Day 8... Wind and Waves

 

I awoke to clear skies with the sun already shining... today was going to be warm. I set foot outside my tent and immediately got hit by a gusting wind, whipping in from the N Atlantic Sea. On an essentially flat land, the wimd is merciless at times and it was gusting at quite a few knots.

Nevertheless, I eventually pulled myself out of my sleeping bag and prepared my kayak kit... struggled into my wetsuit and started to drive out of the campsite. There were a few possible locations to launch nearby. The one, directly behind the campsite was a bit of a drag over the sand dunes to get to the water. I had timed this mornings activities to start just after high tide so that I could be back to the beach here a few hours before low tide, which is apparently the best time to spot otters.

I had seen a jetty a bit further away on the way in and decided to try there as it would have an easier access to the water but when I got there I didnt like the look of it. I'm pretty confident when it comes to loch, canal, river paddling but am pretty new to this sea kayakking thing and getting used to how my kayak handles in waves. In this spot the wind was whipping the waves up quite high (for me) and due to the nature of the beach they were breaking all over the place.

I wasn't comfortable with this as a launching point so looked at google maps to try and find a more sheltered cove or beach with agood launch point. Back past the campsite I could see a possibility on the map so drove off in search of a tranquil bit of beach. I didn't exactly find that but I did find a launching point that was slightly more sheltered and didn't have a long drag to the sea.

I prepped the kit, making sure I had my garmin on and ready to guide me back to the point I started from if necessary.

As I got in the kayak a wave knocked it and me slightly sideways, which was fine only as I got in and started paddling off, when I reached to check my garmin, clipped to my lifejacket, it wasn't there! Cue a slightly frantic paddle back to shore and jumping out scouring the shallows for it. Just as I was about to despair, it fell out of the bottom of my lifejacket! phew, close one. Although I like shopping for kit, a new garmin would not have been wallet friendly.

I got in again and paddled off... noting as I did that it stayed shallow for quite a while, which helps! 

As soon as I left the slightly more sheltered bit I got pummelled by the wind which was literally blowing me back to shore. I paddles hard, barely making headway. The waves were bigger than the ones I had encountered so far and although the kayak rode them well, it was a little nerve wracking.

I didn't go very far out at all. Firstly the effort was killing me, second this was still reasonably sheltered.. any further and I would catch the full might of the wind.

So I played around in the shallows a bit, surfing the waves back towards the shore and then turning round and paddling out to do the same again. I tried to go across to a small island of rocks but the waves were coming at me from a different direction there and it was tossing the kyak about a bit so I headed back to the bit I felt comfortable in... baby steps!

After not very long, I headed back to shore, exhausted by what had been a short but hectic trip out.

I secured the kayak to the roof and got back in the car. Having got a bit of time, I decided to drive across the causeway to the next bit of the hebrides. The causeway had signs to warn of otters crossing, but I didn't see any and drove out towards the few hills that rose up in the distance, a plan forming in my mind for later.... but now it was time to head for the beach for otter hunting.

I dumped the car at the campsite and headed round to the beach. Now nearly at low tide, many rocks and rock pools were exposed where the otters hunt. I spent some time wandering over the rocks..

Then I saw something bobbing in the water a bit further out.. I headed over slowly to investigate. On the next set of rocks to the ones I was climbing lay loads of seals... there must have been about 30. Then I saw their heads bobbing in the water between my set of rocks and theirs. As I got closer, many of those lying on the rocks tensed up and edged towards the water, ready to slide in if I was any threat. I very slowly made my way to a rock... and sat down. The seals in the water were bobbing along nicely.. every now and again diving down then popping up again. all of them kept turning towards me to check I wasn't any closer. It was fun watching them swim around less than 20ft away from me. O did keep my eye on the rocks too in case an otter wandered by, but no such luck. After some time watching the seals I headed back to the campsite.

The wind ws still gusting but my tent looked fairly solid. I changed clothes again. This time bike wear. It was now early evening but it is light here until 2300 so I had plenty of time to be out and about.

I got on my bike and headed for the hills that i had seen earlier. I knew I was in for a tough time. on. the way out as it would be headwind (a strong one) all the way out. The bonus being is that it would be a tailwind back. So I stuttered along, hands on the drops, head into the wind, grinding it out. Although the road could be called flat, I would call it FLUP, which is my term for when the road drags up but doesn't seem like it is until. you turn around and realise why flat had seemed so. hard... flat up.. FLUP!

There  as a lot of FLUP but I was still enjoying it. The roads were quiet, the fields were full of sheep and birds calling out and despite the headwind it was quite peceful. I did wonder whether I should have put up some more guy ropes on my tent!

In the distance I saw the hills I had seen earlier and one with what looked like a radar station on top. I could see a road wonding steeply. up it and where once I had no particular goal for this ride, a plan now formed. Up to the top of that hill if it is not a private road.

As I approached, the road up looked pretty steep. The only sign at the bottom was one to say no photography from that point... fair enough. Down went the gears and up I went... fairly slowly to be sure but on gradients that wouldn't have been out of place on Bealach Na Ba! It was a short climb though and at the top a sign announcing that it was an MOD range finding station. No photographs though, which was a shame because the view from the top of the otherwise flat landscape was spectacular. As it was clear skies I could easily see the wind turbine near the campsite but could also see the hills of Harris off in the distance!  What a breathtaking view!

Down then!

The speed on the downhill was almost matched by the speed on the flat with the wind behind me... I was motoring along, in the drops, going for it! It was great fun very quickly I turned off back at the tent!

Back at the campsite 2 other cyclists had pitched up, laden with panniers and kit. In this small world, they came from Tilehurst which is part of Reading where I work and live near... such a small world! 

My last task of the day was to one pot meal it again... rice, kidney beans and some chilli sauce. It wasn't bad as campfood goes, either that or my body just gratefully recieved any calories

More multi activity tomorrow as well as a boat trip. Hoping that I get a tailwind tomorrow and the weather stays good.!