Sadly, the kayaker who was involved in the incident in Loch Torridon lost her life, despite the efforts of the search and rescue agencies including HM Coastguard and the RNLI who launched lifeboats from both Portree and Kyle of Lochalsh (see their update). As someone fortunate to be able to go to sea for a leisure activity, I'm always conscious of the risks involved, and no matter how well managed they might be, things do sometimes go wrong. The contribution that statutory and voluntary agencies make towards safety on the water is second to none, underpinned by their willingness to help others at potential cost to themselves.
As well as praying for the kayaker who has died, I am holding those close to her in my prayers, likewise those who were involved in the incident and now dealing with the impact on them.
Torridon is over to the left of this image, you can't see the loch, but the mountains around there are visible in the distance. Pausing as I took this picture at Broadford, today's destination on the Isle of Skye, gave me space for prayer about yesterday's events but also to reflect on my journeying over the past few days.
The Torridon mountains look a long way off, and there's a sense of personal accomplishment that I've walked from there since Sunday morning. In my personal journal I've also been thinking about the next few days, as I complete the first stage of my pilgrimage and return to Bristol for a break.
Having got into the groove of walking, that will obviously stop for a while, but I'm hoping that some of the stillness I feel will continue. Looking back through my personal journal, there were quite a lot of questions in the early settling in period, but fewer of late. So I'm wondering whether these next few days of transition will provoke further observations. Let's see.
For this evening, I'm just going to enjoy the excellent facilities and welcome here in Skye Basecamp hostel, oh and the views which are stunning.
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