Death in Ardlamont.

We paddled towards the mouth of Loch Fyne along a raised beach until we came to...

...Kilbride Bay. The sad remains of a dead whale lay beached on the shore. The smell of death hung so heavy in the air that we could not approach closer to investigate its species. We paddled over huge detatched ribs with flesh still attached, that lay under the clear waters below its final resting place.

The

Clear seas full of sprats, off Ardlamont Point

The Cowal peninsula has some really great bays. This is Kilbride Bay, which was very atmospheric with the mist lying low over the hills and forests.

Off Rhuba na Peileig the sea was boiling with large shoals of sprats.

 Just round the point, we came across this lovely...

...beach of cobbles.

 It was now time for our first luncheon.

We sat on these wonderful whorled rocks. I found a very nice

Skating about Skate Island: a baby basking shark.

 From Portavadie, we set off down Loch Fyne to Sgat Mor, big skate island.

 The little lighthouse used to be powered by propane and is almost all gas tank. It looked like a rocket. Nowadays it is solar powered.

Between the island and the mainland something skating about at high speed on the water surface caught our eye.

What on earth was it?

It was a baby basking shark, less than two meters

Morning mist in the Kyles of Bute

Early on an October morning, Phil and I drove over the high pass above the Kyles of Bute. The Burnt Islands were caught in a momentary blink of sunshine that managed to break through the thick mist.

We had left one car at Colintraive which is the mainland terminal for the ferry which runs over the Kyles to Bute...

...and drove  over the narrow roads to Portavadie on the west coast of the Cowal

A Fyne trip on Argyll's Secret Coast!

A 21km day trip from Portavadie to Otter Ferry, Loch Fyne.Auchalick Bay, Loch FyneTidal streams in Loch Fyne are generally weak. In the Otter Ferry narrows:+0555 HW Greenock (-0510 HW Dover) north-east going flood begins.+0015 HW Greenock (+0135 HW Dover) south-west going ebb begins.In mid channel the rate in each direction is 1 knot. Close to the beacon at the end of the spit, the rate is about

The Oystercatcher, Otter Ferry, Loch Fyne.

On our return to Otter Ferry with the shuttle car from Portavadie we could not help but notice that the Oystercatcher was open.We enjoyed some excellent Guinness (half pints, since we would both be driving within the hour) in the cozy surroundings but noticed that everyone else was sitting outside.We decided to join them for our meal......and we enjoyed it thoroughly......while watching a hazy

Fellow travellers on Loch Fyne.

We pulled the kayaks up onto the grass above the shingle beach at otter ferry. We parked beside this hovercraft. Apparently "It's the most environmentally friendly motorised water sport available!" We did not meet the owner and in a way were glad we had not met on the water. Hovercraft produce an enormous number of decibels and it was such a lovely still evening.I much preferred the look of this

Let them eat oysters, in Otter Ferry.

From Castle Ewen we continued north up Loch Fyne. Phil is a very fast paddler but was no match for my Flat Earth sail in these breezy conditions.Every so often, I would drop the sail to let him catch up!North of Kilfinan, the golden sands gave way to grey rocks that plunged straight into the blue waters of Loch Fyne.A wonderful mixed woodland of deciduous and coniferous trees grew right down to

Reviresco on the Loch Fyne Riviera.

Photo Phil TomanKilfinan Bay is a really beautiful part of Loch Fyne and the sun shone down on its golden sands which stretch for 1.2km. We had it all to ourselves as we crossed to its northern boundary......at Rubha Beag. We were ready for second luncheon and landed on a little cobbled beach beneath a conical mound with a flattened top.We climbed up to get a better view and found......this

High water in Kilfinan Bay.

