They are some of the most stunning islands in the world, mostly uninhabited and with no sign of man – except an unwelcome invasion of plastic.
So a concerned group of nine women kayakers paid to combine a holiday in west coast waters with collecting plastic from the shores of the Summer Isles – said to be the setting of cult film The Wicker Man.
The eco-trip has been so successful that the tour operator is planning more.
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The plastic paddlers were led by Erin Bastian of Cornwall-based Evoke Adventure.
They teamed up with Kayak Summer Isles and over several days collected “tonnes of nets, crates, rope, buoys, toys and endless amounts of plastic bottles.”
Will Copestake, 28, owner of Kayak Summer Isles, said he had become increasingly concerned about the damage being done by marine plastic.
“So together with Erin we put on this trip where people paid to pick up plastic but also kayak to some of the most beautiful places,” he said.
“In total we collected plastic from seven or eight beaches. There was so much plastic that I could have filled my trailer up five times over. It was mostly fishing gear.
“Some of the plastic was really old and very brittle. There were even tins that originated from the old Klondyker factory ships that used to visit the area in the 1960s.
“We are doing a lot of trips to the Summer Isles and it was nice to give something back and do something positive for the environment.
“What was surprising was that what rubbish you saw from a distance was nothing compared to when you got close up. It was far worse than we expected.”
Mr Copestake said the trip was such a success that more would be run next year.
“It is really interesting to see how motivated people have been. People have wanted to have a holiday which does some good for the environment as well as themselves.”
Ms Bastian, 30, from Falmouth in Cornwall, said the women who had joined her on the plastic pick-up had come from all over the UK, including Wales, Brighton and London.
“I have seen more and more plastic in the sea in recent years and it is challenging to say the least particularly collecting it in hard to reach beaches. So I decided to do something about it,” said Erin.
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“This trip combined adventure with activism and everybody felt good that they were doing something great for themselves as well as the environment. I am planning more of these types of expeditions in Scotland and elsewhere. We probably collected at least a ton of plastic on every single beach – on some more. It was horrendous – and a much bigger project than we envisaged.”
The organisation Living Seas has also helped remove the rubbish.
