In part two of my bikepacking trip to the Isle of Mull, the weather properly closes in and it turns into one of those days where you’re just thinking, “Right… we’re not getting the camera out today.” It absolutely hammered down all night, I ended up stuck in the tent for about 14 hours, and I had to start making the usual wet-weather compromises—tarp up, find shelter, keep kit as dry as possible, and just accept it’s going to be a bit grim. Even so, I still got out and worked the coastline for otters—this isn’t a masterclass, it’s basically “eyes on.” The beauty of doing it by bike is I can move slowly, stop anywhere, and scan the shore properly. I also tried using a thermal to help pick otters out when they’re tucked into kelp and almost invisible. The big takeaway is simple: keep your distance, let them wake up and hunt, then leapfrog ahead along the shoreline and give yourself a chance when they come in. Despite the miserable conditions (and a bit of a tent leak), I managed some cracking otter portraits, a few other bits like turnstones, and even a surprise hooper swan sighting on the roadside—proper memory bank stuff.