Wilderness Scotland Sea Kayak Trip to the Isle of Mull

Wilderness Scotland is a small adventure holiday company that operates out of Aviemore. It offers a good range of exciting holidays for the more adventurous minded, ranging from guided walking to cycling, wildlife and wilderness retreats, as well as sea kayaking trips. All trips are led by qualified guides and generally operate on a fully inclusive basis so once the fee for the trip has been paid there’s just a bit of spending money to find.

Having tried out sea kayaking last year, we decided to give one of their sea kayaking trips a go. They offer ‘green’ (easier) and ‘blue’ (more advanced) graded trips. We selected one of the ‘green’ ones with a grading of 1-3 which means that this trip is suitable for those with little or no previous sea kayaking experiences. Perfect for us beginners!

The website gives a suggested itinerary, but like everything in Scotland, that is very dependent on the weather. The guides also tailor each day to the abilities of the group. We joined the rest of our group at Oban train station and were welcomed by our guides Andy and Steph before loading onto the ferry to Craignure on Mull. Andy was driving the minibus with the trailer full of kayaks towed along behind and we soon got used to the hitching and unhitching required as we manoeuvred our way around the island. 

We found that you certainly get thrown right into the action on this trip. As soon as we had disembarked the ferry, Andy pulled up to a small jetty in Craignure, just a few hundred metres from the ferry terminal. Here we got ourselves changed (my dryrobe changing robe came in very useful as there wasn’t much shelter in the carpark) and then set off for our first paddle. Just a short one today as we still had to cross the island to our accommodation, but it was good to have a shake out and ensure that the kayaks all fitted.

An hour or so’s drive then followed and we started to get to know the rest of the group on the minibus journey. We were joined by a couple from the south of England, along with 4 women who had all travelled from the USA. 

Reaching the far end of the Ross of Mull, we arrived at Achaban Guest House near Fionnphort (https://www.achabanhouse.co.uk). The owners were welcoming and I was very pleasantly surprised by the overall size and facilities of the guest house, and the space we had in our room. We were in a downstairs room at the front of the house with its own bathroom. The room is actually designed as a bunk room so there were plenty of beds to choose from – but we just used them as places to hang out all our kit. I didn’t see any of the other rooms but everyone seemed to be happy with their bedrooms. The house also has a large living room with comfy armchairs and sofas, great for the evening briefing, as well as a large dining room and a fully-equipped kitchen. The owners have also set up a room at the back of the kitchen as a drying room which was useful given the amount of wet kit we generated each day. Wilderness Scotland had arranged for a local cook to come in and do all the catering but it was still nice to be able to access the kitchen to make hot drinks etc. I would highly recommend Achaban if you’re looking for good quality group accommodation on the Ross of Mull.

The next 4 days were all dedicated to kayaking. The beauty about this sort of trip is that it is very relaxed, so it does feel like you have enough time to have a leisurely breakfast before getting all the kit packed up and everyone loaded into the van to set off to the destination of the day for kayaking. Andy kept a watchful eye on the weather, the winds and tides and planned each day to give us the best chance of paddling in sheltered conditions. Over the course of the week we paddled on the north side of the Ross of Mull from Bunessan to Bendoran; along Loch Caol; from sandy Uisken beach on the south side round to Ardalanish beach. Uisken beach is also a wonderful swim spot!

Each day followed more or less the same format: we’d load up the van after breakfast and set off to our launch point; much faffing would then ensue as we unloaded kayaks and then got ourselves equipped with paddles, helmets, cags and buoyancy aids. We’d then work as a team to carry the kayaks down to the beach or slipway. Then it was a case of putting all the extra bits we needed in the kayaks – the ubiquitous blue Ikea bags are ideal for humping all the gear around. The great thing about sea kayaks is the amount of gear they can hold in the sealed, water-tight compartments. There’s plenty of room for a small fold-up chair or camping mat to sit on when you stop for lunch and you can fit a whole gourmet picnic in with several flasks of tea and coffee, not to mention the additional clothing options. It’s always a good idea to have a spare warm layer or two when out on the sea. 

On Day 4, there was an option to take a boat trip out to Staffa and the Treshnish Islands. We were both keen to maximise our time paddling, so decided to opt for another day in the kayaks instead. We’ll do Staffa and Treshnish some other time, maybe by kayak (if we ever get proficient enough to tackle a long, open crossing!) So, while most of the rest of the group set off in search of puffins, we had an amazing experience paddling from Fidden (pronounced ‘Fidgen’)  out through the skerries and the building swell around to the far side of Erraid Island. Nick was delighted that he was able to re-live the landing spot of the hero in Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stephenson which is set in this part of the island. We beached our kayaks in a secluded cove at Tinker’s Hole and had a walk and some lunch. Coming back was hard work with the waves getting bigger and the wind picking up. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it at one point so it was a real feeling of achievement once we got back to the safety of Fidden. 

In the early evenings, it was just a short stroll down to Fionnphort where the local pub, Keel Row, is often busy with locals and tourists alike. It has a good vibe in there and we tended to wander down there for a pint or two before dinner and chat to our fellow group-members about what they’d enjoyed about the day. Then it was a short walk back to Achaban for a 3-course dinner and an early night.   

Another highlight of the trip was the afternoon excursion to Iona on our last full day on the island. Unfortunately the weather was too bad for a bunch of beginners to make the crossing by kayak, so we took the short ferry ride and spent a peaceful couple of hours wandering around the Abbey and taking in the local sights. 

Iona Abbey is a Historic Environment Scotland site, so it is free entry for members or £10 for adult non-members. The Abbey here was first founded by the itinerant monk St Columba in AD 563. What fascinated me was the fact that in those days Iona was at the centre of a trading route and was subject to Viking raiders for many centuries as they rampaged their way down the west coast of Scotland. There’s a lot more information on the Historic Environment Scotland site. Iona Abbey is well worth a visit. 

https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/iona-abbey-and-nunnery

And so our week of kayaking in Mull was over. We had a lot of fun and learnt quite a lot about tides and weather as well as picking up tips on efficient forward paddling. I’d highly recommend Wilderness Scotland for an introductory trip.  As long as you are fit and willing to give it a go the Green graded trips are fine for complete beginners. However, I think you’d get more out of it if you’ve done at least a couple of days of kayaking beforehand. 

https://www.wildernessscotland.com/adventure-holidays/sea-kayaking/isle-mull

Trip date: May 2022

Cost: Wilderness Scotland Package £2,810 for 2 people

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