I’ve been planning to explore some of the wilder lochs in the Galloway Forest for a good while now and last weekend I finally got around to it. Target for the weekend was a circuit of around 20 miles, taking in between 6 and 10 hill lochs. As a bonus there was a fair bit… Continue reading Galloway Forest Trouting
Tag: Scenery
Kayak Camping on Etive
No fishing in the title, and little in reality, but I’d a superb weekend kayak camping on Etive earlier in March. Sunshine over snow capped mountains, sea ice on the lochs and perfect kayaking conditions. Fishing can happily take a back seat at times! I popped the yak in amongst the mini ice-floes surrounding Glen… Continue reading Kayak Camping on Etive
Overnighter on Etive
As any reader of my blog already knows, I’m partial to the odd overnighter on Etive. Even in February. At least there is more daylight now, even if the full drabness of winter has beaten all colour from the mountains. My hike was its usual soggy self, with a good bit of wind helping blow… Continue reading Overnighter on Etive
A Mixed Tale
Just catching up with a few mini-reports. January 2022 has been a mixed experience, with some decent fish on the west coast offsetting “nil points” on the east. Mackerel On the positive side, I picked up several mackerel on the third of January, which I think is my earliest ever. Ian and I had a… Continue reading A Mixed Tale
A Trek along Etive
My dad would describe the trek along Etive as character building. Very scenic but not easy at the best of times. Today, the mass of thick mud and boulders in front of me was even less appealing as I was laden down with more gear than usual. Up close, the damage was impressive. A huge… Continue reading A Trek along Etive
Peace and Quiet on Etive
I’m often across at Etive over the winter months, both on my boat and from the shore. Whilst the fishing is unspectacular, it is one of the most sheltered places to sea fish in a very windy country. If, like me, you enjoy scenery, solitude and the smoke of a campfire, then Etive is also… Continue reading Peace and Quiet on Etive
How (not) to Catch a Pike
I’ve toyed with doing a little pike fishing for a year or two now, mainly to get out during quiet times of the year or when the weather is too vile at the coast. I caught a few when I was a teenager but I’ve rarely fished for them since. My opportunity came at the… Continue reading How (not) to Catch a Pike
Exploring Rum, Eigg and Skye
The Small Isles – Rum & Eigg When the wind and sea allow, I like to take a longer trip in the boat. Normally I potter around doing a little fishing, a little fossicking about and quite a lot of general chilling. Generally that means somewhere up the west coast of Scotland, usually exploring one… Continue reading Exploring Rum, Eigg and Skye
Kayak Camp
I’ve been wanting to try out a kayak camp for a while now, and I finally got my act together last week. Just a short trip but with the promise of a fine evening. I didn’t actually hit the water until after 5 in the afternoon, which gave around 3 hours or so before it… Continue reading Kayak Camp
A Couple of Days on Skye
I try and keep gear to a reasonable minimum when slogging across heather and bog but I was definitely red faced and sweating as I arrived at the northern tip of Skye. Something to do with too much sun and too many thermals – not a common problem in Scotland! Ditching the rucksack staved off a… Continue reading A Couple of Days on Skye