Day 2: Round Berneray and Mingulay (4hrs, 12.5Nm)

In one word, today was fantastic, totally making up for the difficulties of yesterday. In a few more words…I woke up this morning, the mist had come in, everything was damp, no chance of getting a fire going even with my emergency firewood imported from Barra. So again, I had to use the emergency stove! I was so hungry and couldn’t wait for porridge, so I had the rest of last night’s pork and potato stew and some of tonight’s pudding - home made carrot cake.

This has made me decide that I’m going to build the level of challenge slowly. It would be very hard for me to start the expedition, having honed all the skills that I will need, so I’m now looking on the trip as a progression of skills and an experiment as to what is actually possible.

I planned my trip round Berneray and Mingulay to work with the tide, first working out the HW/LW times, then working out tidal stream times, then planning a trip to work with the tides. I then did a specific risk assessment, identifying hazards on the planned trip, and identifying escape routes if anything happened (there weren’t many!). I was too tired to write up a journal entry at the time, but I’m writing it now, at home on the computer. Instead, this time, I’ll put a few photos in.

Morning sun shining through mist.

South coast of Berneray.

Cliffs and natural arch, W coast of Mingulay.

Grey seal pups.

There is something beautiful about the innocence of a place like this, not regularly visited or inhabited by humans, it felt like a new level of exposure and solitude. I kind of felt sad to be disturbing the seals in the environment they usually have to themselves. A couple of motor boats visited, I guess they were wildlife spotting, but when the boats came round the point, they scared a lot of the seals away. This somehow made me feel privileged that they were letting me get so close!

So reflecting on the first day, am I going to make any changes? Yes. Kit I’m dropping off at home will be: the 5 litre water container, in favour of a 1-litre SIGG bottle and the bladder in my BA, from now on I’ll just rely on river water; wetsuit - if I have to swim and dive for razor fish/clams, I’ll do it in shorts; on land footwear - don’t have space, sandals and wellies are enough. Kit forgotten in a rush/to add: trowel and toilet paper (the latter for emergency fire lighting).

Today’s food: breakfast - last night’s pork/potato stew; lunch - bread/jam/dried pork; dinner - dried pork and potato stew; pudding - carrot cake.