It starts north of Moray Firth, Caithness. In Duncanby, there are the impressive ocean cliffs and ocean piling in the whole country. Just 1 km south of the cape there is the Stacks of Duncansby which is an impressive triangular sea stack. The easiest way to get started on this trip is in Freswick Bay, a lovely sandy beach just a few kilometers south of the stack.
There is Sinclair Bay, which has a vast beach just over 4 kilometers south of the Noss Head. This is still a wonderful starting point for the sea kayak. There are impressive cliffs with just a few clicks from Noss Head beach and may be able to see the castle of Sinclair from the surface of the water. Beside the cape there is Wick, the old Caithness town with many gray stone buildings typical of the area.
On the way to Lybster on the south of Wick, there are again many interesting cliff buildings, ocean piling and natural arches. The paddling trip is about 20 km. Immediately after leaving Wick you will notice the old Wick castle on the cliff. There are several stop points in this paddle journey. One is in Sarclet, there are only a few houses and a small shelter. Upon arrival at Lybster, there is a small jetty where you can land your craft.
The area of Sutherland between Golspie and Dornoch is a white beach as long as your eyes can see. Some of these beaches have really good surfing as the ocean comes in from the north to the east. Because it is all beaches, if something goes wrong it will be a soft landing. The beach extends more than 12 km and is very popular with the people of Dornoch. Just passing Dornoch Firth's mouth is a vast beach again, but please avoid it because it is a training area for Lossiemouth fighters. This area needs to be paddled only if the Aberdeen Coast Guard has made everything clear to you.
Departing from the small village of Portmahomack across Tarbet Ness, there is another lovely ocean kayak trip. This cape can pick up a big wave on a windy day. Just below the surface of the water there is a huge stone slab, creating the perfect condition for big waves. It might not be the best idea on a windy day. There are many sea cliffs on the coast, and there are few good landing points. Just south of Balintore, Sandwick Bay has a wonderful beach to end the wonderful paddling day.
The highland village of Cromarty in Black Isle south of Balintore is well known at its craft store and Prince Charles likes this place. There is a nice beach to start the trip again. You can go down the coast with a sea cliff heading to Chanonry Point and an interesting rocky layer. Many dolphins live in this area and can be seen frequently at the point of play in some baits and tidal events. Of course, it is necessary to keep the distance from the sea mammal so as not to disturb the routine.
There is Fort George on the other side of Chanonry point. This fort was built after the 1745/46 Jacobite uprising and is to protect the Highlander clan. Today is a museum operated by historical Scotland. Some parts of the fort is still a functional military base with a rifle range and the Blackwatch regiment is a frequent visitor to the barracks.
Along the coast there are more beaches and cliffs of the ocean. Cummingston is a very popular area for rock climbers and most people climb those sandstone cliffs on most days. After passing the harbor village of Hopeman, you will come across several sea caves on the cliffs east of the harbor. Between Hopeman and Lossiemouth there is a cliff of the sea and in the end there is a sandy beach. On some days you can even find a tornado jet plane to take off from the Lossiemouth RAF base. In addition, along the Morey Coast near Karen, there is a sea load called Bow · Fiddle Lock.
For more information about the Scotland sea kayak in this area please contact Unexplored Scotland.
