Isle of Skye 2026

I will set off from my home beach in Fiscavaig on Skye and paddle clockwise around the island. I anticipate this journey of roughly 275km will take seven to nine days.

Circumnavigating the Isle of Skye was my first ever solo sea kayaking journey in July 1996. I knew very little about kayaking on the sea back then, with this adventure proving to be a steep learning curve. I remember I faced gale force winds and learnt the hard way about tidal streams. I had minimal kayaking kit then and paddled with a borrowed white-water paddle. I was kayaking in a P&H Sirius which was a flighty and tippy design.

The adventure took 19 days, 10 of which were shore bound because of the gales.

It was a seminal experience which set me on my path of seeking my future solo adventures.