Sea Kayak - Isle of Skye
5 Day Expedition Isle of Skye Wild camp
What to Expect The Isle of Skye really needs no introduction - look at a map of the West coast and the jagged fingers of the Isle of Skye stand out a mile - it just looks so inviting to explore with a sea kayak! Skye has some amazing coastline but is open to the wind from multiple directions - on this trip we'll take a very flexible approach and aim to explore the areas of the island or adjacent coastline that suit the conditions best - paddling either a continuous 5 day expedition or splitting the trip and exploring two different areas.
Trip Highlights A 5 day kayak expedition exploring remote sea Lochs and wild coastline on the Isle of Skye, the perfect journey if you have some sea kayak experience and are wanting to develop your skill and experience.
- Journey in Loch Bracadale - home to towering sea stacks, sea caves and remote uninhabited islands.
- Watch the sun go down from our wild camp on an uninhabited island.
- Look for White Tailed Eagles taking off from the cliffs above.
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
Scroll down or click to see the trip story or the detailed trip information
Day 1 - Arrive on the Isle of Skye
We'll meet in Inverness (or we can meet you near the Skye bridge) and journey to the Isle of Skye. Once over the sea at Kyleakin we'll have full freedom to explore the islands coastline. We'll take a flexible approach and choose an area to explore that works well with the forecasted conditions. This may involve splitting the trip into two mini expeditions in different areas or a continuous five day journey. We may also explore coastline adjacent to Skye - Plockton, the Inner and Northern Knoydart are all excellent options as well.
Day 2 & 3 - Explore Wild Sea Lochs
We may explore Loch Bracadale on this trip - this wild sea Loch, located on the West of the Isle of Skye, is known for its stunning coastline and uninhabited islands. In calm conditions we may paddle out to Macleod's Maidens - the specatcular and imposing sea stacks in the video below. The Loch's coastline is also dotted with rocky headlands, sandy beaches, cliffs and caves and just invites exploration by sea kayak.
Day 4 & 5 - The Misty Isle
The Isle of Skye is well known for its weather and we'll see clouds, rain and sun all comne and go during the expedition. This changeable nature gives so much charachter to the island - revealing winding coastline between passing rain showers, highlighting the peaks of the Cuillin in bright light before engulfing them in cloud again, and always building a sense of drama and intrigue to the landscape of the island. The varied nature of the landscape combined with the changeable weather makes the experience of paddling here so packed with interest that we'll be absorbed for days - just immersed in the process of knowing the landscape from a sea kayak.
Accommodation 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.
Start and Finish Meet at Inverness 09.30 or Kyle of Lochalsh ~11.45 on the first day of the trip. Finish at Kyle of Lochalsh approx 14.00 or Inverness 16.00 on the last day of the trip.
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.
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.
