Sea Kayaking - Skye - Raasay - Rona

Trip Highlights

This wonderful sea-kayaking holiday explores the beautiful islands which are found on the east coast of the Isle of Skye, including Raasay and Rona. With spectacular views over to the Quirang on Skye to the west and the Torridon mountains on the mainland to the east, this is a stunning area to kayak in.

The islands themselves are fascinating places to visit. If the conditions are suitable, we will aim to complete a circumnavigation of Raasay and Rona by sea-kayak, which is a rewarding and memorable expedition.

Start: Inverness 1030 hours
Finish: Inverness 1600 hours

Experience required - A minimum of 4 days sea-kayaking, including recent sea-kayaking experience.

Price Details

Price

From: GBP575 per person (6 Days)

Price Includes

• Accommodation
• Guiding and instruction throughout the trip
• Sea-Kayaks hire and all associated equipment
• Most meals
• Transport during the trip

Price Excludes

• Please request a trip dossier for details of any exclusions

Itinerary

Day 1 – Welcome & begin our sea-kayaking expedition
From Inverness, we travel over to the Isle of Skye and then take the ferry from Sconser to Raasay. We will launch late afternoon and paddle to our first campsite. Which way round the islands we go depends very much on the weather and the tides. This itinerary is written based on kayaking up the east coast and back down the west. (4km - 2 hours kayaking)

Day 2 – Sea-Kayaking on Raasay’s remote east coast
Heading north, we kayak below woodlands and sandstone cliffs, passing the unusual flat-topped mountain of Dun Caan. There is no road access to the east coast and it is possible to see golden eagles in this remote and wild landscape. Porpoise and occasionally Orca are seen in the Inner Sound between Raasay and the mainland. We will camp among the ancient ruins of the township at Screapadal. (12km - 6 hours kayaking)

Day 3 – Exploring northern Raasay by kayak
From Screapadal we continue north passing increasingly rugged scenery and the remains of shielings from a bygone time. In contrast, we will be entering an area of regular submarine activity, so we may see a different kind of leviathon from the deep! We will land at a narrow inlet between the north end or Rassay and Eilean Tigh. A short walk leads to our campsite close to a bothy at An Caol. (10km - 5 hours kayaking)

Day 4 – Sea-Kayaking to the island of Rona
The wild island of Rona is made of some of the oldest rocks in the world - Lewisian Gneiss is 3000 million years old so perhaps the oldest thing you will ever see! Kayaking up the east coast of Rona, we will land, if conditions allow, to visit the Church cave. This is where the islanders used to worship before the church was built in 1912. We then continue around the north end past Rona lighthouse with good possibilities of spying common seals and otters amongst the skerries and inlets. Passing down the west coast we will camp on the south side of the sheltered harbour at Acairseid Mhor. (16km - 8 hours kayaking)

Day 5 – Sea-Kayaking back to Raasay
Paddling back we will paddle across Caol Rona passing Eilean Fladday and onto Manish point on Raasay. Just south of here is a sandstone through-cave. The west coast has a very different feel to the east, with views across to the Quirang that are equally spectacular. We will camp at Inver for our final night. (14km - 7 hours kayaking)

Day 6 – Sea-Kayaking the narrows of Raasay
Our final morning will see us paddling south through the narrows of Raasay back to the ferry point. From here, we make our way back to Inverness for the journey's end, arriving late afternoon (8km – 4 hours kayaking)

PLEASE NOTE - Wilderness Scotland highly recommends that you have a minimum of four days of sea-kayaking experience, including some instruction, before joining this trip. The ability to Eskimo roll, however, is not required - see the trip grading for further details. Please contact us if you would like to discuss your suitability for this trip.

Other Info

Accommodation Details

On our Sea-Kayaking expeditions, we camp nearby the shore in spectacular coastal locations. These may be remote and difficult to access by foot and this element adds to their appeal. In order to minimise our impact, you will be expected to share a tent with another expedition member of the same sex. If you really would prefer to have a tent of your own, we can of course arrange this, although it may involve extra load-carrying - please simply let us know in advance.

Meals and Cooking duties!

While the leader will co-ordinate and undertake as much of the cooking as possible on the trip, everyone is expected to help out as this ensures the best meals in the shortest possible time after what are often long days in the mountains.

Fine food is essential to all our trips and expeditions are no different.

Using Sea Kayaks, we are less constrained by weight and therefore have the opportunity to carry food which we would be unable to take on a walking expedition. The scope for imaginative and original meals is therefore enhanced and we will often prepare these over an open fire or using a base camp style dual fuel burner.