We set off in glassy, stunning conditions from Craignure and paddled along the south coast, wild camping along the way. We stopped off at gorgeous, white sandy beaches but as ever, they were blighted with piles of rubbish and I spied one large green fishing net, writes Ghost Fishing UK secretary, Christine Grosart.
Mostly buried and too big to even think about taking with me, I had no choice but to leave it.
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I did spy a smaller piece which looked in good enough condition to do something with. I took pictures and logged the location on my phone. We found a comfy-ish spot for the night having paddled sixteen miles.
I was grateful to get back to my cosy van and my own company and decided to make the most of my free time and head back to the beach where I had seen the lost fishing net.
This was easier said than done. We had arrived on the beach by kayak and with a bit of advice, google maps and a helpful dog walker, I strode off confidently in completely the wrong direction to the wrong sandy beach!
It too had plenty of lost fishing gear washed up along the shoreline, but it was the wrong rubbish and the wrong beach.
Off I set on what should have been a half an hour walk…turning into a two hour epic!
Scaling cliffs, dodging sheep and landing thigh deep in a bog…I finally made my way to the correct beach, which I could have easily walked to down a perfectly good track from the car had I not set off in the wrong direction…
Hey ho. The sun was out, it was absolutely stunning on that southern side of Mull and I bagged up the net while another group of paddlers took a break nearby and the sea sparkled continuously.
It was possibly one of the most beautiful views I’d ever witnessed in the UK and I enjoyed it before heading back to the campsite and then Oban for the next crazy couple of days.