Adventure Blog Scotland | Water » Whitewater Kayaking

Swimming Scottish White Water

April 3, 2009 on 9:55 pm | In Whitewater Kayaking | No Comments

Just as I set up for the drop (a water fall just over 2m high) lining up, getting focused and the ‘cameraman’ at the bottom shouts ‘hang on we’re not ready …’ I missed the eddy and suddenly I am heading backwards, over the drop. A couple of paddle strokes to spin round and at least I am looking where I should be going … but … I am now not in the right place, doing the wrong speed and over the fall I head.

The clatter of the paddles on the rocks is only dampened by the growing pain in my thumb which is between them and the paddle. The world goes white and then brown.

When you hit the bottom of a fall there is initially the white water then as you are driven down it all goes a brown colour, if you on the right line it then goes white again and you reappear and are able to breath again.

Me, today,I was not in the right place and to cut the bottom of the fall I decided it was time for the boat and I to part company and make like a fish.

The third swim of the weekend, not a great record but a great weekend paddling in the highlands.

Friday, we jump the ferry from Harris to Skye and then drive through Fort William heading for the river Etive. We were guessing there wouldn’t be much water but what we hadn’t banked on was the four inches of snow to trudge through to get to the river. The Etive is a series of ever increasing drops ending with Right Angle Falls, generally regarded as being about 6m (I would need to stand on my own head three and a half times).

After paper sissors and stone to decide who shoudl run triple falls the first series of drops on the river, I lost and after losing to the stopper at the bottom I swam for the first time.

The video footage we shot is on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvQU1AQtnd4 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3vkDGjnza. Not me swimming I had the camera.

The following day we headed for the river Roy with Ayr Canoe Club, with the water level perfect and rising we surfed all the waves and played in all the holes. The day completes by a trip to the kayaking night of the Fort William Film Festival and a couple of beers in the Maryborough. A place I hadn’t visited since working for Outward Bound over ten years ago it hasn’t changed, I suspect the same people might still looking for the same fight.

Sunday dawned, with snow flurries and much discussion. The decision; to look at the Orchy. We drove over Rannoch Moor in a blizzard looked at the river and drove back. Too big, too small? No I am not paddling in a horizontal snow for anyone.

Not wanting to stay dry we headed for the river Garry and were suprised by a wonderful level with waves and a play hole. But ice cream headaches all round as the water was so cold. At one point we were out of our boats on the bank trying to walk and could have been drunk due to our inability to stand up or walk a straight line. Warmed, in the evening, with a curry in the excellent curry house in Fort Willaim High Street.

Monday and we were faced with the prospect of having to go home but we sneaked the drop on the Hinnerdail on Skye just before we headed to the ferry and that was where I entered the water, again.

How not to run a waterfall

Not the best way to run a drop.

Tim Pickering
http://www.canoehebrides.com
Living in the world's biggest adventure playground - The Outer Hebrides CanoeHebrides.com - Sea kayaking Expeditions BikeHebrides.com -Quality Mountain Bike Hire

Loch Seaforth Wave

March 2, 2009 on 10:51 pm | In Whitewater Kayaking, Surfing, Sea Kayaking | No Comments

Sunday afternoons when the forecast is not great but when there is four metres of tidal difference provide only one source of amusement. The wave at Loch Seaforth on the border of Lewis and Harris. With the tide falling through a narrow gap and over a shelf it creates a wave which can be surfed in a river kayak. The perfectly positioned island provides the ‘tripod’ for the camera and the tea breaks. With the rest of the island getting rain and hail we seem to strick lucky and it missed. I will let the pictures tell the story:

Mike Surf

Jamie Surf

Mike Surf

Jamie Chasing the Rainbow

Mike Rainbow

Distant Memories of Fort William

December 16, 2007 on 8:27 pm | In Whitewater Kayaking | 3 Comments

I have just opened my e-mail and be transported back over 15 years by the time machine of a photograph.

Jez Paddling the outflow in Fort William

Jez is converting his slides to digital and he ‘discovered’ these two pictures of paddling at the outflow. The outflow is the tail race for the alumminium works hydro station in Fort William. The water comes round from various lochs above Fort William and through the turbines and then down a gully before dropping into the river Lochy just by Old Inverlochy Castle. If you have ever driven north out of the Fort just before the Road to the Isles you have driven over it.

When we worked for Outward Bound it used to be our evening stomping ground, particularly during the summer with long evenings and no water in the rivers.

Jez Paddling the outflow in Fort William - Pop out

It used to create a fantastic wave which was very fast and allowed us to practice our paddling in ‘huge’ flow.

To see a recent piece of footage of it at high water (when the tide is high in Loch Lochy the river backs up and creates nice wave just under the bridge) http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6SaIBizTuvs

There was talk of creating an white water facility there but I have no idea what happened to this idea. when I searched round there is mention of it in some of Highland Council’s paperwork but I couldn’t find much else, sad as it would be a fantastic facility and as it flows 365 days a year guaranteed water !

Golf in the Outer Hebrides

December 12, 2007 on 9:32 pm | In Whitewater Kayaking | No Comments

I know golf is hardly an extreme sport but it is creating news here at the moment, with Donald Trump who’s mother comes from Lewis and the Stornoway Golf Club applying to play on a Sunday. Golf could become and very dangerous game.

I am not a golfer but they tell me there are some great courses to play in the islands. I went running on the course in South Uist and it opens to the Atlantic, the course in Harris has views over to Taransay and of course there is the contoversial double nine in Stornoway in the Castle gorunds. Where the Trust, which ‘owns’ most of Lewis for the people, keep the gates locked to the castle grounds.

I do worry the Stornoway Trustees, who decide on the vision of what they want, may be a little out of step with the majority of people who live here.

As for Donald Trump and his plans, views are very polarised. There is no doubt it will affect tourism. The thing I worry about is the perception money can buy you the reversal of a planning decision.

So into the plus fours out with the clubs for a bash round before the ‘balls’ start to fly here in Stornoway