UKC

How long does it take to paddle from Mallaig to Rhum in decent conditions?
I'm keen to do this. I have nil kayaking experience. Any advice on timings and kit. Looking at mid July for a crossing.

In reply to Dave the Rave:

My advice is that a 17 mile sea crossing is not the best place for beginning kayakers.

If you a serious then get some experience and a sea kayak coach.

In reply to marsbar:

To be honest, I'm not going to do it, but was interested in a newspaper article about a kayaker who's been found on a Rhum beach having set off from Arisaig in an inflatable canoe in January. Unfortunately he perished. I'm not into the macabre, but I would like to hope he achieved his goal. I can understand someone thinking they could get to Eigg as it seems touchable although having crossed in a boat,that stretch of water is wild.
If he hadn't got to Rhum in his boat, wouldn't he have drifted up to Skye?

In reply to Dave the Rave:

I don't know the area well enough to say.

Sea kayaking is amazing, but in the UK the tides are complicated and the weather changeable. Its not something to be undertaken lightly or without knowledge. Lyme bay springs to mind.

In reply to Dave the Rave:

Glad to hear that. I mean, you probably could do it, but you'd need to pack a *lot* of coaching and practice in to the next few months.

I have a copy of the Scottish "50 Great Sea Kayak Voyages" book here.
All the described journeys around that area look fantastic, btw, I'm hoping to tick some of the easier ones this year. (I don't have much kayaking experience but I'm working on it - off to Anglesey this afternoon to do a 5-day course with Phil Clegg. Woo, exciting! :O)

One of the voyages described is a three-day trip from Arisaig out to Eigg, around the islands of Eigg and Muck and back to Arisaig again. It gives 6-7 hours for day 1, which heads out from Arisaig over to Kildonnan for a quick leg-stretch and then anti-clockwise around Eigg as far as Camas Sgiotaig.

That's assuming a competent paddler in a proper sea kayak, not in a particular hurry and doing a bit of sight-seeing but also being a bit canny about the timing with the tides.

If you really want to know, you could try a post on UKRGB.

In reply to deepsoup:

Very good. Well jel.
It's an ambition but not in the next 5 years. Will do a taster session first.
Thanks

In reply to Dave the Rave:

A day trip just around Arisaig would be a good taster session. On a sunny day having lunch on one of the island beaches before waiting for the tide to float off is superb.
As per the other comments though I would suggest a lot more than just a taster session before trying the full trip.

In reply to KevinD:

Might book one. Do you know any day guides?

Yeah I meant a taster PRIOR to fully preparing for a guided trip.

In reply to Dave the Rave:
Not sure about Mallaig, but you could aim to paddle to Soay from Glenbrittle, and set off from there. 2 hours? If conditions were good, easy, if a bit of a wind got up, it would get scary quite quickly. The best bits of sea kayaking can be exploring a coastline in detail. The open crossings done if you have to. Ulva and Gometra off Mull would be a good starting point.

Someone told me sea kayaking was a bit like cricket, boring and dangerous. I think he meant the open crossings when he said that.

In reply to Phil1919:

Just booked my first sea kayaking day trip in Arisaig for later in the year. Can't wait to paddle around the skerries!

In reply to Dave the Rave:

Thats where its at! Go slow, take it all in. Expect the worst weather, hope for the best.

In reply to Phil1919:

I' be done it a long time ago, if I remember rightly it took about 4 or 5 hours to Egg and a couple of hours more from Egg. We camped on Egg and went on to Rhum the next day. This was my first multi day sea kayak trip but wouldn't recommend it for beginners.

In reply to Dave the Rave:

Rum not Rhum chaps!