06 Jan 2020

North West Bay Delights

With a fifty year age range (31 to 81), and an excitement range of mild-apprehension to ecstatic longing, I led the largest group I have ever guided over the North West Bay walk on Campbell Island today. Our number was 34, our interests varied, our backgrounds diverse, our journey arduous, glorious and biologically profuse.

From the wharf at Beeman Point we made our way around to Tucker Cove, passing tall stands of Giant Button Daisies, and chatting casually to the Elephant Seals hauled up in Tucker.

Up over Homestead Ridge we attained the slip leading to Col-Saddle, passing good numbers of nesting Southern Royal Albatross along the saddle until we reached one of the richest Megaherb fields on the island. Here also we found one of a number of breeding pairs of Brown Skua as well as fantastic views into North West Bay and of Dent Island.

We wound our way down the calcareous cliff edges, through thickets of Emperor Daisies and Giant Campbell Island Carrots before undertaking our most technical move. We weaved our way through a labyrinth of 2-3 m high pedestalled Poa tussocks that eventually degrades into a narrow gorged creek.

With everyone safely on the beach at Capstan Cove we once again began to climb. With an uncharacteristic South Easterly blowing, we took refuge and lunched under tall Turpentine Scrub before climbing back up an old fenceline that once bisected the island. We sidled through tussock grassland, across quaking bog, and through short scrub until we found ourselves at Cave Rock, once the hideaway of the island's war time coastwatchers.

From here it was a short, sharp descent into Camp Cove before returning back to the ship. A group of delighted battlers were soon sharing stories of waist high mud and waist high Albatross back in the bar on board Spirit of Enderby.

It is a true pleasure to be able to share such a unique and genuine island experience with such a sundry mixture of travellers.

Image © A.Fergus, Heritage Expeditions