The first section of the route is done on foot, starting from the car park at the Cairngorm ranger Station. We will climb Ben Macdui (second highest mountain in the UK – 1309m) and with any luck the sun will shine and we’ll be able to see the summit of Ben Nevis, our final destination. The walk is not particularly short but we still hope to be in the canoe by mid/late-afternoon. This unfortunately entails an unpleasantly early start!
Distance so far: 11 miles by foot
The canoeing starts at Loch Insh. From here we will follow the River Spey until it meets the sea at Spey Bay. It’s a good mix of steadily flowing calm sections and plenty of straightforward white water. We’re aiming to cover this section in a minimum of three days.
Distance so far: 11 miles by foot
70 miles by canoe
From Spey Bay we will follow the coast of the North Sea westwards then head up the Moray Firth to Inverness. We’re aiming to cover this section in four days although this largely depends on the weather. Better late than never!
Distance so far: 11 miles by foot
125 miles by canoe
The coastal chapter of our journey finishes at Inverness where we join the Great Glen. After 8 miles along the Caledonian Canal we join Loch Ness, the largest volume of freshwater in the UK. If we aren’t paddling against a substantial headwind (which we more than likely will be) it should take about a day to negotiate Loch Ness and return to the relative calm of the Caledonian Canal. Over the next few days we’ll continue along the Great Glen through Loch Oich, Loch Lochy and the River Lochy ending in Loch Linnhe at Fort William.
Distance so far: 11 miles by foot
188 miles by canoe
Finding the end of the Great Glen and Caledonian Canal at Fort William is the end of canoeing for this trip. The final stage will be on foot, the ultimate aim being to reach the summit of Ben Nevis (tallest mountain in the UK – 1344m) no more than fourteen days after leaving the summit of Ben Macdui more than 200 miles ago.
Distance total: 21 miles by foot
188 miles by canoe
I admire your good intentions but you say you're not very good at canoeing. Have you asked the crews at Buckie or Kessock lifeboat stns whether it's advisable to take an open canoe over 100km along that coast? Even experienced sea kayakers would probably do that trip in a group rather than alone. Please take care.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the concern. The plan is to be clever with weather and tides and, if in doubt, sit out for a bit. We've allowed time.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, if it was all pleasant and easy it wouldn't be nearly as worth doing.