The paddling pics thread 🌊🚣🌊🛶🌊🚣🌊

Loch chon looks Ike a nice wee explore

It is – we were disappointed in how much goose poopage the islands all had, and the fact that two of the lochshore campers had outboard engine inflatables… :(

I am keen to explore more of Katrine – we were discussing teaming up and doing a shuttle on the ferry – canoe one way, lock the boats up and steam back :)

@kayak

Thanks for adding my pic. Hers another just before setting off.

And thanks for explaining how to do the image thing.

A lovely day on the Teith.

Well, it rained overnight. Other rivers were not rising as fast. So we went back to the Teith again….

https://photos.app.goo.gl/kYukQ2G15MLmC77u8

Great evening for a paddle around to Tobermory Lighthouse, catch the wake of the Kilchoan ferry and finish off with a lap of the bay with porpoises for company

Lovely.

I am quite envious of people who live in places with nice local paddling.
Training on the canal for me tomorrow :(

Out in the packraft yesterday

Only just noticed this thread!
Few pics from Loch Tummel tail end of last year. Bert loving life as usual!

@sweepy – where is that, it looks familiar…?

It’s the Garry (Invernesshire) Matt, hoping to take the prospector down later but I doubt it will end well😬

Took a trip down a new section of my local ditch, the Gwendraeth Fawr. Plenty of post-industrial bridges that were set too close to the water to paddle under, which made for some awkward portages. Glad I took a kayak not my canoe because there were some squeezes around fallen trees too.

Any other fans of ditch boating on STW?

Any other fans of ditch boating on STW?

Yeah me!

Continuing with my paddling of the whole of Shakespeare’s Avon today with a section starting from Rugby.

Really changeable quality with some horrible tree portages and litter-jams.
Man I hate litter… 😞

Early portage

Wildlife

Concrete Jungle
Rugby cement works

Horrendous litter jam I had to climb over

Neigh bother

Looks like a good adventure! Shame about the litter but it’s nice to be able to get to places that almost no-one else will (mostly because it’s a ballache to get there😅)

A few from last weekend. Bubbenhall to Warwick on the Avon.
I’ve got one more section to paddle and I’ve paddled the whole 108 miles of the river then(the paddleable bits at least)

Limbo weir

Electric fence portage. Got me 4 times!!! 😳

Stoneleigh. The rough end.

The Saxon Mill, Warwick

Guys cliffe, Warwick

Have they built the fish pass at Warwick castle yet Kayak? That’s one of my designs.

Have they built the fish pass at Warwick castle yet Kayak? That’s one of my designs.

Ooh really?
I don’t know if I’m honest.
Is it a stepped ramp kind of deal?

Looking forward to getting some pictures for this thread, have just ordered a canoe

Excellent, what have you got on the way?

Some Tuesday morning distraction for you all.

A Canoe Perspective

@malgrey – care to share a link to your Easter adventures here?

I’ve not had the boat out for ages. I’m usually in the water, not on it. Thought I’d best make sure it still floats 😁

Beach looking lovely, and not too busy (yet).

There was a wedding on the beach too – piper and all.

Edit: ace place on a sunny day

@malgrey – care to share a link to your Easter adventures here?

I’d vaguely intended to post some piccies directly at some point, but haven’t found time yet. So here ya go: https://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/the-voyage-of-the-pirate-of-moidart-t60508.html

Nice little sup paddle on the Avon down into Tewkesbury.

The M5 long distance trail

Tewkesbury flour mill

Fletcher’s Mill

@mattoutandabout plus anyone else.

We are going up to Foss this weekend, which watery bit would be the most interesting for a couple of paddle boarders with a dog and a picnic ( with sensible paddle boarding attire).

Preferably with islands or an unroaded lochside to make a bit of a goal.

Foss by Pitlochry?

In which case: Loch Tummel is lovely. Getting access to it after all the horrid dirty campers have upset the locals could be a challenge. I used to walk through woodland on South shore to get access.

Loch Rannoch I really like, particularly the South shore. Again some issues with dirty campers, and more prone to wind.

