I could have titled this post in any number of ways, but Loch Etive is really just food for the soul. A couple of days of splendid isolation surrounded by woods, mountains and the sea, with a few fish chucked in for free. This overnighter was back towards the end of October, so this report is really just catching up on my YouTube channel.
I dropped my kayak into the flooding tide at the head of the loch in calm but drizzly conditions. Loaded up with camping gear, fishing rods and other essentials I eased out into the water and began paddling.
A little later and the loch was transformed as sunshine replaced the rain. One thing I really love about kayaking is the quiet it offers. On a calm day like this, the silence is total. No traffic, no waves, not even a bird.
Hitting the spot…
I pottered my way down Etive, alternating paddling with a some gliding along just to enjoy the autumn colours. Eventually I reached the bay I planned to camp at, and pulled ashore.
A little humming and hawing later, I elected for a site on the stony beach rather than my usual comfy spot amongst the trees. Closer contact with the fish is a good reason – but so is avoiding a constant rain of acorns all night long…
Being the dedicated, keenbean angler that I am, I cast out and got baits in the water before actually sorting out my camp.
Only to be rewarded with the usual tiddler spurries. No great surprise!
Although the shoreline here is pretty flat, it does shelve down quite steeply beyond the weedy fringes. Even a crap caster like me easily hits 80-100 feet of water.
Coffee in hand, I settled back in my lightweight camping chair (hence the lazy in the title!). The autumn sunshine was warm and I was nicely out of the occasional gusts blowing up the loch. I was definitely not complaining!
As the afternoon sun escaped over the hills to the west it took the warmth with it. Hardly arctic conditions but things became noticeably chillier!
As the light faded and my tummy rumbled, I took the hint and got a cooking fire going.
Sausages, steak and potatoes tonight, washed down with whisky fortified hot chocolate. Cold nights have their perks!
As night closed in properly the skies cleared and the stars came out. I treated myself to the tent stove and basked in some warmth before hitting the sack.
Frosty start
Next morning I unzipped the tent to view a fine, frosty, start to the day. Dutifully lobbing a bait out before starting breakfast, I was immediately rewarded with more tiddler spurries.
By now it was high time for a coffee, so I set up my stove again for a brew. Followed by a brace of bacon rolls – just to keep up morale on a chilly morning 🙂
There were plenty of bites when I actually paid attention to my rods, but the results were pretty small stuff.
Snow had fallen on the hills overnight, a reminder that winter is not far away.
A few more coffees and a few more fish followed during the morning. It was lovely, sunny weather and I had this magnificent place all to myself!
All good things come to an end of course, and I packed up around lunchtime for the paddle back. Squeezing my wobbly bits back into kayak gear is never easy but I was soon back afloat.
As forecast, the wind picked up considerably as I ran up the loch – it’s rarely peaceful for too long! Still, I could hardly complain, having had a really fabulous trip.
