Scottish Sea Kayaking Introduction Course, 5 Days, Course, Scotland

From: CHF 1'072

Scottish Sea Kayaking Introduction Course, is your opportunity to get professional training while exploring an incredible area of natural beauty. Within 5 days, you’ll gain confidence and have an incredible time.

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0/5
Vacation Style Holiday Type
Active Holidays, Family Friendly Active Holidays, Outdoor Courses
Activity Level Fairly Easy Adventure Holidays
2/8
Group Size Small Group
8 People

What: Mixed When: August, July, May, September

All about the Scottish Sea Kayaking Introduction Course, 5 Days, Course, Scotland.

Scottish Sea Kayaking Introduction Course

This short break Scottish Sea Kayak course for beginners will equip you with the essential kayaking skills to get you started and ready for longer sea kayak journeys.

Combine learning essential sea kayaking skills with the opportunity to experience some of the best sea kayaking in Scotland.
Develop your paddling techniques on beautiful Upper Loch Torridon before exploring the Applecross Peninsula.
At the end of a day on the water, relax with a hot shower, fantastic food and a comfortable bed.

Based at Upper Loch Torridon in the north-west Highlands, you will benefit from lots of kayaking instruction while enjoying some of the finest sea kayaking in Scotland.

This Scottish Sea Kayak trip is based indoors, enjoying comfortable accommodation at a private bunkhouse on the shores of Upper Loch Torridon. It has hot showers, warm beds and a cosy, rustic feel with a wood-burning stove in the living area. This means that if you get wet in the kayaks, you can be assured that a hot shower and a warm bed await you at the end of the day.

The group size has a maximum of 8 clients so you will receive personal kayak coaching throughout the Scottish Sea Kayak trip from our highly qualified sea kayaking guide. Scotland is a wonderful destination for sea kayaking, and this short break is the perfect introduction to this wonderful activity. After 5 days of paddling, this opens up the possibility of joining some of our longer sea kayak journeys in the future.

Travel

You will be met by your Wilderness Scotland Guide in the centre of Inverness Railway Station at 10:30 on Day 1 of your trip. Your guide will be waiting there with a kayak paddle in his/her hand so should be instantly recognisable

Meet Your Guide

Ali McGhee

Me in 3 – Passionate | enthusiastic | informative

A place to Play – The far north west of Scotland – Assynt (including the summer isles) – Incomparable variety of sea kayaking, climbing and walking. In my opinion, this is the starkest and somewhat unique places I have ever been. The people in this part of Scotland are captivating and very welcoming. My home from home!

Not a lot of people know this – I recently did a 4 month trip to South America, spending a month in Ecuador and a month in Peru. For the last 2 months, however, we ended up in South East Asia including Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Mini Bio – Outside of work I go mountain biking and skiing with my wife and friends. I live in a town called Aberfeldy which is an established outdoor community in the heart of Scotland where there are many like-minded people to get out and about with. I enjoy riding local (unmarked) trails as well as visiting the various established riding centres in Scotland.

I studied sports coaching and development of sport in Glasgow for 3 years before volunteering in Argyll for a year. I then progressed to Glenmore Lodge, the National Outdoor Centre for Scotland where I gained further experience in administrative and maintenance skills, as well as expert coaching and qualification in walking and canoe sport. The majority of my work is in a sea kayak. It is my mission to paddle the length of the Scottish coastline by sea kayak. My passion is to share Scotland’s unrivalled diversity, variety and beauty with anyone who will follow me.

Adventurer’s Stories about Ali

Knowledge of the guide regarding local wildlife, history of the area etc was excellent, which greatly enhanced our experience of the trip

Lloyd Best

Ali looked after us exceptionally well. His enthusiasm for his job shines through. We learned so much about sea kayaking, how to be safe at sea, the local area, local wildlife, and how to make coffee on a beach. Excellent!

Jane Wilson

Ali McGhee, our guide, shared his amazingly wide knowledge of the history, geology & wildlife on this trip as well as making us feel completely safe on the water. He constantly updated us on how the day and the trip would run with reference to the tides, weather and what the group’s preferences were, all delivered in his relaxed and friendly style. Advice & technique improvement was given: always in a fun & positive way.

Giles Wilson

Excellent guide

Karen Best

Both Tim and Ali couldn’t have been better at their jobs. They were friendly, informative and very professional throughout, and dealt with some eclectic and demanding clients while balancing the needs of the many and the demands of the few.

