I was offered a place a while ago. Watching Dan Snow’s ‘Operation Grand Canyon’ tonight I still regret turning down a place on a kayak trip down the Colorado. A foolish decision on my part.

No but I’ve spent the last 25 mins looking at doing it.

I have a mate who used to be a guide on the Colorado. He said it was big water but not technical, said Scotland had much more difficult rivers.

Yep. **** the Grand Canyon, I’d rather spend two weeks on the etive…

Depends on the purpose really no?

Not entirely convinced scotland has anything quite as spectacular as the grand canyon to canoe down!

I have always, always loved the Etive.

Yeah, same here, still regret it. My buggered ankles meant I’d not really be able to go trekking up the side canyons which loses some of the impact of the trip. Small child means it’s not realistic now.

And Scotland has some fantastic paddling but I’m not sure it has the journey.

Never been but I’d like too. Not really in the same league as a Grand Canyon trip.

I suppose I could spend two weeks lapping the dart to get a local equivalent…

The Dart for you, the Upper Tawe for me.

Paddled it about 10 years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. The water is big but you generally just bounce through it – a few rapids have stoppers that are hard to avoid and back looped me. There’s quite a bit of flat but moving water between the rapids. It feels like wilderness, if you forget the guides.

I did ten years ago, the easy way, on a raft. The Grand Canyon is so much more than just big water, wilderness, fantastic scenery, wildlife and spectacular night skies. I had always wanted to do the Grand Canyon ever since seeing a film of the first British team to go down it in 1969 led by Chris Hawksworth. Unfortunately it was not until I was 50, long past my canoeing ability for that sort of water that the opportunity came. Thoroughly recommend it, trip of a life time.