- 2 nights
- Auchenlarie Holiday Park
- Wild camp on the Islands of Fleet
Ever since our cycle trip around Galloway, I’d be thinking about coming back to the area to paddle the coastline. So when a weekend sea kayaking with Cumbria Canoists came up, I signed up immediately. The trip was an introduction to kayak camping, and the plan was to paddle to an island and wild camp on it.
I drove up the night before and stayed at Auchenlarie Holiday Park. It’s not the sort of site I would usually choose to stay at, it’s right on the A75 and is impossible to walk anywhere from the camp site. However, we were launching from the slipway the next morning so it was very convenient.
On Saturday morning, Graham, Mike, Elspeth, Bob and I had a short briefing with the leaders, Gina and Alan. We drove our sea kayaks down to the launch point and started unloading our gear for the weekend. I had packed minimally and so I was ready fairly quickly, however, there was quiet a lot of faffing as it was our first time loading sea kayaks. I had to re-distribute the weight across the three hatches and we finally got paddling at midday.
The island we were heading too was fairly close by, so we paddled out West and back first to explore the coast in the other direction. We were paddling into the wind which was fairly challenging, and it was a relief when we turned around and started paddling east. We pulled in at Mossyard Bay for a quick snack break and then paddled up the Fleet estuary to avoid having to do the crossing. As we turned to head towards the island, the swell picked up, creating bigger, more rapid waves. Elspeth got quite scared at this point, began swearing loudly, and paddled straight to the island at speed!
After landing on the island, we pulled the sea kayaks up above the high tide line and began carrying out camping gear up to the field. Once my tent was set up, I went for an explore around the island. I wandered through the ferns, looked out to the headland and explored the semi-deserted house on the island. Graham, Mike and Gina went fishing, hoping to catch something for our supper.
This trip was advertised as an introduction to foraging, something I’d not really done before. Not wanting to depend on the foraging aspect, I’d brought some pasta to have for tea. However, I shouldn’t have worried as we had a real feast! Graham and Mike caught two large sea bass, which were cooked on our bonfire. Gina had been collecting mussels as we paddled, and cooked them in a wine sauce. Elspeth made camp fire bread sticks with lemonade, and parcels of apple crumble were cooked on the embers. There were also plenty of home brews passed around the fire. It was a fantastic evening, and the clear, dark, sky gave us a fantastic view of the milkyway.
We were met on Sunday morning with a bright, warm sunny day and we were all keen to get back on the water. After packing up our tents, Bob discovered his missing shoe, under his ground sheet. He’d been hobbling around the island all yesterday assuming he’d left it in his car! The weather was much calmer today, with little wind and calm sea. We did a loop of our island, hopping through rocks and paddling some choppy water. When we were out of the wind, it was really warm and I was getting rather hot in my full on dry suit!
The group split up around the island, one deciding to take the more sheltered inland route. Whilst we waited for the others, Gina paddled to Knockbrex bay and had a quick hangover nap. We re-grouped and paddled the direct across Fleet Bay, stopping again for lunch at Mossyard Bay. Alan and I had a fast chatty paddle back to the campsite and were almost loaded up by the time the rest of the group arrived.
After many goodbyes, (and a rescued forgotten paddle) I drove home, stopping at Lochside Fish and Chip shop for a traditionally chippy tea.