After months of anticipation, about 15 hardy Inverness Canoe Club paddlers headed off to Lochaber for a weekend of paddling on the Orchy and the Etive.

Day One: The Orchy… a cracking paddle. Fairly low, but great nontheless. A few features, like Easan Dubha (Black Waterfalls) were too low to run safely, but the rest was great craic!

Steve and Bryon, sorry, Bryon made Eas a’ Chathaidh (Waterfall of the Spray) look easy…Steve cartwheeled down the second part in style…epic!!

In between the two days we stayed at the Blackwater Bunkhouse in Kinlochleven…very much recommended, although sleeping in a room with Kenny, Dave and Stewart is not!! I’ve never heard snoring like it in my life…

Day Two: The Etive…well that was a different story…way too low to run, so we hit the Spean Gorge instead. It was a good, if not baltic paddle, but the disappointment of not running the mighty Etive was evident!!

Still, the Etive ain’t going anywhere and there’s always next year…

Had a lovely, yet chilly, paddle down An t-Alltan Dubh (The Black Water), by Garve today with Kenny…

Rain yesterday brought levels up just enough to enable the entire section to be run, with only a few knuckle scrapes en route!

I ran the fall below the bridge a couple of times, while Kenny, getting a sweet line on the first run down under the bridge, decided to call it a day while on the top of his form!

Low levels meant the tow back was small on the final drop; wouldn’t recommend it at higher levels, unless of course you like death on a stick?!

Another week, another paddle down the Lower Findhorn…but this section of river never disappoints!

This week we were joined by our paddling buddy, Beven Yates, who lives down by the banks of the Soča River in Slovenia. We met Bevan and Jo (his wfie) while staying in their loverly hoose in Žaga, near Bovec, during our European Paddling Tour this summer (fab accommodation, see here: Extreme Slovenia).

Hats off to Jo, who, being a glutton for punishment, decided to do a charity cycle from Land’s End to John O’Groats…no mean feat! So, after completing the epic road race, they were passing back through in the area and decided to keep us company for the day…good times!

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