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Trip created by Paul Easto
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Region: North West Highlands
Trip Type: Sea Kayaking
Comfort: Wilderness Camping
Max Group Size: 8
Confirmed: When 2 Traveller(s) Book
Deposit From £233.75
£233.75
Difficulty:
All you need to know about your trip, this essential document is a must for all adventures.
Download ItinerarySea kayaking in the Summer Isles is perhaps sea kayaking in Scotland at its finest, as we explore the many islands that dot this beautiful coastline.
The Summer Isles are some of the most scenic islands with the stunning isolated sandy beaches and our guided sea kayaking expedition is an inspiring journey through a stunning seascape.
Journeying by sea kayak we are able to experience this remarkable coastal environment up close – picking our way through the numerous channels and inlets between the islands. This area is known for its rich marine life with dolphins, porpoises, seals and even whales inhabiting these waters. In the sky, there are many varieties of seabirds and golden eagles can sometimes be seen as well. We’ll be able to explore the islands on foot, allowing you to get to know them from land and sea. This is the perfect trip for someone with some previous kayaking experience looking to enjoy a longer expedition in one of the best areas in the world for sea kayaking.
From Inverness, we travel north-west to the Summer Isles passing Ullapool and the beautiful Coigach and Assynt mountains. Late afternoon sees us launch the sea kayaks and enjoy a short paddle in sheltered waters to our first campsite, a small island located just offshore. Dolphins and whales are often spotted in these waters so we’ll keep our eyes open as we set up camp on the white sandy beach. (L, D)
Route details: Distance 2km, 1hr
Heading south, we sweep around the coastline, passing small sea-cliffs on our way to Badentarbat Bay. After lunch on the grassy bay, we round a point then cross to Horse Island to camp. History records that Spanish treasure is hidden on this island. According to local legend, 100 years ago a shepherd fell into a hole on the island and when he returned home, he found a gold coin in his shoe. Along with friends he returned to the island but could not remember where he had fallen – so the gold remains to this day! (B, L, D)
Route details: Distance 12km, 6hrs
A 2km crossing takes us to Tanera Mor. This is the largest of the Summer Isles and the only inhabited island. It used to be a major fishing port, where up to 200 vessels would jostle for room in the main bay, known as ‘the Anchorage’. These days only a café and a post office remain. We will paddle around the island and then find a quiet bay where we will camp for the next couple of nights. (B, L, D)
Route details: Distance 12km, 6hrs
We leave our camp in the bay paddle north to Eilean Flada Mor and its outlying skerries, admiring the spectacular sandstone architecture of these islands. We pass a seal colony before, if the conditions are suitable, crossing to Eilean a Char then paddling down Tanera Beag’s western shore to a small bay on its southern tip. Here we pull the kayaks ashore and enjoy a leg-stretching walk on this uninhabited island. On the return to our camp, we pass a fragile sandstone arch which it is possible to paddle under at high tide. (B, L, D)
Route details: Distance 12km, 6hrs
We strike camp and paddle northwards, admiring the stunning views of the Assynt peaks to the east which cut into the skyline and dominate the panorama. Leaving the main cluster of islands, we follow the channel between the wildlife reserve of Isle Ristol and Eilean Mullagrach as we journey towards our northernmost point, a tiny landing spot at Faochag Bay. This is our camp for the night, a wild spot at the very tip of the peninsula with stunning views all around. (B, L, D)
Route details: Distance 14km, 7hrs
Turning back southwards, we enjoy a leisurely paddle back to our starting point. As we pass the sea-cliffs to the north of Reiff, we will pause to watch the rock-climbers scale the sandstone cracks and overhangs. They often pause and gaze back at us! Finally, we cruise into the natural harbour for the end of a memorable journey. There’s often time for a quick drink at the local bar before we return to Inverness. (B, L)
Route Details: Distance 8km, 4hrs
To download a PDF copy of our Trip Itinerary, containing full details about this holiday, please complete the form below:
ACCOMMODATION
On this trip, we wild camp near the shore in spectacular coastal locations. These camps may be remote and difficult to access by foot and this element of isolation adds to their appeal. We provide single tents unless you are travelling with a partner or in a group and would like a tent to share. We also carry a base camp tipi, which means that we can all gather together for dinner and a hot drink even if the weather is inclement.
SINGLE TENTS
On this trip, we are happy to provide single tents for solo travellers, but if you are willing to share with another traveller this does help reduce our camp size, giving us more options of where to camp and reducing our impact on the ground.
All meals are included on this trip.
