Sea Kayak North West
5 day expedition North West Highlands Wild camp
What to Expect Our journey will begin near Kylesku on the North West coast. We can journey in multiple directions depending on the conditions, exploring a mix of sheltered sea Lochs and more exposed coastline. There are some stunning sections of coastline all within a couple of days paddle - the point of Stoer with its lighthouse and famous sea stack, Oldany island with its sheltered sandy lagoons and Handa island with its towering sandstone cliffs. This journey presents a real chance to explore some very wild coastline and to gain some experience in more challenging seas.
Trip Highlights An expedition aiming to explore a spectacular section of coastline in the North West Highlands, journeying and wild camping for five days.
- Paddle round the Great stack of Handa - home to thousands of nesting seabirds and riddled with caves and tunnels.
- Wild camp above beaches or on uninhabited islands.
- A great chance to experience a more challenging expedition - we'll encounter some waves, tide and swell throughout our journey.
- Have the place to yourself - this areas coastline is always quiet.
Grade:
Improver & Above
Improver & Above
This trip is open to Improver level kayakers and above and can be enjoyed by those with a range of different experience levels/backgrounds.
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 should have as a minimum 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 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 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.
- 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 - 2 to 10+
How an individual client reaches the above experience fitness/knowledge and skill will vary greatly (numbers above are a rough guide - numbers of days experience will vary greatly).
- You may have done a recent introduction type course where you gained confidence and skill, coped well with paddling 10km or more in a day and experienced a range of conditions or you may have experience based on multiple day trips in a range of conditions or a mix of the above.
- 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 a small amount of sea kayaking experience (for example 2 days) but have transferable knowledge and skill gained from a good level of experience in another paddlesport such as white water kayaking, paddleboarding or canoeing or have plenty of outdoor sports experience and fitness to draw on in order to know that an expedition is the right trip for you.
Dates and Prices
Scroll down or click to see the trip story or the detailed trip information
Day 1 - Arrive in the North West
We’ll meet in Inverness before driving through the North West Highlands to our launch at Kylesku. Taking part of the NC500 route through the Highlands, the drive is famous for its mountain and coast backdrop. We'll take to the water, ahead of us lie miles of wild coastline waiting to be explored. The route we will follow is likely to involve more challenging sea conditions than our expeditions around Arisaig and so this trip would form an excellent expedition for those who are keen to develop their sea kayaking experience and knowledge.
Day 2 & 3 - Exploring Oldany and Kylesku
Exploring the North West coastline is full of contrasts - Oldany features sheltered bays and small Skerries where Seals haul out and some fantastic white sand beaches to explore and wild camp above. Kylesku features deep sea Lochs surrounded by mountains - both make for excellent expedition paddling and we'll explore this area before journeying North.
Day 4 - Exploring Handa island
Handa is a block of Torridonian sandstone jutting out into the Atlantic, home to thousands of nesting seabirds, it is truly a spectacular place to paddle a sea kayak. Our journey will take us past the Eastern side of Handa island, through the narrow channel separating the island from the mainland, before journeying around the West of the island to the Great Stack of Handa - tunnels cut the base of the stack and its possible to paddle straight through the stack, only for calm conditions!
Day 5 - Heading home
Our journey will end back in Kylesku from where we'll drive back to Ullapool with great memories of wild coastline and good times.
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 Ullapool 11.00 on the first day of the trip. Finish at Ullapool (approx 14.30) or Inverness (approx 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, everything else is included in the fee.
Location
Frequently Asked Questions
Individuals, couples or small groups of friends. Our 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.
