Whyte kayak, Poolewe
Richard, Vivienne, Susannah, Caroline and Andrew met me in Poolewe for a session paddling around the side of Inverewe garden that doesn’t often get seen. This is the second trip that they’ve been on with me, last time Andrew had been stuck in a canoe with me due to an injury last time so he was keen to get out by himself in one of my small person boats. Another fun session on some very calm still water. Spotted the first little baby moon jellyfish of the season today!
Levack Jennings kayak, Gairloch
The afternoon session had the second half of the four families that are holidaying together – it must be a very hectic house their staying in! The Levacks – Philip, Ruth, Fraser and Erik – and Jennings – Pete, Juliette, Alex and Finn – kept my busy. Just like the morning crowd they were a great group that were keen to have some fun whilst exploring the area.
Irving Matthews kayak, Gairloch
A very busy day with four families that are holidaying together. During the morning session the Irvings – John, Katherine, Tom and Anna – and the Matthews – Steve, Catherine, Grace and Kieran joined me for a fun paddle. Different sized boats to suit the different sized paddlers really helps the smaller folk paddle well.
McKie kayak, Gairloch
I had a whole day with this family, in two groups of three. In the morning Alastair, Cole and Ben took to the water followed by Margaret, Ava and Isla in the afternoon. Seals, starfish, urchins, razorbills, gannets, oystercatchers, anemones, guls and porpoise but no badgers today! The lads all jumped in at the end – it’s still only April!…..
Gultnieks paddle, Gairloch
Nibby, Jake and Tom met me for a trip to explore the rocky shoreline and wildlife. We set off in a canoe and a kayak, having a great time learning how to paddle them. As well as the normal wildlife of seals, star fish, etc etc we happened to spot a badger on the shore – a first for one of my paddling trips!
Sarah & Sophie Kayak, Gairloch
Sarah and Sophie joined me for a lovely calm morning on the water. Opting for a sit on top and a sea kayak between them we set off to explore the scottish coastline from the ‘other side’. They’re on a big trip around parts of the west and north of scotland, seeing the water from the land up till now!
Wignall Kayak, Shieldaig
Alan, Pam, Imogen and George came paddling with me this afternoon, a sunny and calm afternoon. Alan and Pam have been canoeing with me before, having a house near Poolewe means they’re in the area a lot. Alan and George decided to use the sea kayaks and Pam and Imogen opted for the more stable sit on top kayaks.
Brunwin Kayak, Mellon Charles
John has recently bought himself a kayak and wanted to get out in it to learn some skills. We’d had some pretty wild and windy weather lately but this morning was the start of a nice calm period. After trying out some stokes we practiced them by exploring the exciting coastline around Mellon Charles.
Aspeslagh & Co Canoe, Badachro
Sofie, Bart, Andrew and Tom’as met me for an afternoon paddling from Badachro. It was a unusually warm and calm, a welcome change! They opted for canoes to explore the craggy coastline and search for seals. We spotted a range of wildlife above and below the surface, from tiny starfish to huge seals lounging out on the rocks.
David Kayak, Shieldaig
David had a slightly damp start to the morning but it didn’t keep the wildlife away. We had a very inquisitive seal who swam all around us, under us and next to us. It’s always a great sight to see a seal swimming right underneath your kayak. As we paddled gently around the shoreline we came across an otter swimming along and then pottering around on the shore.