Loch Faskally – great paddle IMO, and you can even try heading upstream of the Garry into the gorge/below the bridge. It’s challenging, but I’ve canoed, poled and lined a canoe Upto the visitor centre/soldiers leap falls. A great spot imo. 😎

To add: if you want a place to yourself with atmosphere, head to Loch Laidon at Rannoch Station. It’s a 1km walk in to Dubh Lochan, then paddle through to Laidon Beach…

Loch Faskally – great paddle IMO, and you can even try heading upstream of the Garry into the gorge/below the bridge. It’s challenging, but I’ve canoed, poled and lined a canoe Upto the visitor centre/soldiers leap falls. A great spot imo. 😎

Ah I’ve done that. It really is a lovely piece of water.

Laidon looks mint aswell

Frankie the 8 month old Labradoodle’s maiden voyage last weekend:

A couple of days of dry land familiarisation with the boat made the trip a success, i.e. he didn’t decide to leap out when we were in the middle of the loch:

A couple of not-very-good pics from my cheapy waterproof camera, but a gorgeous few hours in a boat.

Did the Copeland Canoe Club ‘Seaquest’ event last Sunday, a 3hr Canoe orienteering event in the Ravenglass lagoon and the estuaries of the Irt, Mite and Esk. Paddled as a 3-person team in generic sea kayaks, but there were open boats, general purpose boats, some fast sea kayaks/marathon boats, SUP boards and a few inflatable kayaks as well. Really well planned event and a cracking few hours on the water

Faskally paddled in yesterday’s glorious weather.

Set off from the research centre nosed up the Linn’s of tummel then scooted round for a wander up the Garry didn’t go as far as the gorge. Then paddled under the bridges to be shouted at by the boat hire guy having the temerity to try and stop for a bit to eat in the cafe. Paddled back.

We took the convertible paddled. I didn’t but then expecting top quality, defo a bit to flexy especially with 25kg of doggo onboard but the concep is good, it’s nice to be able to site down and change up the position/get out the wind.

Doggo managed two bump transfers successfully then on the third one launched herself with quite a gap so she and I got very wet.

Got an underwater phone case to take photos. Case works great but the phone was being a dick

Another maiden voyage here for the canoe and dog

How was the dog in the boat? It seems to go one of two ways….

Canoenine companyon?

Excellent thread … “there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”

Hadn’t been out paddling since December last year so good to get out for a few days last week. Paddled out of Eyemouth, North Berwick and Elie, enjoying the minimal swell, light winds and sunshine.

North Berwick – Seacliffe – Bass Rock – Craigleith
Glad to see loads of noisy, smelly gannets on the Bass and rafts of cute puffins bobbing around Craigleith after last years avian flu outbreak.

Elie – St Monan’s
A lazy paddle on a roasting day. Arrived at St Monan’s on a low tide, so popped up a couple of rusty ladders on the harbour wall to pick up some lunch from East Pier Smokehouse. Found a wee bay to enjoy langoustine and chips with a leatherman proving to be valuable claw cutlery.

(When I tried a dog in a boat, it went the hilariously bad way, those look like very good boys above)

Ada was really good in the boat.
Was very interested in everyone else out on and in the lake, so was moving from side to side to look at whatever was closest. Only had one moment where i thought it was about to go wrong when she tried to climb on top of girlfriend to snatch the paddle out of her hand but she stopped and sat back down when told.
Think when we go out somewhere quiet like river or non waterpark lake she will settle down nicely.

Re dogs: I used to work with someone who’s dog Bracken would ‘assist’ with paddling – she would literally sit behind her owner and try to paddle with a paw. She would also go and sit up front for ballast on occasion, and in moving water…

Here is Bracken.

Frankie was good in the boat as well.

Probably helped that the three of us (Me, Frankie, Daughter) were the only 3 people out on the water, or on the shore for that matter.

He got a little bit interested in the front paddle at one point and I thought he was going to dive in to grab the blade but told him not too and he was fine.

He got soaked running about in some long grass when we landed for lunch mid jourbey so being wet through and with a bit of a breeze he tried to sit on my lap on the return journey for warmth. Apart from that – no issues. He can be a crew member again.

https://i.imgur.com/aAGFrYg.jpeg

Lola does not help.

Mainly she lies sunbathing, often at the unhelpful end. She likes wandering about gradually embalming my leg in wet lead. Or she takes on the fly drinks from the water.

And that box of seafood would stand no chance, she’d tan it and worry about the hard bits later.