ThePADDLER 102
When we got to Banchory , we went to Morrisons for tea in their cafe , it was pretty late , and we got there just before it closed . I had a jacket potato that was the colour of coal , but they replaced it with mac n cheese , thankfully . When we got back to the canoe , we were quite tired but wanted to keep paddling to find the campsite on the left , but dad found a nice spot on the right ; it was like a lawn . Dad said a ghillie looked after it , but because it was a Saturday night , we would be ok to stop as no one fishes on a Sunday ; it was right at the end , very far from the fishing hut ; I was glad to stop and rest .
By day four , I was tired and starting to miss my mum and sister ; I asked dad if we could make it to Aberdeen today instead of tomorrow . He said if we worked hard and there weren ' t too many shallow bits , we could , but he needed to check the tide times . First , I was determined to keep paddling because I could have an extra day to visit my aunty near Aberdeen .
Moving the last day was more complicated than I thought because we had to put the boat somewhere and might have to camp by the river in Aberdeen ; I suggested we ask the rowing club if they could look after the canoe for a night , dad doesn ' t like to bother people , but he said he would ask . The river was still a bit low in places , so there was less flow which meant if I wanted to get to Aberdeen , I had to work hard .
HUGE THANKS Although it probably never seemed it at the time , organising our previous trips from the mainland UK was a piece of cake compared to planning a trip from Shetland in the Covid era ! It wasn ' t quite the self-sufficient beginning and ending I ' d hoped for ; we couldn ' t have done it without Lyle ' s exceptional help and the paddling community ' s support . Liv and I love being a part of it and have never been more appreciative than now . A big thank you must also go to the very kind folk at the rowing club for allowing us to store Joycie overnight , especially ' the chap behind the bar ' and Lulu . And to Ballater campsite for squeezing us in at the end of a very long first day .
ABERDEEN APPEARED It was easy gentle paddling most of the way with a few ripples and drops . We saw loads of herons , oystercatchers and other birds , and a deer and when the sun shone through the water , it was great watching fish swim under us . We had to stop and get the trolley which was a bit of a walk , and then dad took us down the side of an island , but it got like a jungle with low trees . I was nervous , but it was fun . It started to feel busy with more people walking along the river bank with their dogs , and there were more buildings . Aberdeen appeared quite quickly , and I was excited to arrive ; it was still hot and sunny , and the parks were busy with people watching us ; it felt like a long way from the first bridge to the end . The club was accommodating , and I want to have a go at rowing too !
Our final challenge , or so I thought , was getting the tides right at Aberdeen to avoid a muddy egress at the boat club . I knew I ' d got it right , but it played on my mind that morning until I saw the first rower appearing through the central pillars of the railway bridge . We ' d done it ! As for the trolley , well , the trolley died ( RIP ), and further assistance from Lyle was very much appreciated to get us to the ferry .