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:
Improver
Level 2 - Improver These trips are perfect for those who have some sea kayaking experience and confidence and want to build on their existing skills, or want to experience a more challenging journey.
- You should have some prior experience and confidence in a sea kayak such as an introduction course or some sea kayak day trips in mixed conditions - this should be recent enough to influence your current confidence and skill level.
- These trips can also be suited to those with little sea kayaking experience but who have transferable knowledge and skill gained from a good level of experience in another paddlesport such as white water kayaking, paddleboarding or canoeing.
- Progressive skills and longer journeys compared to intro level trips, typically between 12 and 20 km per day (daily distances will vary depending on trip type and conditions).
Typical minimum number of days experience - 2 to 10+
Clients may have done a recent introduction type course where they gained a good amount of confidence and skill and experienced a range of conditions or may have experience based on multiple day trips or a mix of paddlesports experience from different disciplines. Or clients may have a substantial bank of experience from multiple trips and expeditions and are simply wanting to explore somewhere new or learn at their own pace.
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.
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 around 15km. 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.
