SV Contour: Further explorations of Loch Moidart and the Small Isles

With Hektor joining us for the Half Term period, and other friends joining us for bits of the forthcoming month, we made the most of the time to explore more of a very varied area. Having been struck by the beauty and wildness of Loch Moidart, our first sail was a gentle, sun-lit reach South to tackle again this tricky entrance and find a secluded anchorage as a base from which to explore.

Hektor enjoying the sunshine and a Terry Pratchett audiobook

After a comfortable sail, the entrance was made less than comfortable by residual swell left over from a week of howling South Westerlies. Once tucked in, however, calm reasserted and we motored sedately up towards an anchorage off Tioram castle.

Anchorage in Loch Moidart

Tioram Castle Loch Moidart

Anchoring in the early evening, we took the dinghy ashore to explore the castle and surrounding area. The castle sits imposing on a large rocky outcrop, and must have presented a formidable obstacle to any siege. Unfortunately not open to explore, Tioram was a stronghold of Clanranald until it was burned by Allan, the 14th chief of Clanranald in the run up to the Jacobite rising in 1715. As evening fell, our return to Contour was made more entertaining by a strong onshore breeze making re-launching the dingy a somewhat damp affair heading straight into a sharp chop. Cue slightly frantic paddling by Hazel with Marcus standing precariously in the dinghy to keep clear of the flailing paddles - entertaining to watch no doubt!

Hektor took it upon himself to 'improve' the colour settings prior to this being taken (the Bath House at Tioram)

The following day we set off early to walk inland along the loch following the picturesque 'Silver Path'. An amazingly varied route cut from the face of the cliff in places, elsewhere traversing low bays and green dales dotted with cleared crofts and ancient field systems. It was whilst we walked along the upper shallow reaches of the loch that Hazel spotted a large otter leave the water to casually trot across the mud to its holt, hidden amongst the rocks and woodland. Whilst too far away (and too brief) to enable any sort of photo, this was cause for some celebration as Contour's cruises so far have been lamentably short of otter-spotting, despite much looking!

The Silver Path, Loch Moidart

Magical walk towards Ardmolich along the edge of the upper reaches of Loch Moidart

With several kilometers under our belt, and having slightly underestimated the distance and snack requirement, we were happy to return to Contour, with mutiny only narrowly avoided when Hazel proposed another 'short diversion'....

Tioram Castle in the early morning sun

The Diary then pulled us back into Arisaig, to collect Ella from the station for the start of her week sailing with us. Hektor was very noble and surrendered his large double cabin (and nest of duvets, pillows and blankets) in favour of the pilot berth with no fuss. We set off for the anchorage of Galmisdale on Eigg, where plans included an ascent of An Sgurr, an impressive lump of volcanic rock. Vertical on three sides, but with a sensible climb on the fourth, An Sgurr was formed when a volcanic eruption filled a valley with lava. In the subsequent millennia the valley sides eroded away to leave the 'plug' behind. This unlikely explanation becomes clearly evident when one sails through the Sound of Eigg to see this dramatic mountain in profile. The views from the top were terrific, and we ambled happily back down to check the quality of the cakes at the new (and very smart) cafe in Galmisdale.

Preparing for an ascent of An Sgurr

Volcanic rock formations on the path up with the island of Muck in the background

Enjoying the views from the summit of An Sgurr

Relaxing in the evening sun after a long walk

The weather continued to behave, and so the following day saw us hire bikes to cross the island and explore the picturesque North West shore around Cleasdale, known for yet more spectacular geological phenomena and the 'singing sands', a stunning beach made up from quartz which, when dry, squeaks when moved.

Interesting geology at Singing Sands Beach

The ride out was quite tough - long steep hills on a hot day, however it was all worthwhile when we arrived at the beach, with sunshine, turquoise water, and views over to Rum. Hektor and Hazel had an exciting time exploring the coastline and geology. Whilst now extremely confident and very capable climbing up anything rocky, Hektor was decidedly less keen on wading knee deep through seaweed - Hazel may not be allowed to choose the route in future.....

Exploring the caves

Enjoying rock-based adventures

Mountains of Rum in the background

Turns out Hektor really, really doesn't like wading through seaweed...

Sadly half-term was running short; Hektor and Marcus had another appointment with a sleeper train to head South. With regret we left Eigg and headed towards the mainland to explore Doire na Drise, an isolated bay on the Southern side of the Arisaig peninsular.

'Refreshing'

Exploring was enjoyed, and Hazel braved the waters for her first swim of the trip (Hektor got his own back for the seaweed incident by pushing her in). In still, sunlit conditions it was also ideal drone-photography weather, and we enjoyed spectacular views until, for reasons which remain obscure, the machine descended rapidly from 8 metres to - well - 0 meters and confirmed it's lack of ability to float! (Amazingly, when DJI, the manufacturer, downloaded the flight data from the controller they agreed to replace it free of charge as they were able to confirm it was a technical failure and not Marcus' erratic flying).

Dinghy taxi service

At anchor in Doire na Drise

Doire na Drise

Drone flying - just prior to an unrecoverable drone/water interface situation (mechanical not pilot error!)

Lunch best eaten in the dinghy

Marcus and Hektor disappeared South leaving Hazel and Ella to continue the exploration of the cruising around Arisaig, as the spell of warm, gentle weather continued to lull us into a false sense of security!

(Hazel's bit) Having never taken the boat out without Marcus on board before, it was with a certain degree of trepidation that Ella and I headed out through the Arisaig channel. It is undoubtedly a sign of how far things have come over the past couple of months that this was possible. The first time I stood behind the wheel of Contour around 18 months ago, with the huge deck (relative to our 30ft Sea Dog 'Black Dog') stretching out in front of me, it seemed impossible to imagine that I would ever have the confidence to manoeuvre her anywhere! We motored out and headed towards the Borrodale Islands where we had identified a remote anchorage in Garbh-eilean Bay near a bothy. The wind picked up enough for a short sail and, other than a lot of anchor alarm related faffing (it's always the electronics!), we were tucked up in the bay in time to enjoy an incredible sunset. The sun continued to shine and dinghy explorations of the surrounding area led us to some stunning places - Borrodale beach below Arisaig House was particularly lovely, though we failed miserably to find Prince Charlie's Cave.

With the wind briefly and unexpectedly changing direction, threatening to blow us onto the rocks if the anchor dragged, we considered moving to a different anchorage (a concern not helped by my inability to set an accurate anchor alarm!). Luckily we held our nerve and even enjoyed a swim in the improbably clear water, followed by a peaceful evening onboard watching people from the bothy catch fish in the late sun. The next day we returned to Arisaig - across mirror like water with not a breath of wind. I successfully drove Contour alongside the rather short jetty to fill up with water and Ella drove us onto a mooring buoy (a slightly different experience to the fast and manoeuvrable RNLI boats she is used to driving). We were back with no bumps, scrapes or ropes around the propeller and a working engine so overall a very successful excursion. It was then time to tidy and head ashore to buy provisions and eat cake while waiting for the arrival of Claire from Skye and Marcus from Bristol.