Snorkelling near Norman's Pond Cay

A couple of weeks ago Chris guided a kayak trip to Norman's Pond Cay and I tagged along as an extra hand.

I'd been feeling quite concerned that my lack of kayaking in the last year or so would mean that I'd  hold the group up so I had undertaken a crash course in kayaking in the two weeks before the trip. And it definitely paid off! I was happy and independent in my boat, and perfectly capable of staying with the group without flagging or indeed veering off in the wrong direction! I was delighted and quite relieved too!

Lunch time

Our days consisted of paddling for a few hours, snorkelling and also plenty of down time on the beach.

Our first snorkel was at Tug and Barge. My favourite fish to spot at the moment is the puffer fish; hiding in small holes with only their cute little eyes peering out. We also saw quite a lot of atlantic rays, a lion fish, jacks and angel fish. It was the best snorkelling spot I'd been to so far in the Bahamas and it definitely gave us an appetite for lunch. We made sure to rig up a shade to escape the beaming sun.

On the second day we went snorkelling just off Norman's Pond Cay, this time with the aim of catching some fish for dinner. We had Hawaiian sling spears with us which are simple spears with an elastic sling handle so they work in the same way as a bow and arrow. Spear fishing definitely adds an extra element to snorkelling - I'm always on high alert to make sure I don't find myself accidentally caught on the end of one of those spears! I'm still not used to the sound as they go whizzing by and then the "ping!" as it misses it's target and lands on rock.

Spear fishing

It was a busy afternoon in the water with large sting rays swimming by us, which even caused one of the clients to shriek in fear. A nurse shark we spotted behind a rock came out to investigate us. He was pretty inquisitive, moving back and forth between us and getting very close! We all backed away from his hangout - even a harmless nurse shark deserves a lot of respect.... It felt really special to see this shark in his habitat with all the smaller fish darting around him.

Despite the excitement of the shark and sting ray, we still managed to catch 4 fish and a lobster. Quite a feast for just four people, we definitely ate well that night! We cleaned the fish on the beach as the sun went down and then cooked them over an open fire. A perfect end to a great day of sun, sea and snorkelling!

Catch of the day

Preparing the fish

Sweden canoe trip, June 2012

We've been getting quite a lot of inquiries about Wilderness Guides' upcoming canoe trip in Sweden this June so I thought this was a good time to write a short blog about a similar trip we did in 2012. 

Hopefully this will help answer some of the questions and maybe even inspire a few more people to join our trip!

It's hard not to become a complete night owl in northern Sweden in June as it stays light pretty much all night through. This is not dissimilar to Scotland at the height of summer and it was lovely not to have to reach for the torches while camping.

The bright nights combined with the fact that we didn't speak to any other people for the whole time we were on the water made this one of the most magical canoe trips I'd been on. It was a true escape to the wilderness and by the time we arrived back to base camp after the trip I could hardly remember my life back in the UK. It was a complete break and a return to nature.

The raft in action!

Raft building

The part of the River Harken that we travelled down is mainly flat water with a few grade 1 and 2 sections that had the option of portaging if desired. The river edges were lined with seemingly endless amounts of pine trees which made for a beautiful vista for our journey. We paddled about 4 to 5 hours each day, depending on the mood of the group and the weather conditions - it was always good to take advantage of a wind blowing us down river! On one occasion we even rigged up a rafted sail and coasted down the river for a couple of hours. The guys certainly had a great time building that raft!

Chris and me on a Grade 1 section

A perfect picnic spot

Our days would begin with a leisurely, warm breakfast. After packing away our tents, we'd get on the water by about 10 and paddle for a couple of hours before stopping for lunch. We'd spend an hour or so picnicking with the much loved Kelly Kettle on the go for hot drinks. After relaxing in the sun (we had great weather all week) we'd be back in our canoes for the afternoon stint.

Chris making bread

 We'd finish canoeing by about 4 each day and set up camp in choice wild camping areas, taking advantage of the copious amount of trees to have roaring camp fires. Chris even baked bread on a couple of occasions. There was plenty of time for reading, strolling through the woods and just chatting with our fellow campers over some well deserved drinks. A few of the braver among us went swimming - the water is ice melt and pretty cold. The rest of us made do with the portable shower to freshen up!

The week was a perfect mix of canoeing and downtime and sitting here reminiscing while writing this is making me more excited than ever about Wilderness Guides 2013 adventure to Sweden! Maybe see you there!

Camp kitchen

A short portage