A Birthday Canoe

Even though we run a canoe guiding company on the west coast of Scotland, I sadly don't get on the water as often as I'd like. Chris is always out on  canoe day or camping trips but I'm normally waving the group off from the shore so I can concentrate on rentals and answering calls and emails. So naturally there was only one thing I wanted for my birthday - a day spent canoeing!

Loch Moidart is one of my favourite canoeing spots. It is incredibly picturesque, with the ruins of Castle Tioram appearing as if by magic on a small island. We always see seals and there are golden beaches for lunch or camping. And to top it all off, it's the loch where Chris and I met for the first time so it holds a very special place in my heart!

The day was a mixture of paddling and improvised sailing when we were feeling lazy. That's one of the great things about canoeing, a simple sail can be rigged up and the wind can do all the work for us as we sit back and watch the world go by. We had lunch on this spectacular, isolated beach and Chris lit the Kelly Kettle for tea. It's so simple to light, we used some heather found near the beach.

 We took our cups of tea up to the rocks to spy on the seals from afar.

The weather was so good that some of us even decided to go for a swim - be warned, the water is still freezing!!!

After our picnic lunch it was time to pay the seals a closer visit. We paddled stealthily towards them but, ever watchful, most of them slipped into the water before we could get too close. Some of the smaller pups were quite adventurous, swimming beside us for a while. There was no one else on the loch apart from our 3 canoes and these seals. It was a silent few minutes of reflection and peace.

Once the young pups grew bored of us, we set up our sails and flew off. With the sun beating down on us, I couldn't resit a short nap before we reached shore.

Feeling thoroughly refreshed and inspired by such a gorgeous day, we headed off for a birthday dinner at the fantastic Glenuig Inn. It was a perfect birthday in every way!

The River Lochy day trip is another of our favourite trips with easy rapids for canoeing and swimming!