Tom Proudfoot

The first and everlasting impression was that both guides were well experienced, thoughtful and safe. They were a well-co-ordinated duo and had no difficulty in accepting who was ultimately in charge, which is reassuring.

Alistair Brown

The tour package inclusions and exclusions at a glance

What is included in this tour?Items that are included in the cost of tour price.

4 nights accommodation in a private bunkhouse with hot showers, wood- burning stove, fully equipped kitchen, lounge and drying room
Most meals, from lunch on Day 1 until lunch on Day 5. (Meals included indicated as B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner)
All transport throughout the trip, starting and finishing in Inverness

All specialist sea kayaking equipment, including sea kayaks, paddles and buoyancy aids
The services of our experienced and knowledgeable sea kayak guide throughout your trip.

Day 1 Sea Kayaking Instruction, Upper Loch Torridon

You will be met by your guide at Inverness Railway station from where we travel to the north-west Highlands. After settling in and a welcome from the guide, you will have your first experience of sea kayaking in the sheltered sea-loch of Upper Loch Torridon. Returning to the bunkhouse, we will prepare our evening meal and discuss our aims for the trip. (L, D)
Day 2 Sea Kayaking Instruction, Upper Loch Torridon

After a relaxing breakfast, we will return to Upper Loch Torridon and launch the kayaks once again. Your guide will introduce you to new kayaking strokes before you set off on an exploration of this beautiful loch, perhaps venturing into Loch Shieldaig, stopping for lunch in one of the sandy bays. Surrounded by the imposing Torridon mountains, you will develop your sea kayaking skills and gain confidence to allow a longer journey on the sea the following day. (B, L)
Day 3 Sea Kayaking in Torridon or Applecross

Today we will build on your skills and enjoy a paddle, exploring some of the beautiful coastline or perhaps even visiting some of the islands which are located just off the coastline of the North West Highlands. (B, L)
Day 4 Sea Kayaking in Applecross

Sea kayaking in Applecross is superb and on this journey we explore Loch Shieldaig and Shieldaig Island. Known for its beautiful Scots Pines, heronry and seal population, the island is protected by the National Trust for Scotland. We may paddle further along the north Applecross coast and kayak into Loch Torridon or to the remote Diabaig coastline before kayaking back to the pretty village of Shieldaig. After a warm shower at the bunkhouse, we will visit the local pub for a hearty meal and to reflect on a superb day of sea kayaking. (B, L, D)
Day 5 Sea Kayaking Journey, Applecross

The final day will see you embark on a sea kayaking journey in Loch Kishorn on the southern coast of Applecross. We will kayak across the bay to Kishorn Island with its seal colony, using our enhanced sea kayaking skills as we journey through this beautiful corner of Scotland. We’ll kayak back to shore early afternoon, load up the kayaks and travel back to Inverness for the end of the sea kayaking course. (B, L)

Accommodation

On this sea kayaking for beginners course, you will be based in a private bunkhouse located on the shores of Upper Loch Torridon. The bunkhouse has a traditonal and rustic feel, with a wood-burning stove in the centre of the main living area. However, it has been recently upgraded and boasts a modern kitchen, warm showers and is cosy and dry.

There are 2 dormitory-style bedrooms with 4 beds in each. One dorm will be allocated to males and the other for females.

With sea kayaking being an activity which lends itself perfectly to longer journeys, we feel that this style of accommodation is in keeping with learning the skills necessary for trips involving wild camping, as there will be teamwork involved in preparing the meals. However, we feel it is important at the end of each day to know that you are coming back to somewhere warm and dry.

Food

Meals are prepared ‘expedition style’ with everyone lending a hand in both the preparation and clearing up, with our guide coordinating. Naturally, vegetarians and other dietary requirements are willingly catered for simply let us know in advance. On 3 nights, we head out for meals in local inns (these meals are not included in the trip price).

Is This Activity Level Suitable for Me?

Activity Level: Fairly Easy

Our Fairly Easy Level sea kayaking trips are suitable for people new to sea kayaking or with limited experience. The itineraries are designed to be active yet laid back with plenty of opportunity for instruction, sightseeing and relaxation.

You can expect up to 6 hours of paddling each day through mostly sheltered coastal areas and plenty of shore breaks to stretch the legs. All of these trips are accommodation based, with a warm bed and hot shower for you each evening.

Before joining trips in this level, the questions you should be asking yourself are:

1. Are you generally active and enjoy the outdoors?
2. Are you up for a challenge, learning a new skill and having a lot of fun?

Overall Rating

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