The PaddlerUK magazine July 2015 issue 3 | Page 30

P D L RUK 30
A DE

Meet the team
Initially the trip was simply a rehabilitative goal, but as
time moved on, it became so much more than that.
The more we talked about it, the more external
interest grew in what we were doing, where we
developed from a team of two to a group of 10
paddlers conquering The Great Glen:
Bottom left to right: Chris Brain (The Boss ), Daniel
Horsfield, Charlotte Lever, Beth Godfrey, Andy
Lees (Go Kayaking North West), Jane Langton (my
dear friend), Arron Hodder (Jane’s handsome boy
and dear friend), Mathew Wilkinson (Pyranha), Erin
Bastian (our documentary maker), and that’s me in
the middle.

The group had a range of abilities, from never
having paddled a canoe before right up to
professional instructors. Fear not for the newbies,
as they each shared a canoe with a professional.
On a trip such as this covering vast expanses of
deep open water, having experienced paddlers
with additional skills in rescue and first aid is
absolutely paramount; especially because the
weather can change in a heartbeat where the
water can go from glassy to moderate water
environments and beyond in a region where help
may be miles away – this did happen for us.