It was a major ‘tick’ on the remaining ‘to do’ list. The weather window appeared last week and my friends Karen and Andy had a couple of days off as did I. So we went for it and the Cape certainly didn’t disappoint and gave us two challenging days of paddling.
We launched from Balnakeil Bay near Durness after breakfast in the Kinlochbervie Hotel and leaving my van at the harbour. Once afloat the promised sunshine didn’t appear and sea conditions quickly became sloppy in the Force 3 winds.
Garvie Island rapidly appeared off our bows and this island’s sole purpose is for the Royal Air Force drop live 1000 pound bombs onto it and the Royal Navy to pound it with it’s cannons. Nothing appears to live on the island and it’s slowing being pummelled into oblivion. Just as well it’s made from Lewisian Gneiss, a very hardwearing rock otherwise it would have disappeared years ago.
The cliffs of Clo Mor at almost 200 metres high were certainly a sight to behold along with the thousands of sea birds scattered across them in nooks and crannies. Stack Clo Kearvaig marked the end of the cliffs and the delightful sands of Kearvaig bay beckoned us. However the surf was rolling onto the beach so we opted for a sandy cove with a different aspect and no surf!
Once fuelled up we launched and quickly arrived at the Cape itself. Mentally this is a ‘big place’ as there isn’t any escape routes and it’s extremely exposed; with up to 5 knots of tide running off the Cape and omi-present swell from the Atlantic or Arctic Oceans. The next stop from the Cape is either Iceland, Greenland or Nova Scotia.
The section of cliffs running South from the Lighthouse whilst not as high as the Clo Mor cliffs challenged us with heinous down-drafts which cuased a few issues at times.
Sandwood bay was like an oasis for us after 15km of dealing with gusty Force 4 -5 down-drafts. Just the small matter of a surf landing to contend with. We did all end up on the beach some more damp than others. After a dragging session up into the dunes we found a grassy campsite, called the coastguard to let them know we were safe and tucked into our long awaited meals.
Part 2 of this blog entry tomorrow!
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