Sea Kayak the Isle of Skye
The Isle of Skye is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's coastline consists of a series of peninsulas and bays that radiate out from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillin Hills. The Cuillin include 12 munros and provide some of the most dramatic and challenging mountain terrain in Scotland and a spectacular backdrop to any journey by sea kayak. The basalt rock that is responsible for much of Skye's awe inspiring landscape gives rise to stunning coastal scenery consisting of sheer cliffs, rock arches, caves, sea stacks and pinnacles and interspersed by sheltered bays and beaches. By kayak we can explore the Isle of Skye's remote and inaccessible coastline and maybe get a chance to see some of the marine life that inhabits its waters. Minke whales and basking sharks populate the sea around the Isle of Skye, as well as porpoise, otter, seals and dolphins. Bird life too favours the remote cliffs of Skye and its surrounding islands. Not surprising its here that some of the UK's rarest birds choose to nest and feed. Sea kayaking will afford us the best chance of catching a glimpse of the huge white-tailed sea eagle, as well as red throated divers, puffins, guillemots, kittiwakes, Arctic terns and gannets.
The Isle of Skye has been occupied since the stone age and has undergone Norse rule as well as a long period of domination by Clan MacLeod and Clan Donald. From the latter part of the 18th Century until the mid 19th Century Skye's inhabitants were devastated by famine and the Clearances. By kayak we can reach the ruin of the deserted village of Boreraig.
The sea around the Isle of Skye presents the kayaker with an array of conditions to hone skills and play in. The Atlantic tides squeeze through the narrows of Kylerhea between the Isle of Skye and the mainland and when they do they give rise to fast moving water presenting the more experienced paddler with rough water, turbulence and eddies. Similarly, the narrows at Kyle of Lochalsh where the Skye Bridge crosses to the island provides another playground for the kayaker looking for a range of conditions to take their paddling to the next level.
Course enquiry
Please complete the booking form
Kayaking to the Cuillin mountains on the Isle of Skye
