Jamie, Lisa, Carl, Juanita and Cameron-May spent the morning paddling with me in canoes. We had a nice low tide so lots of urchins and starfish were easily spotted above and below the waterline.

James, Cheryl and Cody crewed one boat whilst Sophie and Hailey jumped in my boat. We had a nice calm afternoon to learn some skills and have some fun on the water.

Colin and Lorna spent the morning in kayaks whilst Calum and Iona joined me in my canoe as we learnt to paddle and had fun playing around the rugged coastline.

Tim and Lauren came out with me this afternoon, exploring the interesting area just south of Gairloch harbour.

It may have been a grey day but Ian, Elaine, Samantha and Richard still enjoyed kayaking around the craggy coastline.

Kirsty, Gavin, Calum and Alec spent a sunny afternoon with me. The two lads got to grips with the little boats well and we had a good time exploring the area.

Lindsey, Matt and James escaped from the kids this morning for a relaxing kayak on the tranquil seas.

Philip, Clare, Eloise and Ceria met me for an afternoon sea kayaking from Shieldaig. We explored along the coastline around to Badachro, slightly different surroundings from their home in Switzerland!

Steven, Sophie and Lewis met me near the Shieldaig Lodge Hotel for a session on Loch Shieldaig. There’s less seals here lately than there normally are but we still spotted a few swimming around watching us.

Jemima, Paul, Kirsten, Ailsa and Rory came for some fun kayaking around the islands in Loch Shieldaig. At the end of the session the three younger smiths were keen to capsize but Jemima and Paul had more sense!

Anne, Jonathan, James and Isabelle joined me to spend the afternoon sea kayaking around the coastline. Being sailors they enjoyed paddling around the yachts as we paddled past them.

Ray, Katie and Lucy explored Loch Shieldaig in a combination of canoes and kayaks. Yet more blue skies and sunshine kept us warm on the water.

Kenny, lauren and Kirsten joined me for a fun afternoon exploring the craggy coastline. Learning how to paddle the kayaks feels far easier when there’s no wind and bright sunshine like today!

Soraya, John and Roya had been paddling a year before and so were keen to get back out in boats. We explored the coastline around Mellon Charles, paddling through the rocky corridors and exploring the exciting coastline. We stopped for our brew break on their holiday cottages beach.

Kirsty, Emma and Alison came out for a paddle this afternoon in the glorious sunshine. On our paddle around the interesting coastline we spotted lots of wildlife including the less frequently seen barrel jellyfish.

Derek, Paula, Leo and Gabriel joined me for a paddle from Badachro to see the area from a different perspective. The landscape is a little different from their normal surroundings of New York. The sunshine and heat certainly felt more NY than Wester Ross, but we weren’t complaining!

George and Alex came out in kayaks from Gairloch harbour. At one point as we paddled around the coastline an otter was lying on his back relaxing in the sunshine in front of us. At the end of the session Alex was keen to capsize, so over he went, I’m sure it was refreshing on such a lovely hot day!

Jame, Alison, Isla, Iain and Ishbel joined me for a morning of fun on the water in canoes and kayaks. As we were having our brew break on the beach a sea eagle flew over us, I suspect he was eyeing up our custard creams!