Bee Kayak, Gairloch Harbour
Gordon, Lesley, Grace and Ruby met me at Gairloch Harbour for a fun morning on the water. We had great morning exploring the coastline and having fun.
Meek Kayak, Loch Maree
Colin, Erin and Owen met me again, this time for a paddle on Loch Maree. We had a great day paddling around in some very atmospheric conditions.
(Credit for the picture goes to Colin as my waterproof camera had finally taken on a little too much salt water.)
Clark Duthie Kayak, Mellon Charles
Emma and Raymond joined me for the afternoon session at Mellon Charles. We had a pleasant paddle looking at the wildlife as well as some of the world war two structures.
Buck Kayak, Mellon Charles
Helen and Martin met me in Mellon Charles for some scenic kayaking as part of their NC500 trip. We had a good sunny time, paddling around the coastline.
Whitehead Kayak, Loch Shieldaig
It was a busy day, so I was meeting Emily, Tim, Elliot and George in the evening near the Shieldaig Lodge Hotel. We hadn’t managed to get out the morning before due to the wind speeds so we managed to fit it in now. Like with the rest of the day the midges found us early on, but soon got left behind on land as we paddled away from them. George took a quick dip early on in the session, I think a piranha to the face was partly to blame! Everyone else stayed dryish, ignoring the rain, till the end when Tim and George managed to go for a swim whilst Emily and Elliot kept their balance.
Murray Paddle, Loch Shieldaig
Alistair, Debra, Robert and Alex met me for a good session on the water, we started fighting the midges, but soon moved onto the beach to escape them. We had a good session paddling around the loch and playing games. Being in the shelter of the loch meant it was a little midgy on shore, but it meant we got shelter from the breeze meaning we had lovely calm waters to paddle on.
Thompson & Arntz Paddle, Loch Shieldaig
We met at a midge infested car park, so we all donned midge nets for our chatting at the start – a common look around these parts! Once we got onto the water we left the little pests behind and were able to breath freely. A fun session was had with plenty of games and excitement.
Kidd Kayak, Mellon Charles
Michael, Susan, Emily and Jonathan met me for an afternoon paddle from Mellon Charles. We had a mixed selection of weather, but that didn’t deter us from having a great time paddling, exploring the coast and playing games.
Maclean Carruthers Kayak, Mellon Charles
Many folk come up to this are every year on holiday, some come multiple times a year. Eileen Andrew and JJ booked a session with me, they then invited Gordon and Ben along – friends in Edinburgh and all of them regular visitors up here. Ben had been paddling with me before, so knew a few of my games already. We had some very inquisitive seals, swimming nice and close to get a good look at us.
Tomkinson Paddle, Gairloch
Pete and Linda joined me again this year, the #NC500 got them up here last year but the fantastic scenery and places brought them back to explore more. Last year we paddled from Mellon Charles, due to the very low tide we saw huge amounts of wildlife, this year we had another low tide and managed to see a fair amount of wildlife from star fish to urchins to seals.
Stainforth Kayak, Gairloch
The Stainforth clan met me on a sunny morning for some kayaking fun at Gairloch Harbour. We chose to use a combination of my trusty stable sit on top kayaks for Dave and Becca, Janet and Annie were in my small kayaks that are designed so smaller paddlers can handle them well. We spent some time learning how to use them along by practising strokes but mainly playing games, then we went for a paddle to see what we could see in the sea.
Yang Paddle, Gairloch
The afternoon was spent enjoying some paddling around the harbour and coastline at Gairloch. The only unfortunate bit of the session was when Yu had his GoPro knocked off his head by a flying piranha. After a lot of searching (it was 4′-5′ deep water) we couldn’t find it. Luckily I spotted it the next day when it was low tide, so was able go get it out for Yu. After that a good session was had, seeing seals and enjoying the coastline.
Devlin Kayak, Gairloch
Leanne and Niall fancied a paddling break on their #NC500 trip so made sure they booked with me. After choosing their boats from my selection we set off to learn how the boats handle, see some wildlife and enjoy the fantastic scenery.
Hamer Canoe, Loch Shieldaig
Malcolm, Hannah, Emily and George met me near the Shieldaig Lodge Hotel, just south from Gairloch. The were across from Inverness on a quick holiday. We had a good session, paddling in a bit of wind at times but managing to control the canoes well around the loch. Emily and George completed my balancing tasks well, not even falling off when I got them sitting on the very front of the canoes!
Waddell & Co Kayak, Mellon Charles
Nick, Kerry, Anita and Barry met me to explore the coastline by kayak. Nick and Kerry have a house here in Mellon Charles and have thoughts of getting some kayaks, so they came out with me to try out some boats and learn some skills. We had a breezy afternoon, but it was a good session on the water. Anita and Barry will hopefully get to paddle in the hotter climate of Australia where they plan to move to soon.
Green Kayak, Mellon Charles
Donna, Jed and Christy met me at the boom beach in Mellon Charles. Coming across from the Isle of Ewe, they had already been on a boat this morning. Donna had grown up on the island, they where back in the area for a few weeks. Donna knows the waters well but had never paddled around them in a kayak. They all had a great time exploring the rocky coastline, playing some games and getting drenched!
Wilson Kayak, Loch Shieldaig
Sandy, Susan, Lucy and Isla met me in the afternoon to enjoy some paddling. We set off in canoes initially, Lucy joining me in my boat and the others paddling another canoe. After some skill learning, games and seal watching we switched over to kayaks. Once we got in the kayaks we learnt paddling skills in them and then played more games.
Tulloch Kayak, Loch Shieldaig
Lee, Clare, Arran and Caila met me near the Shieldaig Lodge Hotel for a fun filled morning in kayaks. We headed out to learn how to paddle them, played plenty of games, saw lots of wildlife and got wet.
