Mark Agnew
The calm waters reflected the clouds in the Sound of Mull.
A lifetime is not enough for kayaking in Scotland
Kayaking around Mull is an epic adventure, often overlooked for more famous kayaking locations in Scotland. Last year, a friend and I paddled around the famous Island and it blew us away.
In fact, it was not even the plan. We had a more ambitious route, around the West of Mull, then over to the Small Isles and on to Skye. We even had a vague notion of crossing the Minch to the Outer Hebrides. We'd pencilled in almost a month for our epic voyage.
On day one, we cast of from Oban and crossed to Mull. We stopped and camped at the first beach we saw. The relaxed day allowed us to leave society behind and switch our focus to the task ahead.
Casting off is always a relaxing feeling. There is a lot of hard work to come, but it is simple. The stress of organising is behind me, and now all there is to do is paddle and enjoy the landscape.
The first camp site allowed us to switch off from modern life and focus on the trip ahead.
On day two, we headed West along the South coast of Mull. It far surpassed our expectations. Huge towering sea cliffs loomed over us, and the distant islands of Jura and Colonsay dotted the horizon to our left.
With so many Islands to visit on our journey, I'd not contemplated Mull much. It was just the starting point. So, to experience these scenes took me by surprised and made me even more excited for the days ahead.
We camped on another secluded beach on night two.
After a day of kayaking passed sea cliffs, we settled in a secluded cove.
Day three started as the other two - beautiful calm weather. We passed turquoise seas and white beaches to our right. It made me a little frustrated we had not pushed on for a kilometre or two the night before, and camped on one of these stunners.
Three days of none-stop breath taking beauty began to make me re-consider the plan ahead.
Skye is by far the most famous Scottish Isle. It's fame casts a long shadow over the rest of the region. So, the likes of Mull remain in the dark. Perhaps we were jumping the gun by planning to continue on to the Small Isles so quickly.
By the time we set up camp on night three, we decided to kayak around Mull and scrap our initial route.
We paddled on and turned North, passing between Mull and Iona. We could see its famous abbey on its shores.
We camped that night on the Ross of Mull, a long finger like headland that points out West. The views to the North were epic. We could see the next day's route stretching out before us.
We decided to scrap our original route and just keep going around Mull.
Day four was our first day without clear skies. A strong headwind made the going tough and the seas choppy. A relatively easy crossing to the sea cliffs turned into a long slog that never seemed to end. When we finally crossed, we were in the shelter of the cliffs and the contrast was a relief.
The cliffs made us feel tiny. We could spot deer bounding around some of the grassy bits and birds soaring high above. I darted in and out of some caves, enjoying the immersion in nature that a nimble kayak offers.
Read More: Why I rowed for 12 hours non-stop
We targeted a rocky inlet as a place to land and have some instant noodles. There was a mammoth waterfall cascading down into the inlet. Despite the waterfall's size, it remained hidden until the last second as we pulled up on the shore.
This is the gift of sea kayaking. There was no way to access this waterfall except by sea, and anything bigger or faster, and you would have missed it.
We pushed on to the Island of Ulva and camped. Just as we had stared out at our route the night before, now we could stare back at the route we had completed.
We were satisfied with our full bellies, thanks to Expedition Foods, who had provided us with meals. And sent photos back to our families, as we could charge our phones thanks to our battery pack and solar panel provided by Voltaic Systems.
Day five, we pushed on to Calgary Bay. The tides were against us and even when we could see Calgary Beach, it never seemed to get closer. When we finally stopped there, we rested and waited for the tides to change before heading on around the headland and turned East, to continue around Mull.
Calgary Bay was a welcome break before pushing on around the headland.
That night, we have a view of the Small Isles. Although I was happy we had decided to continue round Mull, the Small Isles held a pull over me. They were bathed in the purple evening sunlight and I promised to return and kayak out to them one day.
Day six was short - we paddled 15km to Tobermory and spotting some dolphins or porpoises on the way. It was the third and final test of the British and Irish Lions vs South Africa so we stopped in a pub and booked into a hotel. A shower and a few well earned pints lifted our spirits, even if the result did not (the Lions lost!).
We had a lazy start and did not cover much ground on Day Seven. We went a little way up the Sound of Mull and set up camp. We expected little from this camp and yet it surprised us again. The sunset produced a texture over the landscape that felt wild and ancient.
Read More: What is a Scottish Munro?
We had pencilled in 25 days of kayaking and were almost around Mull in just seven. We didn't want to go round again and weren't sure what to do.
As we paddled on day eight we decided to turn left up Loch Linnhe towards Fort William. The tide propelled us along at a steady rate. The calm seas reflected large white clouds overhead. A huge sea eagle passed right over our heads. We could see it coming from far off and stopped paddling in anticipation, so we could view it in all its glory.
We were treated to another epic camping spot.
A stunning camping spot as we head up Loch Linnhe.
On day nine, we followed the coast line and then crossed to camp on a small island on the other side of Loch Linnhe.
Even with all our days etched into our calendar for our voyage, we felt satisfied that we had achieved all we wanted to achieve. There was no particular goal for this trip. We did not have a destination in mind. The goal was less tangible - to immerse ourselves in Scotland and see the world from a new perspective.
With both of these ticked off, we decided to paddle on to Loch Leven, have one more night of camping and then head home.
Crossing Loch Linnhe for our next camp site.
The following day, day 10, we paddled on. As we tried to enter Loch Leven, we were rebuffed by the tides. So we pulled up and waited. It began to pour and pour and pour. We had been amazingly lucky with the weather so far so it was not much to complain about. If it had been mid-trip, it would have been fine. But with the finish in mind, there was no worth in a wet night for the sake of it.
We pulled out our phones and found a nearby hotel. We paddled over to it, hauled our kayaks to the entrance and settled in for some well earned pints.
Our final camp sight, treated to wonderful colours on the hilltops.
This had been a far different adventure to the ones I'd planned previously. Up until now, I always had a very specific goal, sometimes even a world record or world first in mind.
It felt liberating to have no goal whatsoever. Just enjoying being out in nature and enjoying the comradery of our shared effort was reward enough.
However, I cannot get out of my head the view of the Small Isles. The allure of them, covered in the evening light, standing alone between Skye and our campsite. They looked wild, even compared to the wilderness we had occupied.
I still feel drawn to them and am yet to go back. Their draw and the trip around Mull have left me with the understanding the there is a lifetime of adventure on the West Coast of Scotland. I had planned cover many islands in one trip - but even if you had all the time in the world, you could never truly cover them all.