11th – 13th Torrin
On Friday 11th September 14 members and friends gathered at Torrin Bunkhouse on the shores of Loch Slapin on Skye for the last scheduled paddle and social event of the season. We were a couple of members down due to illness unfortunately. Everyone who came brought contributions to the communal meals, and we ate and drank like royalty on the Friday night whilst reading all the forecasts and wondering if it would just be a social weekend with no paddling possible. The storm was fierce when it came and lasted all night and into Saturday morning, but by lunchtime the weather had settled down and we were able to get out in the afternoon and burn off some of the calories we gained. We swapped coasts to hide from the remnants of the storm, and paddled from Broadford over to the island of Scalpay. After a quick bite to eat and a hot drink in the sheltered bay beneath Scalpay House we set off again, around little Guillamon Island and back to Broadford.
Back at Torrin the eating and drinking started in earnest again with another sumptuous spread and a lot of chatting and laughing.
The plan for Sunday was to leave from Elgol and paddle round the island of Soay. The island itself and the Cuillins rising above Loch Scavaig were completely shrouded in misty rain as we set off from Elgol. However, as we neared the island the mist started to lift and the sun tried to break through.
After paddling into Soay Harbour – where Gavin Maxwell’s shark fishery operated in the 1940s – we carried on round the west side of the island where we encountered some swell and breaking waves. After negotiating some difficult sea conditions, the group then split when we reached the calmer east side of the island, some paddling back to Elgol and the rest choosing to paddle into Camas Na Gall, the main settlement, and landing for a leg stretch before also heading back to the takeout at Elgol. It was then back to Torrin for a quick tidy of the bunkhouse before heading off to catch the ferry or cross the bridge and onwards to home after a very sociable weekend with some paddling thrown in… a great way to end the season! It was great to be back there again, and great to have members from so far away coming along too.
Thank you to everyone for such great camaraderie, wonderful cooking and the fine selection of beverages.
Distances paddled: Saturday 10km, Sunday 27km
Paddlers: Joan, Iain & Petra, Elizabeth, Chris, Mike & Kirsty, Iain D, Rosie, Ruth, Karin, and Kate.
