Words & photos: Cory Jones – Director of Highland Experiences – https:// highlandexperiences. com
PADDLER 39
PADDLING THE RIVER SPEY IN
SPRINGTIME
A first adventure with the TRAK Kayak
Words & photos: Cory Jones – Director of Highland Experiences – https:// highlandexperiences. com
A particular kind of silence settles on a Scottish loch before dawn in early spring – crisp, expectant, and full of potential. On 2nd April 2025, I stood at the edge of Loch Insh in the Cairngorms, my breath fogging the air, fingers already beginning to tingle from the cold. It was-3 ° C and just getting light.
Not a single bird had stirred yet, and I was the only one around. The perfect setting for an early-season adventure – and the first real outing for my new TRAK folding kayak.
I’ d spent a long time researching which kayak to buy. With years of experience in expeditions, both guiding and solo, I needed a boat that could handle the same conditions as a hard-shell sea kayak but was light and portable enough to take on remote journeys. No roof rack was needed, and no trailer was needed. You can take it on a plane or wheel it into a remote loch in its travel bag, which is like a golf bag. It’ s designed for adventurers, not just for convenience.
Of course, it was all theory until now. I opened the pack and laid out the parts on the frozen grass. They say you can assemble it in under ten minutes with some practice. That might be true, but not for me that morning. It was my first solo attempt, and it took me the best part of an hour to get everything clicked, zipped and locked in correctly. But I didn’ t mind. The air was still, and I had that quiet excitement you get at the start of a journey.
Eventually, as the sky lightened and the hills turned soft pink with the rising sun, I eased the kayak into the water. It sat low, sleek and clean on the loch’ s surface. There was barely a ripple as I climbed in and pushed off. I felt good initial stability, excellent balance, and a snug cockpit. I am a larger-sized paddler. As I glided away from the shore, I felt the sense of excitement that only comes at the start of a river journey.
The River Spey is one of Scotland’ s most iconic waterways, flowing over 170 kilometres from its source in the Monadhliath Mountains to the Moray Firth. It passes through whisky country, pine forests, and rolling farmland, and it’ s well known for salmon fishing and whisky distilleries – but among paddlers, it’ s famous for being one of the best rivers for multiday trips in the UK. It offers a great mix of calm stretches and moderate rapids – nothing too technical, but enough to keep you alert.
MY ROUTE FOR THE DAY WAS A CLASSIC
Starting at Loch Insh and finishing in Grantown-on- Spey, about 25km downstream. It was a solid paddle for a spring day, especially as it was still early in the season, and I wanted to see how the TRAK handled moving water.
The river narrows fairly quickly after leaving the loch, twisting gently between banks lined with birch and alder. The morning air was cold, but the sun was out, soon taking the edge off. Steam rose from the surface in places, and the only sounds were the steady dip of my paddle and the occasional call of a curlew in the fields beyond the trees.
The TRAK kayak handled beautifully. On the flat sections, it tracked well and held speed nicely. But it was in the faster water that I started to appreciate its design. It felt agile and stable through small rapids and rocky channels, responding quickly when I edged. It has excellent secondary stability.
PADDLER 39