Conditions were good and gentle, perfect for open canoes. We learnt quite a lot of different paddling/ steering techniques from our friend, Dave Joy (Pinnacle adventure) but those were done in calm, non-windy conditions and didn't really prepare us (well...me anyway, partially overestimated my own abilities/ endurance and underestimated the sheer task of going from coast to coast) for the Scotland trip this April - the Great Glen canoe trail.
Conditions encountered in Scotland were much worse and we had such a hard time dealing with choppy water, wind, rain and everything else... at one point I seriously didn't think we would complete the expedition. Detail account of the Great Glen trip is to follow shortly, but here's a description of the trip by Mike Dunthorne and Eddie Palmer of the Scottish Canoe Association.
CANOE TRAIL GUIDE TO THE GREAT GLEN
The Glen is the background, and the Caledonian Canal is the waterway, which offers a beautiful route of 60+ miles (96km) from Fort William to Inverness, and British Waterways is the navigation authority for the whole length. The Great Glen/ Caledonian canal is a varied waterway which crosses Scotland from west coast to east coast, and is both a long-distance touring voyage, and is used for many attractive day paddles. It consists of both natural lochs and man-made canal, designed some 200 years ago by Thomas Telford. Loch Lochy is 12 miles (20km) long; Loch Oich 5 miles (8km), and Loch Ness a huge 23 miles (37km) in length! The Great Glen route is very popular with canoeists and kayakers, and used for club holidays, Duke of Edinburgh Award expeditions, and for sponsored charity paddles. The Great Glen is ever changing, so one may encounter mirror calm water to big waves.
SCA Canoe trail guide to the Great Glen
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