The PaddlerUK magazine March 2015 issue 1 | Page 50

ThePaddlerUK 50

TIP
three

You won’t find much in the way of firewood to burn so don’t plan on having
campfires. If you take your own wood, use a firepan to

protect the ground

Allow yourself three

or four days for this trip, and starting at the tiny village
of Elphin, make your way from the road, down the
track to Loch Veyatie. Unless you’re lucky and the gate
is open, this will involve a 500-600m portage to the
water, so take your trolley!

In terms of paddling, the distances you’ll encounter
aren’t huge, but what they lack in size, they certainly
make up for in interest. Paddling west along Loch
Veyatie you have Cul Mor to your left and Suilven will
gradually come into view as you approach Fionn Loch.
It’s only around 11km to the far end of Fionn Loch,
where the River Kirkaig starts its tumbling descent to
the coast about 5km away.

Once you reach Fionn Loch you have the ideal
opportunity to pitch your tent in the shadow of Suilven,
and if daylight permits you could even nip up for a
glorious west coast sunset that evening. Alternatively,
you could nip up the next morning after porridge and
coffee, to take in the awesome views that await you
across to Canisp and Quinag in the north.

A choice

At this point you have a choice: return the way you
came to Elphin, or with a bit of hard work get out and
pull your boat!
From Fionn Loch you paddle for a short distance on
River Arkaig, landing again soon and making your way
over land to Loch Sionascaig. However, if you have
time to spare you can take a wander down to see the
Falls or Kirkaig, but probably best to avoid them in
your canoe!