CALEDONIAN CANAL

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This was our first expedition adventure as a team, and it's success meant that we continued to plan expeditions each year since.

We got on the canal at Neptune's Staircase near Fort William ( a lock flight that goes up from the sea) and paddled north east for the next four days! We discovered that talking nicely to lock keepers meant that we didn't have to portage the boats round the locks - a real blessing, 'cos the boats are bloody heavy, and there's a fair amount of kit too!

We had some amazing wild camps - the first, on Loch Lochy we named Private Beach! The second was at Fort Augustus...we chatted nicely to the Lock Keepers, who let us camp at the top of the Flight, and gave us a key for the toilets and showers...a real bonus! The third and last wild camp, was definately that! We named this one Pat Island! after the cowpats that were everywhere!

It took us about one and a half days to paddle Loch Ness! It started well...sunshine & blue skies, but soon was raining hard and a thunderstorm was brewing! However, once it passed the water was like a millpond for the rest on the day, right up until the last 4km before the camp, when the wind blew right at us, and what should have been a gentle finish to the day, turned into a real pull, and took some determination to not give up!

The whole trip was great fun, and the hard times have somewhat faded, replaced by fond memories of great camps, stunning scenery and great company! Roll on next year....