Great food is essential to all our trips and expeditions are no different. While the guide will coordinate the cooking and help out, everyone is asked to lend a hand as this ensures the best meals in the shortest possible time after what are often long days. We will carry plenty of food to cater a varied and satisfying menu throughout the trip, and some of these may even be prepared on an open fire. Dietary requirements can still be catered for but please ensure we know at the time of booking.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
You will be met by your Wilderness Scotland Guide in the centre of Inverness Railway Station at 10:30 on Day 1 of your trip. You will be returned to Inverness Station for 4:00pm on the final day of the trip.
For advice on getting to and from Scotland please our travel advice page on our website: www.wildernessscotland.com/faq/travel-to-scotland/
If you would like to use your own vehicle on the trip please get in touch with our team to discuss.
32 People viewed this trip in the last week
| Trip Dates for 2021 | Availability | Status | Price | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8th May - 13th May 2021 | 8 place(s) left | UNCONFIRMED | £935 | Book Now |
| 5th Jun - 10th Jun 2021 | 4 place(s) left | CONFIRMED | £935 | Book Now |
| 4th Sep - 9th Sep 2021 | 3 place(s) left | CONFIRMED | £935 | Book Now |
Fancy this trip just for your group? Get together with family and friends spend quality time exploring wild places. A private trip allows you to benefit from all the features of the group departure, including hand-picked accommodation and expert local guides but with the advantage of the flexibility to tailor the days to your group. Make the trip more or less challenging depending on your experience or choose to add in some optional extras like castle or distillery visits depending on your interests. The price of a private trip will depend on the number of travellers in your group. Let us know your prefered departure date and we'll take care of the rest.
As founder of Wilderness Scotland Paul’s craving for adventure and knowledge of Scotland knows no bounds. His leadership has resulted in Wilderness Scotland twice being named as Best Green Tour Operator in the World at the World Travel Awards and ranked as No.1 Adventure Travel Company in Europe by National Geographic. Paul’s commitment to excellence in all that he pursues becomes obvious in the routes we paddle and the little touches included in this trip.
Ask Paul a QuestionBlue Graded Sea Kayaking Holidays 4-6
Our blue graded sea kayaking trips are suitable for fit paddlers with a minimum of 5 full days of sea kayaking experience, with a basic level of technical competence. You can expect 6/7 hours of sea kayaking each day, with plenty of breaks onshore to stretch your legs. You will also be asked to assist with carrying the boats to and from the water, working as a team.
The kayaking will be in coastal waters with few open crossings but you can expect to be paddling in some choppier conditions during the trip. This may be around Sea State 3 (with waves up to 1m high). On the higher Blue grade trips you may be paddling in more exposed areas and encounter stronger winds and waves up to Sea State 4.
If you are unsure about your experience or about Sea States, please give us a call or email to discuss. If you do not yet have enough experience we suggest our Green graded sea kayaking trips.
In the event of bad weather preventing us from kayaking your guide will offer an alternative activity such as a hike.
Rated 4.69 out of 5 based on 78 review(s) of Sea Kayaking – The Summer Isles
Every client receives a feedback survey when they return from their guided, self guided or tailor made holiday with us. Once completed the review is published on our website just as soon as our database updates. The little touches and details are important to us and where issues are raised we make positive changes to our trips to improve your experience.
That’s why we read each of our client’s reviews and although we don’t respond to all of them, if it’s glowing feedback then we get the satisfaction of helping to make your holidays truly memorable.
Phil Acklam
Reviewed on 07/10/2020
Age: 50 - 60
Country: UK
Trip Date: 19/09/2020
Trips Taken: 1
The Bottom Line
Anne Richter
Reviewed on 28/09/2020
Age: 20 - 30
Country: United Kingdom
Trip Date: 19/09/2020
Trips Taken: 1
The Bottom Line
Absolutely loved the trip! Thank you so much for an incredible experience.
Andy Cleland
Reviewed on 29/08/2019
Age: 50 - 60
Country: United Kingdom
Trip Date: 17/08/2019
Trips Taken: 1
The Bottom Line
I wonder if it was ever possible to mount an expedition style trip given there wheee only four then 3 kayaks to carry everything think I would have liked the option to postpone or change to a different trip but all in hindsight TEAM WILDERNESS RESPONSE: It's a shame that one person felt unwell for a few days and chose not to paddle, but had the weather been better then yes, it's absolutely possible to do an expedition style trip with 3 boats. We confirm this trip to run if just 2 people book, and given the right conditions can still run the whole trip expedition style. Given the challenging weather on most days we're really happy to hear that Paul did such a great job getting you out on the water to explore every day with some imaginative planning. Our guides are our number one asset in making trips a success and their local knowledge is invaluable. We hope Paul's expertise helped you to enjoy yourself despite the weather.
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