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I know its a long to Scotland to go paddling but it really is well worth it! I’ve now been home for three days but my mind keeps drifting away to the paddling that took place, the lovely people we met and the challenges we faced.
There are lots of favourites involved in this trip…not least my favourite service station……it’s named Tebay. Its not only good food and extremely clean but it is also the place where Geoff managed to offload a dodgy 10 pound note at the restaurant only for the next customer (Keelan) to be given it in his change!
Talking of money the trip didn’t really cost that much. Here is a breakdown for two people….
Fuel £150
Accommodation 3 nights Callander Hostel, Morags Barn £200
Eating and drinking grog and gruel, ben nevis inn morags barn £100
Presents for the family £0
Paying a guide/coach £0Three days paddling and three nights accommodation. It’s about £250 each.
Day 1 Paddling on the river Moriston.
This is a dam release river releasing most Tuesdays during the Summer months.
I would class it at grade 4. It has a nice drop named sticky hole which can be easily sessioned.. The top drop is quite intimidating to look at but a friendly chap from Inverness was happy to show us the way. I cautiously missed this drop out last year and I must admit it had been playing on my mind during the drive up. I had viewed lots of youtube footage but hadn’t really come up with a strategy. As I left the eddy of fear I planned two right strokes. Most first timers have to roll up at the bottom, but a nice pool allows broken body parts to be picked up. I rolled up and turned around to watch Jonathon. A final left stroke took him nicely into the hole of doom. He popped up and rolled. A successful whoop by Jonathon was heard in the adjoining Glen! The Graveyard section of the river is quite challenging and we excitedly await the photographs taken by a friendly Romanian photographer who just happened to be passing.
Nice Weather, Nice People, Nice Paddle, Nice Day.Day 2 Paddling on the river Etive
The rain had fallen on Rannoch Moor bringing the river into perfect condition for paddling. An unexpected bonus! A Scots Pie for breakfast is highly recommended. I’m not really sure of the ingredients but maybe its best not to know. A nice warm up on the bottom drop of triple we joined forces with a Cumbrian University group and had a great run down this river. The landscape reminds me of a planet from the set of the original star trek series. Large and weird rock formations making the paddler feel extremely small. Boof drops lead down to right angle falls. Intimidating to say the least. I last ran this 8 years ago. I’m still paddling in the same gear pretty much!Your in the lap of the gods at the bottom of this drop. We both rolled up successfully and battled with being pushed up against the wall.
We visited a few pubs and managed to cross Luss Bridge at 9.55pm. It was closing for maintenance at 10 pm! A long 100 mile detour would have been necessary!
Nice Weather (a few midges today) Nice People, Nice Paddle, Nice Day.Day 3 Paddling on the river Garry ( Grade 3 Dam Release )
Making friends has now become second nature to us. And sure enough we were guided along the river by an old bunch who showed us all of the different play features and the lines to take. They showed us down the next set of rapids after the usual get out. Brilliant. They would easily fit in with us lot.
I was too tired for a second lap and so Jonathon successfully ran it solo enjoying all of the features along the way whilst I sorted out a pot noodle. Curry flavour is quite nice.
Nice Weather, Nice People, Nice Paddle, Nice Day.Well done to Jonathon on his first trip. This was my fifth paddling trip to Scotland. There are still places I would like to go including the Orchy, Tummel and Findhorn.
Fancy it?
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