Anna & Ana are cycling around some of the NC500, today was a rest day as they were only cycling from Kinlochewe to Gairloch. What better thing to do than take to the water and work the arms instead of the legs!

Kevin and Sue joined me for a morning paddle to explore the coastline south of Gairloch harbour. We a low tide so were able to spot lots of star fish and urchins as we pottered along.

Phil and Tim have their own kayaks and paddleboards but they haven’t done much canoeing, so they were keen to have a session with me to learn some solo canoe skills. We spent time practicing different strokes so that they could maneuver their canoes nicely. The snow falling as we paddled was quite a change from last week but didn’t put any of us off too much!

Kevin, Iris, Fiene and Stijn joined me for a sunny kayak from Poolewe. The wind picked up a bit but they all fought through it to the sheltered area by Inverewe where we played games, looked at the scenery, gazed through the water and spotted seals. They’re staying over by Bliss Haus which is a lovely cottage on the shore of Loch Ewe.

I had another day with Allison, Will and Lucy. I think this might have been my 20th time on the water with Allison and Will – my normal conversation topics and jokes don’t quite cut it anymore! The lovely low tide gave us plenty of wildlife to see at the waterline whilst the sea eagle watch us from above.

Allan and Christina met me on a sunny afternoon in Gairloch. They opted for the sea kayaks and we set off to explore the craggy coastline under blue skies.

Grahame use to live in the area and it was great to see him again. We had planned to get out in the boats before now but the weather got in the way. This time the weather was perfect, blue skies, calm seas and some good April warmth.

Steve, Caroline, Dave and Katharine all joined me in Poolewe to get out on the water and see the views from a different perspective.

Andrew and Jill joined me to explore the coastline around Inverewe Garden. They’re staying in the area at their friends great little pods in Mellon Charles.

David and Aiden joined me again for another paddle. We started off at Poolewe and let the wind help push us along and around the coastline to Aultbea. Hopefully next time I finish paddling at the Aultbea Hotel it will be open again, a great location on the shore.

Trina, Robert and Harry joined me for a sunny morning on the water. It was another smiley morning as we explored the coastline and had fun.

Jennifer, Stephen and Jack joined me for a nice session on the water. The rain when we met didn’t deter spirits, it was a good smiley session throughout.

Danny, Corinne and Oliver joined me to have a splash in the sunshine. We had a nice low tide and spotted loads of urchins, as we looked at the urchins the seals watched us.

David, Jenny, Fraser and Alice met me on a sunny morning to explore the coastline from Gairloch harbour. After a slight hesitance about the sea kayaks compared to the very stable sit on top kayaks, we all headed out in sea kayaks and had a great time.

Emily and Dez met me for a sunny blue sky afternoon, they went for the sea kayaks and we set off around the craggy Inverewe coastline. Low tides mean we have to carry the boats a long way to get on the water but the benefit is that we get to see some good wildlife, we spotted a very cute tiny starfish hiding in an alcove.

No, this isn’t a mistake, the Pat, Cathy and Callan joined me for a second morning in a row. This time we headed out from Poolewe and explored the coastline around Inverewe garden.

David, Aidan, Rory and Fergus were back with me for another session in the kayaks. They all opted for the sea kayaks this time and we headed out on a trip around Horrisdale. A few curious seals distracted us for a while as we sat in the sunshine watching them.

Pat, Cathy and Callan all joined me for a fun morning on the water. We headed out in kayaks to practice some strokes, play some games and spot a bit of wildlife.