Easy straightforward hiking generally over good trails with no major ascents. The days are fairly leisurely and we spend about 6-8 hours outdoors. Terrain underfoot is mainly on paths or hill trails which may be muddy in places. Daily walks are mainly glens or coastal hikes with some ascents up to 450m (1500ft).
The accommodation is a Scandinavian style wilderness lodge with a spacious interior and eight bedrooms. The rooms are located on the upper level while the ground floor consists of a large lounge and open plan kitchen, which is used only for tea and coffee –all meals, including breakfast, are served in the restaurant. Shared bathroom facilities are adjacent to the kitchen, with showers, basins, and toilets – there are no en-suite rooms.
Freshly prepared, locally sourced meals are enjoyed in the adjacent ‘Taste of Scotland’ accredited restaurant and are a real highlight of the trip, with freshly caught seafood a particular specialty. Special dietary requirements can be catered for. The restaurant is licensed and offers an excellent choice of wines, beers, and spirits.
The Knoydart peninsula is one of the remotest parts of the Scottish mainland and is not connected to the road network. The best way to travel is by boat and throughout the duration of the workshop, we have exclusive use of Mary Doune, which will take us on a new adventure each day. Travelling to and from each location takes on a new dimension with views to the surrounding islands and mountains and it’s not uncommon to see, myriad seabirds, including white-tailed eagles, dolphins and minke whales.
We are based at Doune, a former crofting settlement which is located in a secluded bay on the peninsula and is perfectly situated for accessing the Small Isles and Skye. Accommodation is in a Scandinavian style wilderness lodge with views across the Sound of Sleat to the Skye Cuillin and is complemented by the adjacent, award-winning, restaurant.
Our day begins with breakfast at 0800 with an informal briefing of the day’s activities. We set off aboard Mary Doune to our chosen destination – a journey that normally takes around one hour where we will photograph throughout the morning, breaking for freshly made packed lunches. The afternoon location normally involves another short boat trip from where we will return to Doune at around 1730. There will be time to review some of the day’s images and to enjoy a drink overlooking the bay before dinner. During the course of the workshop, there will be tutorials and a group critique session.
Below is a typical itinerary, which inevitably will change to take advantage of the optimum weather conditions on the day. The decision about the each day’s location is usually made the evening before when the most up-to-date weather forecasts have been studied.
Day 1 – Pickup from Mallaig – Doune
We meet in Mallaig which is easily reached by car or train via the spectacular West Highland Railway line. Mallaig has a long term car park where vehicles can be left for the duration of the workshop, however, this is now chargeable. A short 20-minute boat journey will take us to Doune on the tip of the Knoydart peninsula. After an informal introduction to the group and to the facilities at Doune, we meet for dinner in the restaurant.
Day 2 – Muck
After breakfast, we board Mary Doune and head south-west to the island of Muck. Our anchorage is a secluded bay where coral sands are backed by rocky terraces on which a large colony of common seals resides. The bird life is prolific with oystercatchers, ringed plover, dunlin and common gulls defending their territories. We head up and onto a higher headland which has spectacular views overlooking Rum, Eigg, and Skye and if tidal conditions permit, cross to Lamb Island. We return over Muck’s single-track road which takes us to the Tea Shop in Port Mòr where refreshments are available before our departure to Doune.
Day 3 – Loch Hourn
As we enter the fjord of Loch Hourn, the view north is dominated by Beinn Sgritheall – one of the steepest mountains in Scotland. We continue up past Ladhar Bheinn and Barrisdale Bay on the south side of the loch to arrive at a wild location where stands of the Scots pine punctuate the landscape. To the north, the lower slopes of Druim Fada are covered with forests of sessile oak, birch, and rowan.
Day 4 – Eigg – The Bay of Laig
Heading out in a south-westerly direction today, we travel down the east side of Eigg and arrive at the harbour, one hour later. Here we transfer into a mini-bus and take a 20-minute drive to the Bay of Laig on the eastern side of the island. The Rum Cuillin rise vertically from sea level to over 700m and create a superb backdrop for photography in the bay. Two distinct areas provide endless photographic opportunities: the coral sand beach and the rocky shoreline where cannonball concretions create bold spherical shapes.
Day 5 – Skye – Loch Eishort – Boreraig
Rounding the Point of Sleat – the most southerly point on Skye, we head across to Loch Eishort where the full Cuillin Ridge rises before us. Our destination today is to the pre-crofting township of Boreraig, an isolated spot on the shores of Loch Eishort. It was from here in 1853 that Lord MacDonald forcibly evicted 120 men, women and children. Ammonites can be seen in the limestones rocks.
Day 6 – Rum
Rum’s rugged coastline is a landscape of contrasts. From towering sandstone cliffs to secluded sandy beaches, its underlying geology has created some fantastic photographic locations. At Guirdil the sea has channelled a cave through a sandstone headland and south, in another bay, lies a Torridonian sandstone boulder field where a colony of the most brightly coloured lichens can be found.
