ThePADDLER 98 We set off early next morning to a stiff breeze . Shaun assured us this was due to drop , and sure enough , it did . We paddled along the coastline of Rum , seeing Black Guillemots , Puffins , Razorbills and Kittiwakes , and lots of waterfalls pouring down the sheer cliffs after the heavy rain . Eventually , we crossed to Eigg and paddled a long way along the coast before finding somewhere suitable to stop , sheltering on the pier at Galmisdale ; we had been paddling for five hours continuously , only pausing to take on water since leaving Rum . We pulled on our storm cags , and I downed a whole flask of soup – never had soup from a flask tasted so good !
Mussel feast
Preparing to leave Muck The Sgurr of Eigg
MUCK
We then paddled across to Muck ( 8 km ). Muck is the smallest of the Small Isles , measuring just 4km across , with a population of around 30 . There is a primary school on the island and a community hall , but no grocery store and no doctor . Shaun and Pete went ashore first and spoke to the residents who had been watching the arrival of our colourful flotilla . The rest of us waited in our boats , slightly anxiously , as we had paddled 32km that day , and it was not clear where else we would camp for the night . Eventually , a deal was struck : we could camp on the football pitch next to the community hall and use the loo , but not the kitchen or showers , as the local children used these , and there was an understandable fear of Covid transmission . We donated to the community to thank them for their kindness . As we were pitching our tents on the football pitch , we were joined by Bruce , who runs the café on the island . He said he would be opening at 06:30 next morning for teas , coffees and breakfasts – music to our ears !
On leaving Muck , we made the 7km crossing to the Ardnamurchan Peninsula . With some assistance from the ebbing tide , we aimed first for the dome of Meall nan Con until the mid-point of our crossing to avoid overshooting , seeing the Treshnish Isles and the tip of Coll as we looked south . On approaching Sanna Point , we followed the coast south until we reached the lighthouse . The lighthouse at Ardnamurchan Point marks the most westerly point on the British mainland . Built-in 1849 using granite from Mull , this magnificent 35-metre tower was designed by Alan Stevenson , uncle of Robert Louis Stevenson .
CASTLE TIORAM
After the excitement of reaching the lighthouse , we paddled east along the spectacular north coast of Ardnamurchan until we reached the South Channel of Loch Moidart , where we were rewarded by seeing a White-tailed Eagle . We then followed the South Channel until we reached the iconic ruined Castle Tioram ( pronounced Cheerum , rather appropriately in our case ), the ancient fortress of the MacDonalds , built in the 13th Century on the tidal island of Eilean Tioram commanding the entrance to the River Shiel . Behind the castle is an enticing flat campsite where we pitched our tents to the sound of woodpeckers drumming . We had paddled 42km that day , and my friend Rachel still went for a swim ! Some of us walked across the tidal causeway to the castle in near darkness .
By morning , the castle was cut off once again by the tide . Our final day and we had a relaxed morning at the campsite , leaving at 11:30 and passing through the North Channel of Loch Moidart , stopping at a ford to gather mussels . We continued for a couple of hours ,