Susan, Scott and Ashleigh met me in Poolewe for a fun morning kayaking. They live locally and having been thinking about getting some kayaks so they booked a trip out with me to see if kayaking is for them. They seemed to love it, so hopefully I’ve got them hooked!

Jo and Graham met me for an afternoon paddling from the boom beach in Mellon Charles. It was a lovely calm afternoon so we explored the craggy coastline before finding a quiet beach to have a brew on.

Julie has her own kayak and wanted to learn about safety kit, improve her paddling skills and practice rescue skills. It was a great calm morning to paddle around the coastline. The few spots of rain at the end of the session didn’t matter since we’d been swimming about doing self rescue practice!

Julie joined me for a stunning afternoon paddling in the sunshine. We kayaked around Inverewe garden, seeing parts of the garden that folk don’t normally get to see. Heading along the little peninsular we had a few seals swimming about following us.

Nigel, Annika, Caley, Emily and Freya met me just outside their campsite in Poolewe for a morning kayaking. We had some super weather, which was a nice change compared to how it has been lately. An inquisitive seal watched us as we spent a bit of time improving our strokes.

Aimee and Holly joined me for a relaxing afternoon canoeing. We started out by heading into the wind thinking we’d have the wind with us on the way back, in typical style the wind seemed to drop on our way back so not as much wind to help us. It was still a great paddle back even without the wind assistance!

Louise and Callum were touring around the NC500, to see Scotland from a different view they joined me for a morning paddle from Poolewe. Callum used to work as an outdoor instructor and was keen to go solo in a canoe, Louise wanted an easier option so opted for a sit on top kayak.

Lewis, Charlie, Ben and Tom met me in a midgie spot for some fun kayaking. They’re all kayakers so because of the midges our on land time was cut down to a minimum so that we could get out away from the little pests! Being river paddlers they weren’t so used to the longer touring kayaks, but with a little bit of getting used to them they started to enjoy the speed of the boats.

Christine, Peter, Jenny and Lydia met me for a paddle from Poolewe. There was a wee bit of hesitation about everyone being in single kayaks but after a short while on the water they were all enjoying freedom from each other! A bit of a breeze gave some harder paddling at times but it didn’t cause any issues for anyone.

Chris and Maria were staying in Poolewe which overlooks where we paddled. The kayaking that they’ve done in the past has been in double boats but today they each jumped in their own. Without the stress of needing to keep up with other people meant they could relax and enjoy the session far more. I never mix groups so that people get the session that they want.

Simon joined me to kayak paddle by Inverewe Garden this morning. His partner sadly had to work but that didn’t stop us having a good time exploring the coastline and watching the wildlife.

So, what do I do on my day off? Well, I generally only have days off when it’s too windy to paddle or if I’ve got something else booked in like mountain rescue training days. My role in the team is training officer, so I do tend to make sure I’m not working when it’s a training day. Today was a watery day – river crossings, throw line practice and swimming in rapids on the River Ewe. Not quite a day off from the water for me!

Padma, Sara, Amanda, Harpreet and Gurchetam spent the afternoon kayaking with me from Poolewe. We had some tricky wind at the start before getting calm winds. Great views back towards hills like Beinn Airigh Charr!

Carrick and Kay had initially booked me last year but due to restrictions they couldn’t make it up here. We managed to get out this year and had a great time exploring the coastline by Inverewe.

Liz and Dominic came to Mellon Charles for an adventure in canoes. The lovely calm afternoon made our canoe trip very relaxed as we pottered about spotting birds around the coastline. They’re on a month long trip around the NC500 – that’s possibly nearly enough time to do it properly!

Karl, Chloe, Laura and Will spent the morning with me kayaking from the boom beach in Mellon Charles. They’re on their way around the NC500 and ensured they made time for the best activity! A fun morning exploring the craggy coastline.

Shantha, Jo, Lia, Alec, Agnes, Volker and Fetloz joined me for a busy afternoon exploring the craggy coastline in kayaks. It was a fun afternoon with time spent playing games as we learnt how to paddle the boats well, time spent spotting wildlife through the crystal clear water and time spent relaxing in the sunshine.

Duncan, Sarah, Eira and Art had fantastic weather with me on the water this morning. They’ve all done some kayaking before but not for a little while due to covid. They soon remembered what to do with just a few pointers.