Day 7 – Canna and Sanday
We head along the east side of Rum towards Canna’s north cliffs, which rise 150 metres from the sea. These are home to thousands of the breeding seabirds, which include, puffin, razorbills, shags, kittiwakes, and white-tailed eagles, which we have the opportunity to photograph from the boat. In the afternoon, we will head across to Sanday to photograph the basalt stacks on which a large colony of puffins’ nest.
Day 8 – Return to Mallaig
Following breakfast, we board Mary Doune for the final time and return to Mallaig to arrive at 0920, in time for those travelling by rail to catch their train back to Glasgow.
This trip starts and finishes in Mallaig. For train timetables, costs and reservations follow these links:
Colin will meet you on the platform at Mallaig Railway Station at 1750 on Saturday. The time coincides with the arrival of the train from Glasgow.
Our boat will be moored in the harbour less than five minutes away. On the final Saturday, we will return you to Mallaig at 0920 in time to connect with rail services south.
The trip price is £1725 per person.
THE PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
The ability to respond to Scotland’s changeable weather with appropriate clothing will enhance your enjoyment. The key is to bring comfortable clothing, which will maintain your body temperature under a variety of weather conditions. If you are at all susceptible to the cold, a down jacket or windproof fleece is the most effective way to keep warm.
Lightweight boots
Waterproof jacket and trousers
Hat for sun protection or warmth
Head torch
Flask/drinks container
Optional: sunglasses, sunscreen, and lip salve
Camera bag – bring a camera bag that allows you to comfortably carry your equipment over rugged terrain. Backpacks distribute the weight between your shoulders and hips making walking much easier than a bag with a shoulder strap and are protected from wind and rain.
Tripod – the ideal tripod needs to be light enough to carry comfortably but sufficiently robust to be used in winds. A tripod engenders a more contemplative approach to photography and allows the use of slower shutters speeds. A wide range of models are available from Manfrotto and Gitzo and for more advanced photographers, carbon fibre tripods offer a lighter weight solution but essentially do the same job as those made from aluminium.
Lenses – like cameras, these come down to personal choice and ultimately will be determined by the type of subject matter normally pursued. Many photographers choose two zoom lenses; a 24-70mm and a 70-200mm, which normally account for 90-95% of the images taken. Another popular combination is 24-105mm and 100-400mm. Some photographers prefer to work with prime lenses which can offer improved performance at their designated focal lengths, however, the penalty is increased weight.
If macro or photographing details within the landscape appeals to you then a 90 or 100mm Macro lens is ideal.
Filters – The most commonly used filters in digital photography are graduated neutral density filters. These differ from neutral density filters in that they allow you to control contrast locally. They come in a variety of gradations and in my experience, the most useful is 0.6 soft and 0.6 hard. There are now many brands of graduated filters available, however, those manufactured by Lee Filters exhibit excellent neutrality. They also offer a professional filter holder which allows the gradation to be moved within the holder, relative to the horizon.
Backup and storage – Ensure that you have adequate memory cards and ideally a means of backing up your work, either to a laptop or iPad. This will also allow you to see what you have shot each day and will facilitate feedback on your images.
Remote release – essential to eradicate camera shake when the camera is mounted on a tripod.
Lens cloth – a lens cloth is useful for removing rain.
We accept bookings online, by phone and post. Booking online is straight forward and enables us to confirm your reservation immediately. Before booking, it is important that you read the relevant Trip Dossier and our Booking Terms and Conditions. If you have any doubts regarding your suitability for a trip, please contact us.
To book online, simply click the relevant link from the trip page on our website. You will then be asked to complete the online booking form and proceed to payment. All payments made are directly through Worldpay in a totally secure environment.
For online bookings, we accept payment by Maestro, Visa Electron, Visa Debit and Solo debit cards or Visa/Mastercard/American Express credit cards. Please note that there is no charge for payment by debit card but a 2% surcharge for payment by credit card. A deposit of 25% is required at the time of booking unless you are booking less than 56 days before departure. In this case, full payment of the trip price is required.
Should you prefer, you can call us with your reservation and card payment. This will enable us to confirm your place although, in all cases, we require a completed booking form (either online or by post) with details of all persons travelling. If booking by post, we accept all of the above payment methods plus cheque or bank transfer. If booking online we will confirm your booking immediately, including a copy of the Trip Dossier and an invoice for payment of the balance. If booking by any other method, we will confirm your booking within seven days of receipt.
It is a condition of booking that you are insured against medical and personal accident risks. This must include cover for the activities to be undertaken during the trip. We also strongly recommend you take out cover for cancellation and curtailment and baggage cover. We work with and recommend Campbell Irvine Insurance whose policies are specially designed for adventure holidays and are underwritten by AXA Insurance.
Insurance can be arranged directly at Campbell Irvine.