Loch Bracadale – Skye
It had been a week of mixed weather fortunes in the week following the Scottish Sea Kayaking Symposium. Two days of torrential rain followed by a stunning day trip to the Crowlin Islands in glorious sunshine. With one-day left and a good forecast, virtually anywhere on Skye was suitable for paddling.
Approaching Wiay
Launching from the slip we quickly rounded Ardtreck Point and began to feel the effect of the open water. A gentle swell was rolling in from the southwest, creating entertaining conditions off the southern point of Oronsay. This was the first of 4 islands that we were going to visit on the day's paddle. The largest island of Loch Bracadale is Wiay and it lay just over half a nautical mile to the west. The crossing from Oronsay was simple and soon we were tucked under the cliffs of the south coast, threading our way through a number of reefs. Overhead bonxies were chasing fulmars whilst on the horizon the vague outline of the islands of the Outer Hebrides were starting to take shape. Sea kayaking doesn’t get much better than this.
The south coast is split by the dramatic inlet of Geodha nan Faochag, the cliffs in this area are amongst the steepest on the island and on the eastern side of the inlet there is a natural arch. There was a small sailing boat at anchor in the inlet, although I would have to question the wisdom of landing here, the beach consists of huge boulders and is totally exposed to the swell. If conditions deteriorated whilst ashore you could find yourself stuck for days!
On the east coast is the small bay of Camas na Cille, which is an ideal landing spot. It was also the location of the small village, and it is possible to see the remains of some of the small houses. In 1841 the island had a population of 6 but by 1890 it was deserted and has remained so ever since. Although the shoreline of the bay consisted of boulders there was a very clear gully in the centre, which appeared as if it was man made. In addition the boulders along the northern side of the bay were in a straight line, again a further hint that the people who had lived on Wiay had spent time improving the quality of their landing area, something which we were clearly benefiting from as we pulled the kayaks ashore.
Camas na Cille is a great picnic spot; we warmed ourselves on delightful slabs of rock. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to explore the rest of the island on this visit as there are a number of small lochans on the higher ground and some great views across towards Macleod’s Maidens and the start of one of the most dramatic stretches of Skye’s coast. The short stay brought back memories of a great night spent camping here a few years ago.
All too soon it was time to launch and as if by magic as we entered the water the unmistakable outline of a basking shark appeared round the headland on the south side of the bay. As we sat there in our kayaks the magnificent creature swam amongst us, clearly unperturbed by our presence. For some in the group this was the first time that they had seen a basking shark but whether it is the first or tenth time it was still a memorable experience.
Basking Shark off Wiay
To the southwest lay Oronsay, the first island we had passed about 5 hours earlier. There was a choice of routes available to the group, remain in the kayaks and paddle around the southern tip or land at the northern end of the island and portage across the stone causeway. We split into two, one group carrying over and the other paddling round, and we arrived on the eastern side of the island at exactly the same time.
 
Approaching Harlosh Island and exploring a cave on Tanner Island
From here it was a simple paddle back into Portnalong, followed by a final drink at the Sligachan Hotel, with time to ponder the day's paddle and the rest of the week's activities.
Loch Bracadale is fascinating area to paddle, the variety of the islands, the views out towards other destinations, the Outer Hebrides, Canna and other sections of the Skye coastline are exceptional and help to feed the imagination for future paddles. The wildlife is varied; we watched a skein of Greylag Geese in flight, a Merlin hunting along a cliff edge, black guillemots on the water and the basking shark around Wiay amongst others. Although the outer sections of the Loch can be very exposed to more demanding water and weather conditions there is often somewhere within the Loch where sheltered water can be found.
Kevin Mansell
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