David and Rhianne arrived for the afternoon session in Badachro. The wind died a little throughout the session, turning the water into a calm and tranquil place to be. The seal came out again to greet and watch us as we paddled along the coast.
Jane, Isabella, Christopher and Jennifer joined me in Badachro for a breezy session. We managed to find lots of sheltered spots from the breeze, enabling us to practice some strokes, play some games and see some wildlife.
Stuart and Louise joined me for a slightly early birthday present for Stuart. We had a good paddle around the coast and found a seal that wanted to be our friend. He kept swimming with us, under our boats and surfacing next to us.
The wind direction dictated that little Loch Shieldaig was the place to be again, that’s where I met Peter, Jane, Millie, Harry, Bryony and Edith. Despite the forecast the wind held off initially and let the midges come out to play, after a speedy initial chat we headed onto the water to get away from them. Harry took it a step further and threw himself into the loch at the very start – presumably to wash off any remaining midges.
We had a good session paddling – getting to grips with the kayaks and seeing the coast and wildlife around it.
Richard, Lindsay, Katie, James and Andrew joined me for a wet session at Gairloch Harbour. As we set off the weather was perfect, but soon after the rain started. It chose not to stop, so we just had to keep having fun in the rain. At the end of the session James, Andrew and Katie where fairly wet from the rain, so falling in (or maybe being pushed…) didn’t matter!
Chris and Rosemary joined me for the evening paddle. They had been trying to get out with me for ages, a session that we had had planned last week had to be cancelled due to the strong winds. Luckily we found some calm conditions after days of winter like winds.
They have otters on their ‘spot list’, sadly we were not able to tick them off – in fact, we ended up only seeing a few seals in a spot where lots are normally spotted. That’s wildlife for you – never predictable!
Rosemary didn’t actually spend her time reading a book whilst paddling, it was just a picture for the school library competition where she is a teacher.
Peter, Jane and Jonah arrived for the afternoon session – another session in little Loch Shieldaig, nestled in the south eastern end of Loch Gairloch.
We had a few drops of rain, but that wasn’t going to ruin the day. As we paddled around we even spotted some crabs hiding in the seaweed.
After a break from padding for a few days due to strong winds I was back on the water for a busy day. Gareth, Rhys and Siân joined me in the morning for a fun paddling session heading around little Loch Shieldaig, learning to paddle, looking at the wildlife, and of course having fun.
Lynne, mum of the group, chose not to join us on our paddling session. Instead she visited the newly renovated Shieldaig Lodge Hotel for coffee. The whole place has been renovated recently and is certainly worth a visit.
Richard, Jo, Cameron and Daniel joined me for the afternoon on the water. We had a low tide which meant we had to carry the boats further at the start and end of the session but it has the advantage that we get to see lots more in the water just below the low water level.
We had a good time searching for creatures along the shoreline as we paddled. Lots of star fish, sea urchins, jelly fish and seals where seen all around us, not forgetting lots of Loch Gairloch piranhas!
Towards the end of the session the rain came, but that didn’t matter in the slightest because it was time to get a little wet! Time for a few ‘wet games’ to make sure they didn’t notice the rain.
A nice sunny and wind free day came along (I can probably count on one hand how many days like this we’ve had so far this summer…); Alison, Will and Sophie joined me for the morning kayaking. After getting used to the boats and learning some strokes we set off to explore the coastline and have some fun. We had a relaxing break on a beach to enjoy hot drinks and cake, then set off again to see more jelly fish and seals.
Abigail, Angus, Archie and Rebecca joined me again for a session. They had paddled with me a couple of years ago in Poolewe, being regulars to the area. They stay in Inverasdale, the other side of the loch, so normally do things over their – being on this side of the loch gave them the views from a different angle for a change.
Alan, Cora and Aidan met me at Mellon Charles ‘Boom’ beach. We had a good time paddling by the beach and the old pier, we also headed around the coastline for a brew and biscuits on a little beach around the corner. I don’t see seals as often here as I do in other places, but we were lucky enough to encounter one.
It was a slightly damp morning that Mark arrived along with Tom, Louise, James, and Muireann. That didn’t dampen their spirts though, we set off in a selection of boats out into the harbour to paddle around, improve some skills, play some games and see some seals.
Gavin and Morven had their three children Angus, Ailsa and Isla with them for a kayaking session. We got on the water and practised some skills, played some games, saw some views and wildlife, then topped it off with more games. Everyone was paddling really well until suddenly expectantly Gavin and Isla’s boat decided to flip over. They got back on boats and where glad it was near the end of the session so they could get warm soon.
Ailsa got chased by a seal. Maybe it was that seal that capsized Isla’s boat?….
Colin, Lucy and James came along for a kayaking session from Gairloch Harbour. We had a good time paddling around playing games and seeing some impressive jelly fish.
Alan and Andrea brought their kids Alice and Lily along for some fun kayaking from Gairloch Harbour. Paddling in the harbour area and along the coastline, playing games, leaning skills and enjoying hot chocolate on the beach.
Helena, Adrian, Scarlett, Kate, Danny and Rebecca all came to Poolewe for a paddling session. We hopped in a variety of boats including canoes, sit on tops kayaks and a closed cockpit kayak. After getting used to the boats and how they respond to different strokes we set off on a little journey to find some seals. Success, we found some seals along with flocks of herrons and oyster catchers.
Lyn and young Archie met me in Gairloch for a quick evening session on the water. We paddled around in the harbour area, learning to manoeuvre our boats and playing games. A fun filled session.