West Coast Paddling
April 21, 2008 on 9:31 pm | In Sea Kayaking |
Before the weekend’s paddling there is great news today, the Scottish Government have seen sense and not granted permission for the wholesale industrialisation of the Lewis landscape.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7358315.stm
We had probably one of the best paddles I have ever been on this Sunday. With the easterly winds blowing for the last week we have almost no swell running into the west coast. This allows the exploration of the wilder sections of coast and they don’t get much wilder than the coast around Mangasta.
So we launched from Mangasta beach and headed north through the sea stacks, rocky skerries and caves, below Screaming Geo where there were some climbers having an equally awesome day up andround Mangasta Island.
The island has a cave which passes right through the middle, it is just a boats width and there was just too much swell to go through, at least if you wanted to still be in the boat at the other end and not swimming in smashed fibreglass.
With wall to wall bule sky and blazing sun we pulled up on a tiny beach at the bottom of a boulder beach and had some lunch, it was difficult to leave but Aird Breanish was calling.
The character of the coast here changes and doesn’t have the huge soaring cliffs, it is equally unfriendly but it is the slooping rocks and the sucking holes which appear at the bottom when the waves slide back which bring the terror. There a miriad of passages and sea stakes to paddle round and explore.
This is a very exposed headland with no escapes but as you round it you arrive at a white sand beach tucked at the back of a corner, time for more coffee and if you are wearing a dry suit a swim!?!
Hauling out at the end the sun was so warm while the run back was fetching the cars there was some sleeping in the sun to be caught.
Tim Pickering
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