We'd been planning a trip to Salt Island in strangford Lough for a while and this seemed like one of the last opportunities to squeeze it in before the end of summer. The weather was for 10-14mph southerly winds with heavy rain overnight but we decided we could cope with a bit of damp. The trip over was calm and gentle and after we got camp set up we had a relaxing afternoon watching the Quoile Regatta. I'd brought a new bigger tarp but it's eyelets hadn't been placed properly so we swapped it for the old faithful from DD Hammocks just in case. As the day progressed we lit a fire, had a few beers and cranked up the rock on the old ipod. Later on we cooked some bannock which was fairly successful and will definitely be a new campfire staple (it's lovely with a bit of Southern Comfort mixed in ::)). After dark the rain came and it was unrelenting for the whole night so we hid under the tarp with full wet weather gear on. It wasn't really a problem as it was still fairly warm so we hung on until 3am when the wood ran out. When we got up on Sunday morning it was blowing 5-7 with 40mph gusts which was pretty unexpected. We had a pop at getting off the island but were beaten by the wind and came back to wait it out. With the weather so heavy we thought we'd have to spend another night and try to leave at daybreak but as dusk approached the wind dropped as quickly as it had risen and we were able to leave at 830pm for another leisurely (if stressful) paddle home followed all the way by an inquisitive seal. It really was bizarre for the weather to be so nice on Saturday afternoon that I got sunburned, then to have torrential rain within 4 hours followed by 40mph winds that were relentless for another 6 hours only to be suddenly replaced by light winds and a lovely sunset. Thats the Northern Ireland climate for you :D
I was able to give the Pro Action Lite one man tent an airing and it really is good. It stuck the rain and wind with absolutely no problem - a real bargain for £18. The Vango Banshee 300 also performed excellently with no problems in the wind or rain as did the DD tarp.
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The Quoile Regatta
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Enjoying the views in the summer sunshine.
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Our transport for the weekend
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Getting the fire going for some grub
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Proper rain, not like that nancyboy stuff you get in towns ::)
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A murky Sunday morning
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The island is full of incredibly inquisitive sheep. They're very freaky in the dark after a few beers.
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Don't try and dry your boots with the laces hanging down. Doh!
All things considered it was a blinding weekend and we had a fantastic time. Even the torrential rain was okay since we were fairly well prepared for it. It's just unfortunate that the unexpected change in the wind strength made Sunday painful. Salt Island is a top place to camp. It's isolated with great views and if you can get a spot in the bothy then you can have a bit of comfort even when the weather is bad.