Many people think that there are no sandy beaches in Loch Fyne. They are wrong, you just can't see them from the roads! Twelve kilometers after leaving Portavadie, we came to the beautiful, broad sweep of Kilfinan Bay.The Kilfinnan Burn empties into the bay and as it was near high water, we decided......to nip upstream where the burn meandered through the sand dune system that backs the

Auchalick Bay, Loch Fyne

We continued paddling north up Loch Fyne along an unspoiled and remote coastline.By the time we reached Eilean nan Gabhar at the south end of Auchalick Bay, it was time for first luncheon.What a place to stop. Above high water the rocks were covered with multicoloured lichens and sea pink.Down at high water level, the rocks were bare but displayed wonderful and ancient patterns.The north side of

Missed the gun but not the boat, in Loch Fyne.

As we paddled into Loch Fyne, the view out of the mouth of the loch was completely dominated by the mountains of Arran.The Clyde Cruising Club were holding their Scottish Series Regatta out of Tarbert on the far side of Loch Fyne. It looked pretty busy over there, as these Sigma 33s tacked down the loch!Despite the start gun having gone off some time before, the owners of this fine old Moody 346

A hell of a shuttle at Loch Fyne!

By the time we left Inver Cottage restaurant, the tide had come in.We still had an adverse breeze as the sun sank towards the horizon.At Lephinmore we came across these proud parents with 5 Canada geese chicks.When the sun dropped to the horizon the temperature plummeted beneath the clear skies.We still had a considerable way to go and well after sunset......the western sky took on a beautiful

Sea kayaking hardship in Loch Fyne.

There is an excellent pub with fine food in Furnace but it was only 16:00hrs and so we decided to cross to east shore of Loch Fyne. David and I soon left Phil behind as we set off on a close reach across the loch.Unfortunately we could not point as high as we would have liked so we dropped sails and prepared for a windward slog.Phil was soon nowhere in sight, far behind and downwind of us. Away

The forests of Loch Fyne.

From Kenmore south to Furnace we entered a wild paradise, a quite exceptional coast to explore by sea kayak.Steep rocks plunged into the deep waters of Loch Fyne.These rocks had been smoothed by the glacier that had created Loch Fyne, the longest sea loch in Britain.Round every corner there were new vistas......which brought smiles to our faces. On the far side of the loch great swathes of

The Mountain Minstrel of Loch Fyne!

We stuck to the west shore of Loch Fyne and David whistled some wind up.The Flat Earth kayak sails strained to the wind and our ears also strained as......David burst into spontaneous song, which echoed round the hills!Near the settlement of Kenmore we came across a monument standing on the rocks that form the shore here.It is to commemorate local Gaelic poet, Evan McColl, who was born here at

Indecision on Loch Fyne...

Ftom Inveraray we set off down the west side of Loch Fyne.Despite its size, Loch Fyne is seldom paddled. Many sea kayakers drive for some way along its shores on their way to the west coast of Argyll and never think of stopping.......perhaps because they think they can see it all from the road. Nothing could be further from the truth. Between Dalchenna and Furnace there is only a track by the

A gelati and a free crossing to Inveraray for peasants, the blind and pilgrims.

Leaving Inveraray Castle, we drifted down the River Aray and reentered the sea at Loch Shira, a side arm of Loch Fyne. Loch Fyne is a deep indentation of the Firth of Clyde which stretches 137km into the mountains of Argyll from the mouth of the Firth. The delightful town of Inveraray was a planned town built by the 3rd Duke of Argyll in the latter half of the 18th century.For the first couple of

The lawns of Inveraray Castle.

It was not long until we had launched on Loch Fyne. The head of the loch is surrounded by the mountains of Argyll.I had lent David my Quest LV as he was keen to try my new Flat Earth kayak sail.We spotted the 16th century home of the MacNaughton clan, Dunderave Castle, on the far side of the loch...... but we were heading to the south and the entrance to Loch Shira which is marked by this

No otters at Otter Ferry, Loch Fyne!

David, Phil and I arrived at Otter Ferry which is about half way up Loch Fyne, one of Scotland's longest sea Lochs at the head of the Firth of Clyde. There is an excellent pub here just by the sea shore.We were welcomed by the pipping of the resident oyster catchers at the end of the old pier.Otter does not refer to the furry mammal but to "oitir" a long spit of shingle that extends for a long