Marianne house sat for me last year when I had a trip to Australia, she looked after the ducks and Stan the cat well. She likes Wester Ross so came back to house sit for a friend this year. We hadn’t got a chance to go for a paddle last year, so went for a trip around the coastline from the boom beach in Mellon Charles.
Alan and Pamela joined me for two trips, initially from Gairloch Harbour and then from Poolewe. They have a family cottage in Poolewe, so know the area well but have’t canoed on the waters before. Alan is booked to go on a trip along the River Tay later on in the year, so wanted to get some experience paddling canoes.
We had a fantastically calm morning at Gairloch, the sea was still with not a breath of wind in the air. Sadly the same can’t be said for the rain in the air – but luckily a bit of rain doesn’t really matter too much. Poolewe’s paddle was far dryer but a bit windier, which was good as we wanted a breeze to practice more challenging paddling in. We spent a lot of time over the two sessions leaning the basics of lots of strokes, practising them as we paddled around the coastline seeing the wildlife and sights.
Lisa, Bella, Cormac and Andy met me for an afternoon of fun on the water. We played lots of games, enjoyed the sunshine, got pretty wet, chatted to some seals and had a good time.
Maddie, Sue and Tony met me by the Shieldaig Lodge Hotel for a fun filled session. We learnt lots of skills, played lots of games, paddled
around some fantastic coastline and saw lots of seals.
Billie and Shane are across from Buckie to enjoy the magnificent NC500. After a night in Applecross they came up to Gairloch for some paddling before heading north towards Ullapool. We had a great time on the water, learning kayak skills, having fun and enjoying the rocky coastline.
All the way from Hungary to drive the NC500, Balazs and Timea came out with me kayaking from Gairloch Harbour. We had a great time paddling around the coastline, seeing the seals and having fun. 
Fiona and Bruce left the kids at home this afternoon as they joined me for a paddle. We headed out from the harbour to explore the coastline. It was a good paddle with a nice selection of wildlife on route and a few seals to keep us company.
The beautiful sunshine continued into the afternoon, the beach got busier (at least a handful of other folk on the beach – busy in Wester Ross terms!), and the Fisher family arrived to see me again. I’ve paddled with them for quite a few years now, but for some reason they keep coming back.
This time Rob and Letty left Erin and Louise at home but brought Bram, Madelief, Roelien and Antony along. We had a great time paddling around in kayaks, exploring around the rocky coastline and ending up on their holiday accommodation’s beach. We bumped into Louise and Erin for a brew, then headed back onto the water for more paddling and games.
It was a great day of weather after a number of winter days that had slipped into summer somehow. The water was still, the sun shone and everyone was happy. Chris, Rosie, Edgar and Audrey joined me in Mellon Charles for a pleasant paddle, initially in canoes and then kayaks. It was even the sort of day that I didn’t mind getting wet!
Danny, Rebecca, Tom, Hannah, Hayley, Andy, Jason and Clare met me on a sunny afternoon in Badachro. With various levels of experience we set off to learn about the boats and how to handle them, enjoying a nice paddle in the sunshine with the seals.
David, Susan and young Erynn met me in Badachro for a fun session to try out canoeing and kayaking. We first set off in canoes on the hunt for seals, then we headed out in kayaks for more fun on the water.
It was a special day and holiday for these folk, Donald was celebrating his birthday today and just a few days earlier Duncan and Mandy got married. What better way to celebrate than a session on the water with Ewe Canoe?!…
We had a great, fun session on the water (and in the water for a few folk!). An enjoyable evening for all.
Emma, Fiona, Robert, Eilidh and Stuart joined me on a nice day to have some fun on the water. Emma is the local high school’s geography and geology teacher, so we looked at some of the rock on our way around!
It was a rather damp and murky day in Wester Ross. I met Fiona and Stephen near the Shieldaig Lodge Hotel, the rain didn’t dampen our spirits much and we jumped straight onto the water to see the sights and have some fun.
I had a brief break from Wester Ross at the start of the Scottish school holidays (rubbish timing to be away – sorry to any folk who I couldn’t take out then). I went down to Mull with the Gairloch area explorer scouts. We had a great time on the island, certainly a place I’d suggest you’d go.
David, Karlis, Marion and Sharon met me in Gairloch on a sunny bright day. The weather looked perfect for a bit of splashing about in boats, so we set off for a bit of exploration and fun.
Anne and Peter joined me again for some more paddling. This year we went from Badachro, just along the road from where they are staying. We had some lovely still weather to paddle in, with seals nipping up to watch us and birds flying around. Anne and Peter last paddled with me over in Mellon Charles on an equally still day.
Some scouts from the Ross & Sutherland district are heading off to Canada later on in the summer, they’re due to be doing some canoing whilst out there (well, what else would you do in Canada?!). Most of them had done some paddling before, remembering bits and showing their skills. They all refreshed their memories of the strokes or learnt new ones in preparation for showing off to the Canadian scouts.
As always, it was a fun session with plenty of games and excitement. Most ended the session jumping of the pontoon to ensure they didn’t have any dry patches left!
