ThePADDLER 28
It was clear that
it would take us several days to get there . Our group of pirate kids and adult crew is not known for speed , nor are we known for travelling light . A review of our previous rough portage speeds suggested we should work on an average portage speed over rough ground of , wait for it , 1 / 3 of a km per hour . Yes , this sounds slow , mainly because it involves three carries each ( two for bags , one for canoes ), thus doing every leg five times , but that ’ s the way we like to do it . We like to take a few luxuries for these longer trips , we like to eat well , and we don ’ t care if it sounds ridiculous . Doing silly things in the middle of nowhere is half the fun !
Photo : day three – nearing the mountains
We usually make these trips at Easter . Two Easters passed , both locked down due to Covid . We weren ’ t waiting another year , and with restrictions finally allowing travel and meeting outdoors , we jumped in the cars and headed north in late spring this year . Eventually , we found ourselves at the seaward end of a stony track after running a shuttle and parking cars . In one direction , the sea . In the other , nothing but moorland , not a hint of water . That was , of course , the direction in which we were heading .
LOCH A ’ BHAID-LUACHRAICH The first section was easily trolleyed , but of course , it was mostly uphill . Because of the weight of ridiculous meals and bags of ‘ ballast ’ made of fermented grape juice , it took several people to push each canoe up the steeper sections whilst carrying the heaviest bags on our backs . We settled into the task , a useful shakedown of our packing ability and teamwork . It took a couple of hours to reach our first loch , a tongue twister called Loch a ’ Bhaidluachraich . Here we transferred to the water for the first time . Given the size of the fleet ( seven canoes ) and limited put-ins , it took a fair time to get afloat , and we realised we ’ d be losing more time at each get out or put in . It was , though , a real relief to get on the water .
Suddenly it all made sense . After a long , long winter of lockdowns and restrictions , finally , we were afloat on a sparkling wild Scottish loch , with not a soul to be seen . The weather was fine , the views even finer – a wonderful moment . This wild terrain is full of rocks , many underwater , scattered across the landscape , and we wound our way between them onto more open water . We would meet plenty of rocks over the next few days , for this country breeds them almost as well as Norway ! In places , small trees clung to cracks in the stone , and everywhere we paddled , the sound of a cuckoo followed us . The loch is split in two by a narrows . At the head of the upper loch , alongside a small plantation , a lovely sandy beach looked like the perfect spot for our first camp . And so it was , a lovely stretch of gritty sand with a stunning outlook towards the mountains to which we travelled .
We tend to cook communally and eat well , using off-theground fireboxes where possible and appropriate . This means carrying bags of wood too , yet another thing to add to the loads , as there is no sustainable firewood in these parts . Gas supplements the fireboxes and would be our primary fuel later in the week . That first night was my turn to cook a Chinese chicken with noodles and prawn crackers . At least prawn crackers are light ! Cake and real custard followed . The midges visited later , but only for a short while , and the evening light more than made up for it . A truly beautiful first night of our trip was made even more special by an incredible moonrise in the wee hours over the rugged outline of Beinn Airigh Charr .