Friday night (10/07/07) saw most of group invited to share some excellent hospitality with Joan,a paddler who came on our trip and lives near Carsaig Bay. The rest of the group caught up on Saturday morning. We set off  from Carsaig Bay , just outside Tayviallich and although it drizzly, the wind and sea conditions were fine. After a damp lunch stop,we crossed to the farthest Maccormaig isle- the  one with St. Cormac's chapel on it. This was a very interesting place to camp- we  explored the chapel and  monk's cave  and searched for otters and Soay sheep. In the morning we paddled around this island and headed back to Loch Sween in the sunshine. We ended the trip with a visit to the fairy isles ,which were really lovely.We got to see otters, Auks, Soay sheep( on land!) and an Osprey .I think we saw a whale but you will need to take my word for it.

Alison McLachlan, 20/08/07

Today Harvey, Euan, Kenny, Lewis, George and I went for a paddle on the River Doon.  Although the morning sky didn't look all that promising by the time we were on the water the sun was shining through.  We all met in the overflow car park behind The Riverside Inn, and while Kenny and I tried not to spook the horses in a field getting the boats down to the river, everyone else drove to the get out to and shuttled back. 

The Doon was really full and the water was flowing freely and fairly fast with plenty of places to play. Everyone was in and playing in the surf, testing their metal on some impressive waves and practising manoeuvres.
 
In between the sections of rapids a friendly game of kayaking water polo was played after Euan had found a old leather football in amongst one of the trees.

 After paddling nearly halfway and feeling a little warm I decided the best way to cool off was go for a swim and get caught in a tree.  Not something I'd recommend to others however it did enable Harvey to come to my rescue with a bit of throw line practise. 

After getting onto the river bank we realised it was actually a perfect spot to break for lunch and after some tea, cake and sandwiches we all felt suitably refreshed. Just before reaching what we knew to be a weir that is normally only 'paddlable' by heading down the central salmon shoot, we all got out and inspected what was an impressive section of water that looked like a fun slide at a water park.  After much deliberation, (including using another football that Euan had somehow managed to find on the way down the river to use as a test dummy on the imminent stretch) we all ran the
roller coaster and loved every minute of it.

The trip today was a journey down the River Ayr. Jim , Lorna and myself, took an open boat , so did Euan, and Harvey, Duncan, Kenny, Alex, Alistair, Sarah and George ventured out in a variety of river boats. After parking at Auchincruive College car park we shuttled everyone to the entry point and set off.

The weather was really warm and sunny which made falling in much more pleasant! The river Ayr is a great place to practice river strokes and turning, rescues etc. which we did at various points on the river. The coaching throughout the journey was much appreciated.

We stopped for lunch at a really nice place though Karen, Jessica and Richard, who had been walking along the bank, were attacked by a swarm of wasps, so after trying to help de-sting them we set off again in case more bugs appeared.

Open boats are very civilised- and depending on who you are paddling with, tea, toffee hot chocolate and sandwiches are available on board.  We weren't rushing down and had time to muck about in all the bobbly bits of water and enjoy the scenery.

All in all , I thought it was a magic day and hope we can organise another trip on the Ayr or similar.

Alison McLachlan, 08/07/07

With the weather forecast predicting wind, wind and more wind for the weekend we decided to go to Loch Sween for a change of scenery and some shelter. 

Myself, Euan, Ann and Jordan all met outside Jim’s house at 08:30 am where we loaded the boats onto the trailer. Picking Kenny up on the way as we all headed for Tayvallich.

On arrival we decided to use a lay by immediately before Tayvallich due to the ease of parking. The weather was fantastic and with no wind the sun was out. Was the predicted forecast wrong?

The initial plan was to paddle to the island of Danna and depending on conditions we would try to reach the Macormaig Isles. 

As it was 12:15 a.m. when we set off we decided that we would stop at Linne Mhuirich for lunch. Linne Mhuirich held a particular interest for myself as I was aware that it was home to an interesting range of marine fauna and creatures. As a designated SSI area it is used to help monitor climate change. 

As we enter Linne Mhuirich the sea floor was a dark moving blanket of brittle stars with the occasional sea urchin for colour.

 After lunch we then went out into the main loch to paddle towards the Island of Danna however we now found ourselves paddling straight into the wind.  

To escape the wind and with high tide approaching we made use of a sheltered passage which I believed would allow us to get to the other side of Danna by going under a small bridge.  

 

 

The wind had now subsided and the sun was back. Given the weather conditions we then decided to make our way to the Macormaig Isles. The Macormaig Isles (see below) are  situated at the mouth of Loch Sween and offer fantastic views of Jura and the surrounding area.

 

Following a short break on one of the isles we then made our way back up Loch Sween contented as the sun started to go down in the background.

 

 

 

We finally arrived at the take out having covered approximate 30 km. It was now 22:15 pm and the next important task was to find a chip shop!. The actual journey is depicted in above and more pictures can be found under the image gallery.