I waited patiently, occasionally taking a look outside my tent at the sea if the whitecaps on the tidal race across already disappeared and the wind dropped down a bit as forecasted. I couldn’t wait longer than an hour before low tide, then it looked for me calm enough to give it a go. I was hoping to be able to paddle also against the running up north tide, or at least to find some reasonable eddies. It was still lousy bumpy, and the headland was pretty, but as rugged as it can be, no clean eddies or huge rocks besides one or two after the entry gully to paddle behind. But I made my way with reasonable 4 km/h upstream, and after less than hour I was around the bumpy stuff and relaxed in dead calm water.

The beaches on the other side, today absolutely calm, were steep cobblestone beaches, and proved this side can also be very rough on different wind direction! I jumped just for fun on a small tidal race before the first beach, realizing the flood current starts a bit later than low tide. But all easy going, with or against the tide. Later, I opted to hug the pretty coast close to enjoy as much of the great scenery as I could, rock hopped wherever I could, despite the “fast train” may be a bit more further out. I was wondering all day how the sheep were able to hold themselves on such steep cliffs, finding the obviously best juicy green almost vertical meadows on the most inaccessible places?

The current was usually the strongest at the far ends of the small bays, easy good paddling then! I was sitting on the strong current until an hour after high tide and it took me still around Inishowen Point. I enjoyed a slow paddle along the beautiful small beaches until I found one for myself, but still car accessible for meeting Catriona once more. She will have a day of paddling together with me tomorrow. Will be nice!