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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
Allison and Will joined me again for more paddling fun, probably the 6th or 7th time. As always we had a great time, paddling around, seeing the wildlife (3 otters swimming together this time), enjoying the sights and a good brew on the beach. I look forwards to next time!
Murray, Catherine, Cameron, Matthew and Fiona joined me a few yards from their holiday cottage in Badachro. We had some good calm conditions to paddle in, so calm that Cameron decided to throw himself in for a swim! It was a good session, with Cameron and Matthew trying their hardest to get each other as wet as possible.
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.
Lorna had more friends up in the area, so Maureen, Cerys along with Iain and Lorna joined me on a sunny calm afternoon at Mellon Charles. Cerys paddles a lot at home but her mum hasn’t done any. After a short while on the water Maureen realised that it is actually fun, so had a fantastic time. Iain and Lorna have paddled with me many many times before, so know my normal games but still seemed to enjoy every minute.
We had a low tide and very calm water, so where able to explore every nook and cranny of the coastline, seeing hundreds of star fish, plenty of urchins and some fantastic anemones.
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.
