The
pictures in no way describe this trip accurately!
With
wet and windy conditions there was much thought and discussion on Friday evening
as to whether we should even attempt this trip or not. However, as time passed
the wind abated slightly so we decided to set off. Conditions were fairly lumpy
and wet, but we all made it. The advance party arrived at the Uags bothy at
about 10pm, but the later party arrived in the dark with a head torch light from
the bothy guiding them in. Conditions were much the same on Saturday with a
spell of spectacularly heavy rain and a strong tail wind. A very welcome stop
was made at the Applecross Inn for lunch, where we were welcomed despite all
being dripping wet. The afternoon was much the same and with a few capsizes in
the difficult conditions (all expertly rescued by Gillian and Brian) and so we
decided to land and camp slightly short or our intended location. Tents were
erected quickly and people were able to change into dry clothing and warm up.
Constant showers interrupted our attempts to socialise so an early night was had
by all. At last we saw some sunshine on Sunday. The wind was lighter so the sea
much calmer – but we had to head into the wind now so the paddling was harder
work. We were rewarded with spectacular views of the Torridon hills as we made
our way to Shieldaig. One final haul of all the kit and boats up to the shore,
collection and loading of the cars and, after refreshments in the hotel we were
ready for the long wet drive home.
This
was an exhilarating and challenging weekend for many of us but a great time was
had by all. Many thanks to the organisers and to the more experienced paddles
for looking after us.
Left
to right in the group photo are Colin, Naomi, Chris, Oliver, Elizabeth,
Charlotte, Peter, Gillian, Ken, Steve and Brian.
No comments:
Post a Comment