PADDLER 90
PADDLER 90
This section was different to what we had paddled before. It reminded me a bit of the Aigas Gorge up beyond Beauly with the steeper and more cliff-like sides, a change in vegetation and evidence of beavers now being present.
PORTAGE FOR THE UPPER TUMMEL
A hike, push and shove – easier than we first thought – had all the kit and boats ready to portage for the Upper Tummel. The water levels were not what we wanted, and we were not up for a scrape-and-bump fest, so we opted for a walk with the canoes down to Tummel Bridge, where we put in. The track was an easy portage, however, as usual, getting the proper weight distribution, and I guess you could call it the‘ haulage technique’ of the canoe, is always a balancing game – something we advise to take time to do at the start to get the weight distributed in the canoe and the trolley fastened securely before setting off. It was a 4.3km portage for us, and we were back by the riverside, eager to get some paddle strokes in!
A short paddle took us onto Loch Tummel, looking for a spot to set camp for the night. Keeping to the south shore, as we wanted to keep the remoteness element, we paddled along the loch to get a spot for the two tents and a nice view. The south shore is limited for camp spots, and heading into warmer and sunnier seasons, you may be restricted to where to camp due to easy vehicle access to this area and the weekend campers pitching up for their definition of wild camping – five metres from the car. Settling in for the night after another 30km plus day’ s paddle, we again pitched our tents in the dark, cooked dinner, chatted, and then headed to bed.
Waking up to an incredible sunrise, pinks and purples covering the skies, it was an early start. We agreed that we were keen to finish as early as possible to get back up the road. It wasn’ t the intention to complete the route as quickly as possible, but the conditions allowed this, and the thought of getting back a day early was appealing. We set off as dawn was still breaking, and nearing the end of Loch Tummel, we encountered a slight sail mast malfunction, but the wind dropped, so it was not too much of a problem.
EXCITING RAPIDS
Clunie Dam was a quick portage that took us back on the River Tummel, which was, as expected, relatively low – but still paddleable! If the river is any lower, you have the option of trolleying down to Loch Faskally, which is not something either of us wanted to do. The paddling was straightforward until the exciting rapids came. There was scouting, running the shoots, little drops and a bit of lining to get us to Loch Faskally, portaging the Linn of Tummel.
The Tummel section from Clunie Dam into Loch Faskally was great fun. We had to be switched on more