Kayak Isle of Man - Scarp.

I was last in Huisinis, Isle of Harris, 7 years ago. I was in the Outer Hebrides doing a locum anaesthetic job, much as I am now. Those were different times and I had dreams of living and working in such a place as this. I stared across the turbulent sound which separates the Isle of Harris from the much smaller Island of Scarp. I could see the now abandoned crofts and longed to be able to cross the sea to explore them. I kept revisiting Huisinis in my free time, never dreaming that one day I would full fill this ambition. Of course back then I didn't paddle but now I do, and so today I made the crossing through the calm but highly tidal gap which separates the two islands, landed and explored the village.
The inhabitants of Scarp scraped together a living through crofting and fishing. Towards the end of the 19th century the population peaked at 213. However, by the 1940s the population had declined to just over 100, and the closure of the school and post office saw the last permanent inhabitants leave in 1971. Today, there are no permanent inhabitants but holiday homes were occupied, and indeed being renovated at the time of my visit.
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Kayak Isle of Man - Scalpay Circumnavigation.

I crossed the cratered, moonscape terrain of the Isle of Lewis, scarred by centuries of peat extraction, and reached the more mountainous Isle of Harris. Harris is reminiscent of Norway, with craggy mountains and long fjords or lochs penetrating the intricate coastline. I was in search of a paddle after 4 days of consecutive "on call" but the weather was conspiring against me. But I've lived on various islands now for 7 years and I knew all I'd have to do is wait a little for the ground cloud and drizzle to clear. Eventually, I settled for a circumnavigation of the Isle of Scalpay in Loch Tarbert on the South East side of Harris. I'd been told that there may be a tidal play spot under the bridge that serves the island but I'd timed it wrong. The location compensated me with the company of a sea otter as I left the small main harbour. Rounding the south west corner beneath the light house, I was battered by the exposed Atlantic rollers, many of them breaking over me. These were perhaps a little bigger than I would normally have been comfortable with whilst paddling alone in unfamiliar waters, but the views across to North Uist and the Isle of Skye made the risk worth while.
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