Page 96 - Wish Stream 2023 CREST

Exercise EIGG ‘N SOLDIERS
The expedition started with a long drive up to Scotland where the team members assem- bled in the picturesque seaside town of Mal- laig, eager for the expedition to commence.
Early Sunday afternoon, we loaded the kayaks onto Caledonian MacBrayne’s Small Isles ferry and settled in for a choppy crossing to the Isle of Eigg. Despite a bit of sea sickness on the cross- ing, we managed to acquaint ourselves with the very merry locals, which paid dividends later in the trip as we sought tips and local knowledge for the circumnavigation.
Things soon picked up upon arrival, as we por- taged the kayaks and our kit around to our accom- modation. We settled into our quaint and pictur- esque camping pods and finished the day with a familiarisation paddle in the bay.
An early day the next day was supplemented by coffee from the only shop on the island, and we prepared ourselves for the day’s adventures. We set off on a paddle down to the south of the isle, to explore the beauty of the coast, as well as gauge the impact of the tides and winds that we would need to account for on our expedition the following day. This led into a fun afternoon of capsize and wet skills in the bay, to the amusement of the locals and tourists who watched us from the shore. With the boats all packed the night before, and a hearty breakfast, we set out on our expedition around the island. A strong north-easterly breeze led us on a clockwise circumnavigation, and to a potential camp site in the stunning Bay of Laig on the north side of the island.
The choppy waves were soon forgotten as we gazed upon the breathtaking scenery of the north coast of Eigg, which changed and evolved with every cave and waterfall, and impressive views to the Isle of Rum to the north. We entered the pictur- esque Bay of Laig by early afternoon. The condi- tions by this time had become excellent, and the sea was clear and smooth as marble. From this point, the group was in high spirits at the rapid progress we had made, and decided we wanted to try and complete the circumnavigation in one trip, a decision we were all glad we made in the end, as the sense of achievement was immeasurable. After many hours paddling, we paddled into the bay in the late afternoon and secured ourselves a hearty dinner for our efforts.
The next day, we set out for an exploration of some spots we had seen on earlier days, including the famous ‘massacre caves,’ and the stunning cas- cade of waterfalls along the coast of the island, and a circumnavigation of the small island off Eigg, Castle Island. Here, the seals joined us, following about 30m behind for the entire trip, and regularly popping their heads up to investigate. Later that afternoon, we also managed to explore the island on foot and summitted the Sgùrr of Eigg.
The final day was a debrief on our trip, visiting our lessons learnt, and we loaded the kayaks back onto the ferry. The journey back was far smoother than our journey out, and to top it all off, several pods of dolphins joined us on our journey home.
94 SANDHURST