Sea Kayak the Sound of Arisaig
3 day expedition Sound of Arisaig Wild camp
What to Expect The sound of Arisaig offers a wonderful area to explore by sea kayak, one of the best sections of coastline for a sea kayaking holiday on the West coast of Scotland. On this trip we will aim to explore as much of the Sound of Arisaig as possible - packing all the gear we need for a sea kayak expedition. You'll emerge from the expedition with a tale of adventure to tell and the epic photos to prove it.
Trip Highlights A three day kayak expedition exploring the Sound of Arisaig - a winding coastline of hidden sea lochs, sandy bays and exposed headlands.
- Immerse yourself in a wild place on a self sufficient journey.
- Wild camp above beaches and on remote shorelines.
- Look for Seals and Otters in the Sound of Arisaig.
- 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
Scroll down or click to see the trip story or the detailed trip information
*The Sound of Silence - The first few moments of an expedition are always a bit hectic - those last minute flashes of worry as you realise you may have forgotten something. Those awkward few minutes when you pack the kayak for the first time and wonder whether it will all fit. Those first few strokes out from shore, the paddle feeling strange and unwieldy.
Minutes later, and you find yourself a few hundred metres down the coast and still - it really strikes you - that sound of silence as the kayak glides and your world, that last week you were fighting to keep right is suddenly lost, replaced by the thought of future coastline, camp fires and good meals, effort and satisfaction. The start of an expedition.
Day One *The Sound of Silence
| Meet - Banavie
| Sea kayak journey
| Stay - Wild camp
*Hidden Beaches - There is a hidden beach, not marked on the maps, covered by the tide at high water but exposed at low tide to reveal a long strip of white sand.
All afternoon bands of rain and sun had passed over the Sea Loch; hood up, hood down as we paddled through the channels between the islands. The small waves pushed us further into the Loch, the group finding a rhythm in the paddling, occasionally bringing each others attention to the way the sky was changing or the unique alignment of mountains and islands as we moved further from the open water.
The sea changed; the waves flattened out, the wind died and the light shone brighter. Turning a small headland in the Loch we found the hidden beach, its white sand inviting us over to land and explore.
Day Two *Hidden Beaches
| Explore by sea kayak
| Stay - Wild camp
*Feeling at Home - One of the joys of an expedition is that feeling of being out there - immersed in a different world. At first it may feel strange and those urges to reach for your phone are hard to repress.
Slowly we get accustomed to our place on this coastline, we sink in to the rhythms that place us in touch with the landscape - watching the tide, learning from the wind direction and strength, finding folds and gaps in the coastline and weaving a line that is far from the straightest or easiest. As we spend more time on expedition we start to feel these rhythms as natural - we are meant to know them, to feel them and to work with them, and we start to feel at home, like we were always meant to live at this pace. Of course, eventually, we need to return to the speed of our daily lives - we need to leave those slower rhythms behind.
What we have gained is a new context, a new layer of meaning and connection to bring back to the everyday - and that is a thing to be treasured.
Day Three *Feeling at Home
| Explore by sea kayak
| Stay - Wild camp
| Trip ends - Banavie
Accommodation For this trip we will be wild camping.
Food Includes Breakfast and evening meals. Evening meal on day 1 to breakfast on day 3. You'll need to bring snacks and lunch.
Start and Finish Meet at Banavie locks car park at 09.30 on day one of the trip. Trip finishes at Banavie at 16.00 at the latest 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 £15 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. The Sound of Arisaig 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. This expedition is usually quite progressive as we are able to start easy and gradually increase the level of challenge, therefore it is suitable for those who wish to build experience or who may benefit from more coaching and guidance at the start of the trip. 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. Our expeditions are only suitable for 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.
