Brevig to Tolsta April 08

It was a bit strange to only have 2 of us out on such a brilliant day,but we just had to make the most of it,southerly fresh fourish and clearing cloud revealing a wedge of blue sky peeling back to Ullapool greeted us a s we broke into the confused chop outside the harbour.Sue had kindly agreed to pick us up at tolsta so it was great to be getting another downwind and downwave run up the coast.It was going to have to be a fairly short fast trip anyway as it was the afternoon.Thankfully only in the Western isles can you Hoover the house,prepare most of the Sunday dinner and make a big pot of lamb broth…and still have time to have a mouth watering paddle in the afternoon!
I love those paddling days where the sun is directly behind you so everything is brilliantly coloured in front of you.The cliffs different hues of orange ,blacks,greys and mossy crevices,the sea a mass of blues,greens and aquamarines.On turning round the sea was a silvery strammash of molten mercury with the cliffs and Robert black silhouetted in dramatic contrast.We kept offshore to start but tucked in close to the conglomerate cliffs to the north of gress to dance with the clapotis,we both just grinned and stayed there bouncing about not knowing what was going to happen next.It was clear Tolsat head was going to be liveley.We headed straight to the cliff face and immediately felt the clapotis about a quarter of a mile of shore and it got more exciting as we got closer.We kind of jostled and jittered up under the cliffs watching both sides for the waves,an exciting arch a cave throung the stack were more dramatic than I could remember,at one stage a large wave loomed on my left shoulder,maybe about a few feet above me,I naturally started to tuck for a brace but a wave then picked me up from my port side screamed under me and met the other wave head on for an instant the wave clapped together and stretched upwards to the sky getting thinner and thinner,but with no foam just like a window of water which I could see the rest of broad bay through,and then it was gone as soon as I could grasp what I witnessed,I whooped and told Robert in my usual style…..
The headland itself was bouncy playful and it was great to feel the kayak kicking on its bow and stern axis,one minute youre looking up next youre looking down…my kind of cup of tea!!!!Round the headland it was really calm and settled out of the wind the sea surged along the cliffs as we crept into the cave where the passage runs back through the headland,we weren’t going to get through today as it was heaving on the other side but ti was good to have a look.
We slowed down a bit to explore the north side of the headland in detail and we then surfed in to the south end of Traigh Mhor for a break…2 hours of the most focussed paddling I had done in a while,we had some nice cakes..Rob always has a good lunchbox!and we then launched into some small but beautifully formed surf curling onto the beach,we then zig zagged up the beach in the shallows waiting for sets to surf in on and then paddling back out to catch some more.A wayward stern rudder caught me on one and over I went[in 2 foot of water!]but the new drysuit worked well and almost did my roll for me! We met Sue as we were dragging our boats up the sand,great day>I am always struck by how good and varied this part of the coast line is and ending it on a pristine beah with just a few people on reminded me of how lucky we are to have this.I think my moment had to be being mesmerised ppaddling along seeing the shadow of the boat gliding along the sandy floor under the water,it was quite relaxing after the clapotis at the headland.