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A quick check of the tide, wind and weather gave me the opportunity this afternoon to swim out from Swordale bay around the coast to the arch just before Stac Swordale. Even if I had to go sideways to fit through the gap I was determined and neither would the amount of jellyfish guarding the arch stop me, haha. So, obviously after checking out the small shore, I went back via the arch again, this time there were 2 juicy lions manes jellyfish right in my way, washing back and forth with the current at the gap not to mention the compass jellyfish dotted about. I managed to scoot by and swam over to touch Stac Swordale before swimming back to Swordale bay whilst scoping out various inlets, noting the beautiful sea grass/shoals of sand eels/a single star fish.... Click here to watch the video from the outing.
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Kellie (kayaking) and myself (swimming) hatched a plan for a coastal adventure today. With the outgoing tide, going from the UI Church side of the Braighe to the slipway at Garrabost. I saw absolutely no jellyfish during the swim but the amount of seals that started popping their heads up and following us for most of the route was amazing (approx 25). Passing Aiginis, I took the inside line of Stac Mòr Gharraboist as there was just enough water for me to do so before we carried on and around the headland of Roisinis an Ear. I swam into a cave which got pretty dark but it turned out to have a tunnel leading out of it into another cave, this was so cool, though there was no way Kellie was fitting her kayak through the gap. We stopped for lunch on a pebbly shore, checking out more caves and I also had a pretend shower too 🤣🤣. After lunch, the wind had changed and made the sea a bit choppier but it was still fine for the 2 of us. We knew Kellie wouldn't get through the arch due to the low tide level (was still going out) but I had a wee scramble over the rocks at the first bit then swam out of the rest of the arch. Plodding on to the old jetty at Garrabost and the finish line there. A most excellent adventure, which is pretty much on our doorstep and it doesn't really cost anything either. Point has an awesome coastline for adventure swimming I have to say... Roughly a 5km route btw. Click here to watch the video from the outing. Gary and myself decided to meet up in the evening for a swim at Holm. Getting in on the sandy side (Chubag) and hogging the coastline on the way out then taking the inside of Eilean nan Uan as we agreed it was too choppy today to take the outside (Minch side) of it. A wee bit of shelter gave us a short time of relatively calm seas before we carried on swimming between Eilean nan Caorach and Mol Shildinis, heading towards the Gob Shildinis pier where some lads were just finishing up fishing (they gave us a shout out). It was pretty cool swimming under the pier, even with the gulls flying close overhead as we carried on around to the jetty on the Holm village side. It was good to be doing some directional swimming again in the choppy conditions while also trying to avoid the jellyfish but thankfully the water clarity is amazing 😊 Click here to watch the video from the outing. Jackie, Gary, Lynn and myself met up at Bayble in the evening then while Lynn took her and Gary's dog for a walk the rest of us walked over towards the small shingle shore just north of the pier, which is called Papastaidh (Monk's place) and got in for a swim from there, heading out through the channel at Rubh' a'Chaise which has Eilean na Mairabh (Island of the Dead) to the right. As the sea was so calm, the three of us carried on around the outside of Eilean a' Chaise (Cheese Island) or Eilean a' Chais (Sorrow Island) as it might have been called originally and back via zig zagging through more various channels passing through tidal rocky islands. The rock formations are just amazing to view plus the water clarity is stunning making it easy to see the wildlife underwater. As we swam back to Papastaidh, noting the amount of sea grass in the area, we found an easy exit back up to the path which took us to our vehicles at the pier. It's a great place for a mini adventure in the right conditions. Click here to watch the video from the outing. With the conditions much better this evening than this morning (when we opted for Garrabost instead) Kellie, Connor and myself agreed that it was suitable for an outing at Bayble. Connor took his drone (check out the amazing footage at the end of the video) while Kellie kayaked and I swam from the beach out around the pier and over to through the channel at Rubh' a'Chaise before I headed into the blow- hole named Toll Na Roin (Seals' Hole) although I didn't see any seals there or during this swim, I did see plenty of either Cormorants or Shags flying off the rocks and lot's of jellyfish out in this area. Kellie and I then went back a slightly different way, between Eilean na Mairbh (Island of the Dead) and Eilean a' Chaise (Cheese Island) which according to a local book is more likely to have originally been Eilean a' Chais (Sorrow Island). Anyway, there's definitely a lot of interesting history here and it feels great to be swimming through it and also the wee island channels that the lower tides let us see and pass over even if I had to do a sideways scramble on one, haha. A beautiful evening for a fantastic time for the three of us. Click here to view the YouTube Video from the outing. Opted for Garrabost this afternoon instead of Bayble and it didn't disappoint. Kellie and Connor kayaked while I swam, going through the small sea stacks channels and then over to and through the arch which is always amazing. The tide was at the perfect height for the kayaks and myself. We returned via the same route. As usual it got sunnier as we left, haha. Click here to view the YouTube Video from the outing. |
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July 2025
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