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:
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
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 09.00 or Kyle of Lochalsh 11.30 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.
