Gairloch – Page 2 – Ewe Canoe – Gairloch and Loch Ewe Kayak and Canoe Adventures

Whitehead Kayak, Loch Shieldaig

5-8-16 Whitehead (5)

5-8-16 Whitehead (3) 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.

5-8-16 Whitehead (22)

Murray Paddle, Loch Shieldaig

5-8-16 Murray (21)

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.

5-8-16 Murray (24) 5-8-16 Murray (31)

Thompson & Arntz Paddle, Loch Shieldaig

5-8-16 Thompson & Arntz (23)

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.

5-8-16 Thompson & Arntz (31)

Tomkinson Paddle, Gairloch

2-8-16 Tomkinson (12) 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.

2-8-16 Tomkinson (14)

Stainforth Kayak, Gairloch

2-8-16 Stainforth (1)

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.

2-8-16 Stainforth (54) 2-8-16 Stainforth (42)

Devlin Kayak, Gairloch

1-8-16 Devlin (10)

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.

1-8-16 Devlin (1)

Hamer Canoe, Loch Shieldaig

31-7-16 Hamer (35)

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!

31-7-16 Hamer (30) 31-7-16 Hamer (31)

Tulloch Kayak, Loch Shieldaig

28-7-16 Tulloch (8)

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.

28-7-16 Tulloch (1) 28-7-16 Tulloch (27)

Wood Kayak, Loch Shieldaig

25-7-16 Wood (57) Iain, Christine, Frazer, Calum and Cara joined me again for a session by the Shieldaig Lodge Hotel. We had paddled together a few years ago, from that experience I guessed it was going to be a very wet session with them! It was, and not just because of the rain! It was a fun session with plenty of games but we also managed to get some good views of seals whilst on the water.

25-7-16 Wood (29)
25-7-16 Wood (53)

Wignall Canoe, Gairloch & Poolewe

20+23-7-16 Wignall (22) 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.

20+23-7-16 Wignall (30)

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.

20+23-7-16 Wignall (49)

Dillon Kayak, Shieldaig

22-7-16 Dillon (38)

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. 22-7-16 Dillon (46)

Clayton Kayak, Shieldaig

22-7-16 Clayton (11)

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.

22-7-16 Clayton (20)

22-7-16 Clayton (31)

Billie & Shane Kayak, Gairloch

21-7-16 Billie & Shane (45)

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.

21-7-16 Billie & Shane (34)

Balazs & Timea Kayak, Gairloch

21-7-16 Balazs & Timea (19)

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. 21-7-16 Balazs & Timea (16)

Smith Kayak, Gairloch

20-7-16 Smith (13) 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.

Ritchie & Co Kayak, Shieldaig

12-07-16 Ritchie (30)

12-07-16 Ritchie (44)

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.

12-07-16 Ritchie (16)

Smith & Co Kayak, Shieldaig

12-07-16 Smith & Co (30)

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!

12-07-16 Smith & Co (43)

12-07-16 Smith & Co (25)

12-07-16 Smith & Co (14)

Fiona & Stephen Kayak, Shieldaig

11-07-16 Fiona & Stephen (3)

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.

11-07-16 Fiona & Stephen (25)

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