Sea Kayak Isle of Mull
5 day expedition Isle of Mull Wild camp
What to Expect A sea kayaking holiday on the Isle of Mull has a lot to offer any paddler - it is one of the richest areas for wildlife on Scotland's West coast and is well known for its population of White tailed Eagles, Otters and Dolphins, Whales and Porpoises. The Isle of Mull also offers a wonderfully varied coastline that makes for many different potential routes for a 5 day expedition - all of them exploring beautiful wild coastline.
Trip Highlights A five day kayak expedition exploring the Isle of Mull, offering improver level sea kayakers the opportinity to experience an expedition along wild coastline.
- Explore a Hebridean island by sea kayak.
- Wild camp above beaches and on remote shorelines.
- Look for Otters and White tailed Eagles along Mull's wild coastline.
- The perfect chance to build sea kayaking expedition experience and improve your skills.
Grade:
Expedition Open
Expedition Open
To join this trip -
- You need to be confident that you have the fitness to paddle a sea kayak for four hours (with breaks) each day or to paddle roughly 15km in a day (actual daily distances and paddling times will vary greatly) as well as carry kayaks to and from and the water, pack equipment and set up camp.
- You need to be confident and prepared for the physical and mental demands of an expedition - being active for a lot of the day, being out in the elements, being prepared to take on both easier and tougher sections of paddling as they may occur as part of the nature of expeditions.
- You should have some fundamental sea kayaking knowledge and skill - how to launch and land correctly, how to paddle forwards effectively, how to steer and control the kayak in some wind and waves, what to do if you capsise.
- You should have knowledge and awareness of how to dress for sea kayaking and the outdoors and be able to look after yourself out in the elements.
- You don't necessarily need to have lots of experience to gain the above confidence and skill but sea kayaking should not be new to you (if it is then take a look at our courses).
- You don’t need to have wild camping experience but general experience of camping will help you know this is the right trip for you.
Expeditions are always potentially more challenging than a guided day trip or day trips based course depending on the conditions.
Typical minimum number of days experience - 1 to 10+
How an individual client reaches the above experience fitness/knowledge and skill will vary greatly.
- You may have recently completed at least a day paddling a sea kayak for several hours and finished the day very confident and have plenty of other outdoor sports experience and fitness to draw on in order to know that an expedition is the right trip for you.
- You may have done a recent introduction type course where you gained confidence and skill and experienced a range of conditions or you may have experience based on multiple day trips in a range of conditions.
- You may have a substantial bank of experience from multiple trips and expeditions and are simply wanting to explore somewhere new or learn at your own pace.
- You may have little sea kayaking experience but have transferable knowledge and skill gained from a good level of experience in another paddlesport such as white water kayaking, paddleboarding or canoeing.
Dates and Prices
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Day 1 - Arrive on the Isle of Mull
We'll meet in Oban (see the info section below) and take the short ferry journey over to the Isle of Mull. The perfect opportunity to meet your guide and the rest of the group and enjoy the views over the Sound of Mull - building anticipation for exploring these waters by sea kayak.
There are lots of options for our expedition and we'll choose somwehere to launch that suits the conditions that are forecast - in case of stronger winds there are more sheltered areas to explore.
Day 2 & 3 - Exploring Loch Na Keal and Ardmeanach
Mull's Western coastline is dominated by two large sea Lochs and the headland of Ardmeanach. We'll explore this area over the first few days of our expedition, finding quiet and wild places to pitch our tents. We'll keep an eye out for Eagles - there are more than 18 breeding pairs of White Tailed Eagles on the island and we'll be unlucky not to see at least one during our 5 days on the island.
The islands of Ulva and Gometra also offer us the opportunity for more exploring and in good conditions we may choose to paddle out and camp on one of the islands.
Day 4 & 5 - Exploring the Ross of Mull
To the Southwest lie the islands of Iona and Erraid and the long peninsula of the Ross of Mull. This area is well known for its mixture of pink granite and white sand beaches which, when combined with the areas above average rate of sunshine, can make for a tropical looking paradise! It's perfect coastline for exploring by sea kayak - white sand to land on, lots of small islands to navigate around and a winding coastline that doesn't reveal its secrets until the last minute - its an absolute joy to paddle here. We'll take our time exploring the area, fitting in a paddle around the island of Iona if we get good condtions and by the time we come to take the ferry back to Oban we'll have enjoyed 5 varied days of sea kayaking and have some wonderful memories to take home.
Accomodation For this trip we will be wild camping.
Food Includes Breakfast and evening meals. Evening meal on day 1 to breakfast on day 5. You'll need to bring snacks and lunch. It is also possible to self cater if you prefer.
Ferries Ferries, Oban to Craignure 12.15 on day 1. Return ferry Craignure to Oban 13.35 on day 5. **Please bear in mind that ferry services are beyond our control and Calmac have in the past made changes to their timetable at short notice. Please allow some flexibility in your travel schedule in case the ferry times change. Our full policy on this is in our terms and conditions**.
Start and Finish Meet at Oban on day 1 - Lochavulin car park at 10.30 or at the ferry terminal at 11.15, or alternatively we can meet you on Mull on day 1. Trip finishes in Oban at approx 14.30 on day 5.
Equipment Our expedition kit list applies to this trip. All specialist kayaking equipment and camping equipment can be provided (with the exception of sleeping bags). The only hire charge is £25 to rent a tent for the trip (MSR Elixir 2), everything else is included in the fee.
Trip Grade This is an expedition style trip, we will paddle variable distances each day depending on conditions but these could include days of anywhere between 8km and 25km, most commonly around 15km per day. Mull offers a mix of sheltered areas of water and more exposed headlands. We'll choose the exact route based on the forecasted conditions, aiming to make the most of the area. Please bear in mind this is not an introduction to sea kayaking trip and you should already have some sea kayaking experience and confidence.
Location
Frequently Asked Questions
Individuals, couples or small groups of friends. Expeditions are only open to over 18's.
Yes - a lot of learning about sea kayaking comes from experience and is best done as individuals on the move and in context. We won't spend time on long instructional briefings or static group skills practice during an expedition but will give you hints and tips on the journey to make it easier for you and suggest improvements to your technique as we go along. We'll help you develop your knowledge and sea kayak handling skill throughout the trip but also allow plenty of time simply to enjoy the journey and the experience of sea kayaking.
The weather on the West coast of Scotland can vary through the course of the season and from area to area - Scottish islands and coastline can see dramatically better weather and more sunshine than more mountainous areas on the West coast. The wind speed and sea state are the primary factors that affect the trip - if the conditions are difficult then we will seek out a more sheltered section of coast to run the trip. You should note that it is very rare that we have to stay off the water on multi-day trips and the vast majority of trips run as planned. For full terms and conditions see the link below. You can read more about the weather/cancellation/booking on our FAQ page.
A 25% deposit is required at the time of booking, the balance is due 11 weeks prior to the trip, for cancellation policy please see our full terms and conditions.
We have a much larger FAQ page that covers all aspects of sea kayak trips with us.
