| At
the beginning of July, 12 adventurers (9 of them Carnethies) and
their guide (Speydescent.com) paddled
from Loch Insh (altitude 224 metres) to the mouth of the River Spey
- 109 kilometres away. It involved 3 nights camping, carrying all
gear (including ample supplies of beer and whisky), several swims
(only one on purpose), paddling, prying, cutting
and doing J-strokes (all mixed
up and usually at the wrong times!) and lots of opportunities to
marvel, up-close, at the birdlife (ospreys, herons, mergansers,
dippers, oyster catchers,
sand martins....).
As usual,
with Carnethy,
this ostensibly relaxing trip had its exciting moments and even
ended up with a full-blown canoe rescue! The story unfolds in
the photos below. |
When the weather
is fine you know that it's time for messing about on the river.
'What do I do with this?' (Cathy) |
We start at
Loch Insh |
Leaving the
Cairngorms behind them |
It looks easy. The canoes float gently down the river... |
Lesson 1. How to steer your canoe. There will be obstacles/hazards
to move around... |
The Lairig Ghru makes an impressive background shot |
Day 1: There was little current and hence lots of paddle-(or porridge)
power needed |
We hold the canoes together and put up a sail but harvesting
the wind proves harder than paddling! |
Collecting dead wood for the evening's fire
|
A whisky-tasting session round the bonfire |
Time for reflection? |
Idyllic (despite aching arms and shoulders) |
The guys all
opted for the rear 'steering' seat. The front seat gets wettest
going through rapids!
|
With a little imagination we could be canoeing up the Amazon
|
...but then Nick forgot about the piranhas and alligators! |
One of the palatial residences on the banks of the Spey |
The bucket was actually more useful than the sponge when it came to Iain and
Anne's canoe. |
Anne is going
to get a lot more than her feet wet.. |
Nick and Sarah, cool as cucumber, 'run' some rapids. They were old hands! |
Oooooh!
It was new and exciting for Calibob!
|
The biggest drop was at the Washing Machine
|
"I've got a wet bum!" |
We held no fear of small rapids once we'd survived the Washing Machine |
Fisher ahead! Most of them waved us on with a smile... but one didn't.... |
...causing a tricky circumnavigation to go wrong. Nick has been
washed away. Moira is stranded and the canoe won't budge...
|
One rope is not enough to pull the canoe off - so
Willie is 'landed' with another rope. The canoe has been dragged under
by the force of water |
With four people pulling on 2 ropes and Willie levering on the rock
the canoe has finally come free. |
Time for lunch. Iain and Anne capsize on the way to the bank! Previously
they'd managed to stay afloat with water lapping their gunnels
(from the inside) |
 Luckily
it's a hot day |
Spectacular red cliffs
|
Moira and Nick in a world of their own
|
Time
to regroup
|
Look, no hands!
|
Cut or pry? On the left or the right? Too late - you missed it!
|
Debris ahead. Why does the current always seems to pull you towards
hazards?
|
Hundreds
of sand
martins were flying in and out of their nests in the banks
|
The sea! The sea! |
..but
we decide to head ashore before hitting the waves.
|
Safe
and sound at Speybay
|
Dave 'superman' Craig
|
The mascot from The Beeches brought good luck. We had great weather,
we survived and I think we'd all do it again. |
Highlights:
scenery, birds,
4 days of puns, the beer and whisky barrel, the rescue, the rapids,
swimming and the camaraderie
|
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