DCKC trip to Glenuig 21st to 23rd August 2026.
The nine of us gathered at Janice’s caravan on Friday evening to plan the next day’s paddle.
Next morning, we launched from the jetty into Loch Moidart. This loch is notorious for its shallowness and mudbanks waiting to trap the unwary kayaker, but we followed the narrow channel westwards to Castle Tioram. This was the 13th century stronghold of the MacDonald clan and now an unsafe ruin, situated on a little island which dries out at low tide (Tioram means”dry castle”). Landing on the small beach on the west side, we spent a happy half hour exploring, before paddling west, down the south channel of Eilean Shona.
Tummies were rumbling by the time we beached at the lovely sandy bay for lunch, with wonderful views to the blue islands of Eigg, Muck and Rum.
A more lively sea greeted us as we paddled up the west side of Eilean Shona to the elusive north channel, well hidden behind a rocky headland. A following wind and rising tide pushed us rapidly east over the causeway to Eilean Shona. and back to the jetty. The causeway is exposed for 2 hours each side of low tide, making a hazard if your tidal planning is wrong, with plenty of mud to get stuck in!
A sociable evening was had, with a fine meal provided by Janice.
Sunday’s paddle began at Samalaman beach where we headed out towards Eilean nan Gobhar(Goat Island). This guards the entrance to Loch Ailort
and has an unusual vitrified fort on its highest point, possibly a lookout for marauding seafarers!
We stopped for a coffee break on the Singing Sands of Ardnish before heading north across Loch nan Uamh to Carlotta’s bothy for lunch.En route we saw dolphins jumping in the distance. Another kayak group from the Lothian club greeted us as we landed.
A few of us scrambled up to the airy bothy perched on a crag above the sea, and enjoyed the views across to Ardnamurchan.
We took a direct line back to Samalaman from here and were rewarded with a distant view of a minke whale slowly cruising and feeding on the rising tide. We sat for a while and appreciated the evening light on the calm water before paddling back to the cars.
Thanks to Janice, Richard, Celia, Karen, Jim, James, Kat and Arron for good company on a memorable trip.
More pictures can be seen on Smugmug in club’s gallery (in the About Us section).
Yes ,it was a lovely weekend kayaking. Liz, Richard and I had another 2 days which were glorious. Thanks to Liz Bibby for writing the report BUT everyone contributed to the evening meal on Saturday night! So thanks to Karen for salad and cheese and oatcakes, Liz for lovely fruit salad, Celia for local luxury ice cream, James and Arran for delicious red wine, Kat for white chocolate and raspberry cookies and Betty, Richard’s wife for brownies. Need to do it again!