Open Canoeing Accross Scotland pt 4

(Mark getting the canoes back down to the Middle Tummel)

The next day began with Mark, Tony and I lowering our boats to water level. Dave elected to portage after looking at the first rapid.  This section of the Tummel was the most technically demanding.  It would involve 2 portages, 2 rapids that we elected to line our boats down and some excellent white water paddling and poling. In fact, pretty much everything expedition 

canoeing has to offer - problem solving, riverside decisions, teamwork, and physically demanding work hauling expedition laiden boats.

                                                                   
(Mark and Tony lining down a                                                          (Tony seal launching at the Linn
rapid in the middle Tummel)                                                               of Tummel)

We eventually joined Dave at the bottom of this section of river where the Tummel widens out and becomes Loch Faskally near Pitlochry, and yet another dam to portage!

The Lower Tummel flows out of Pitlochry and confluences with the Tay at Ballanluig.  It's mainly 
grade I shingle rapids intersperced with salmon fishermen and long flatwater sections.  We decided
to push on down as far as we possibly could and managed to get to the Tay - Isla confluence at Isla 
Bridge (where Dave and I had left our cars).  We arrived at Isla Bridge at about 9pm after a mammoth days paddle.  The bivvy here was the worst on the trip unfortunately it was by a road, yet we were so tired that we slept the sleep of the righteous!

The next day Dave elected to drive home after running the shuttle for my car.  I left my car at 
Waulkmill Ferry.  We enjoyed a fabulous paddle on the Tay to Perth.  We enjoyed the paddle through Campsie Linn and Stanley, playing and surfing a little on the way.  In fact we were enjoying the paddle so much that Mark and I passed our get out by about 3 miles!  Tony lives near Perth so he paddled on as far as salt water. 

However, this gave Mark and I the opportunity to practice two of the as yet untried open canoeing techniques, upriver tracking and poling!


(Myself (L) and Mark at my car at last)

Open Canoeing Across Scotland Pt2

(Dave, Tony and Mark sailing rafted canoes on Loch Laiden)

At the end of the R.Gaur we come to Loch Laiden.  This loch is quite a long and complex loch, often finding the exit of the loch and start of the R. Gaur can be quite difficult.

Once on the loch, after a quick pole repair.  The wind was with us and we quickly rafted the boats up and set up to sail the loch.  This manner of crossing open water can be the most efficient and easiest method.


(relaxing whilst sailing down Loch Laiden)

At the end of loch laiden we managed to find our way onto the R. Gaur. We paddled for about an hour before we decided to bivvy.

This saw the end of the first day, we felt a little dishartened at the water levels however, we were happy to be underway and happy with the 'team'.

The next day would see us paddle and pole the R. Gaur until it comes to Loch Eigeach. Loch Eigeach is quite a small loch, terminating on its east end in a dam.  We managed 
paddle the loch quite quickly with the wind in our favour.  During our wind assisted paddle down the loch we spotted what we believe was a Golden Eagle.  We quickly portaged the Dam, looking at the river below we decided to portage until the flow was a bit higher. The river below leads onto Loch Rannoch at the 'Bridge of Gaur'.  With a length of 10 miles Loch Rannoch was the largest loch on our trip.  Again we found the wind in our favour and we quickly
rafted up and sailed most of the length of this loch to Kinloch Rannoch, where we found a fabulous lochside bivvy.

Accross Scotland by Open Canoe pt1

(Loch Ba)

Easter 07 and myself and 3 other open canoeist buddies from the 'song of the paddle' internet group finally met up at a car park on the A82 by Loch Ba, Rannoch Moor Scotland. We had arranged to cross Scotland from West to East, accross the wilderness of Rannoch Moor to the Lochs Rannoch and Tummel, down the rivers Tummel and Tay to Perth.

The team comprised of myself, Tony-tenboats (an active member of the song of the paddle group), Dave 'the Poling Gnome' and Mark VB.  Although only Mark and I had previously met each other the team very quickly demonstrated a common commitment to the expedition and to doing it in 'good style'.  To us 'good style' ment solving as many problems as we could on the water, making decisions about paddling or portaging based on our own judgement and the water levels, and doing it with total respect for the both the environment and the water.

(Tony on Loch Ba) 

The first part of the journey involves crossing Loch Ba and negotiating the Rivers Gaur and Garbh 

Gaur and Loch Laiden.  Rannoch Moor is probably one of the last remaining truely wild places in
Britain, it stretches out between Loch Rannoch to the West and Glen Etive to the East.  It covers about 50 square miles of peat moorland pocked with miniature lochs and rivers.  The largest of the lochs are Loch Ba and Loch Laiden connected by the River Gaur.  The 'Rannoch Moor Crossing' is concidered a great 'prize' by British Open Canoeists for its beauty, isolation, length and technical difficulty of the 2 rivers.   The trip was expected to last for 5 days.

The first day saw us paddle from the put in by the A82 accross Loch Ba, down the River Gaur
and accross Loch Laiden onto the River Garbh Gaur.  Loch Ba is a short but complex loch, it 
didn't take us long to negotiate this loch and join the river.  Although we had hoped that starting our trip in early spring would mean that we got the snow melt the river was low.  It meant that we had to negotiate alot of the river by technical poling and snubbing.  It was great fun, although
frustrating at times.
                                           
(poling)                                                                                         (Tony poling on the R.Gaur)

The next instalment coming soon!