Maraudering Minch Mariners

As the sun sets and the moon rises, Rich and I make our first paddle strokes of a truly magnificent 4 days.

We set out from Uig on Skye, to stay at the Lookout bothy near Rhuba Hunish.  The bothy started life as a coastguard lookout hut, then morphed into a whale watching station before its current use as an awesome, accessible hut. 

We start early from Rhbha Hunish and head out towards Fladda Cuian for lunch, escaping a moody Skye off our sterns.

We speed along, enjoying great downwind conditions during the seventeen kilometer crossing to the Shiant Islands.  We tackle the crossing around slack water, allowing our course to drift off, then back on, as the fierce spring tide turns.

We expect the small shepherds hut on the 'Shiants' to be locked; however, are ecstatic when we push the door ajar.  We enter cautiously and slowly convince ourselves that we can stay and it is not in fact someones house.  What an amazing find!

We delve into the visitors book and discover that the island has been host to a huge range of people; from archaeologists and lichenologists to people just escaping the hubbub modern day life.

 With its remote, timeless feeling, we certainly felt its appeal.

The Shiants comprise of 3 main islands, two of which (seen above) are joined by a stunning pebbly tombolo, all containing arches and caves waiting to be explored.

We venture onward, across to South Harris, meeting a pod of playfull poipoise, fishing in the strengthening tidal stream.

The coastline and mountains look stunning in the perfect conditions and we explore all the nooks and crannies before stopping on the island of Scalpay to camp.

We erect tents, eat and swim in the sea, enjoying life as the sun moves across the sky over the Outer Hebrides.

With our explorer hats on, we dash up to the summit of Scalpay, rewarded by possibly the best sunsets on the Outer Hebrides. 

With the end in sight, we paddle the remaining six kilometers to Tarbet, enjoying mirror pond conditions.  We arrive and savoir a leisurely coffee, before boarding our whale spotting ferry ride back to Skye.

This sea trip wasn't about banging out the miles.  It wasn't about surviving scary over falls or gale force winds.  It was about enjoying time with a good friend and exploring some of Scotland's incredible remote islands.