we had reached the edge of Loch Doire nam Mart and spent a little time re-fuelling the wind had freshened considerably to possibly a Force 4/5 in our faces and it was a bit of a pull across this lochan. Our exit point was a small burn not much wider than a canoe where a combination of lining on painters and a little wading precluded the need for any further portage. Arrival at the stunning Loch Arienas still presented us with a windy outlook, as such we opted to paddle only a short distance to an excellent sandy campsite where we cooked mussels collected on Loch Teacuis.
Me close to the end of the burn!
Thursday morning was once again heralded with blue skies and sunshine, the wind having dropped right off we headed across this beautiful loch to the source of the River Aline. I've paddled the river a couple of times and known it to be a pleasant run at around grade 2. However, on the day it was empty and a combination of paddling where we could, guiding on painters and pushing and shoving was necessary. Again the warm sunshine made for positive conditions. Close to the end of the river we stopped for a late morning lunch, I had a bit of whisky left so took in an impromptu Maundy Thursday last supper - it was quite poignant in this environment & to be sharing it with good friends.
Maundy Thursday, whisky with friends
The final exit of the river into Loch Aline is quite an interesting point. I've only ever been here at low tide when the drop is substantial and as such have lined down, however, I do have friends who have encountered the same location at high water and paddled this section. Once again the former was the situation on the day & so we enjoyed lining our laden craft back into salty water.
Ian, Helen, Alex & Tom at various stages of the approach to the final drop into Loch Aline
The tide had turned by the lime we were organised and afloat again so although pretty windless, progress was a little slow on this last afternoon of the trip as we lazily passed large moored steel vessels in the harbour. After sorting the shuttle a few of us opted to stay an extra night at Sunart Camping, as such another night in the Strontian Hotel was in order! It all worked out pretty well as it enabled us to drop Thompa off at Glasgow airport on the way home for his onward trip to Poland.
Yet another splendid few days in an outstanding canoeing environment, a trip with everything!
Maz & I in the presence of a large vessel at the Loch Aline quayside
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