Back in February 2022, I was asked to be part of a small team to head up to Scotland and head out on a little adventurous winter canoe paddle. Now the idea isn’t new to me. A few years back, Ian Finch and I headed up to Scotland to try and do something similar. I had this picturesque idea of trying to paddle some lochs with snow capped munro around us. We go so far as maybe 200-300 from where we started before almost capsizing - twice. We hunkered down in a little bay for 2 nights waiting to see what the weather would do before my dad telling me storm Caroline was about to roll in and really batter us.
The irony being though, that on this new endeavour, the same thing was happening. This trip was not devised or planned by me but by Ian Finch and Jamie Barnes with Kevin Merrey and myself along for the ride. The idea being to head to the West Coast and paddle a few lochs with some portages to get between them. It seemed like a fun trip that would take a few days. However, with the oncoming storm, this idea was scrapped. After spending 1 night in Ullapool at a last minute airbnb, we all scouted the maps and talked about potential plans and ideas before settling to head East, further away from the incoming storm and give us a little extra time.
This new idea turned out to be really quite epic. We had all never been to Glen Affric before, but the views even driving up the glen to the car park were gorgeous. The new plan, to paddle up Loch Being a’Mheadhoin, portage up in to Loch Affric and paddle to the end, and then hike up the nearby hills or munros. Simple. Idyllic even. Although now, we had 3 days to do it in instead of the 5-6 that were previously planned.
We couldn’t have asked for better conditions. Glass like water, with super glossy reflections and not a breath of wind in the air. The weather was overcast, but that didn’t dampen our spirits. We were fully clad up in NRS drysuits ready for the potential worst case scenario, but with conditions like this, that would be highly unlikely. But still, better safe than sorry with the wintery cold water temperatures.
Paddling the loch was simply a dream. Ian was paired up with Kevin and I was in front of Jamie. There would be times when you could take a few stokes, pause, and then just listen to the silence of the surroundings with just the occasional ripple or bird flapping by. Before we knew it though, it was getting dark. We had set off later than we intended as this was a completely new plan, so found an island in the middle of the loch that looked perfect. Turns out we weren’t the only ones who had thought it’d be a good location given the remains of a previous fire. Unfortunately, some people still do not understand the ‘leave not trace principle’. We pitched up our Fjallraven tents and set about cooking some venicen burgers that had been acquired by a couple of local guys that Ian and Jamie knew. You certainly can’t beat freshly cook burgers on an open fire (we used a fired pit that was raised off the ground in the same fire pit that someone else had previously made). It wasn’t long after a slug of whisky, that we bundled into our tents ready for the next day.
The next morning, the water was somewhat choppier. Winds had picked up slightly, but still manageable to be paddled. No glassy views today alas. The munros however were snowcapped, and gave some great scenic shots. We were all busy snapping and shooting away, because in conditions like this - how can you not?! Our canoes were finely balanced with gear in sections that fit snugly together. Tipping would again have been a very hard thing to do. To keep out the wind though, we hugged the shore line, but we couldn’t help but stop to enjoy the views. By lunchtime though, we had reached the end of the loch. The river leading into Loch Affric was impassable so this only meant one thing - to portage.
Hiking up into some thick knee high brush and bracken wasn’t exactly easy with gear in tow. But thankfully we stumbled across a path that made our lives easier. Several trips later of a couple hundred metres and we were ready for a breather. From here we decided our plans. Because of timing issues, we’d have to scrap the Affric paddle and make camp nearby somewhere. So we made our way to an uncovered spot, whilst filming along the way. Stupid idea or not, I decided to take a canoe by myself so Jamie could get the drone up and film us. Suffice to say after a little while - it started to get heavy… At least I know I can carry one! The drone shots though were pretty epic! No messing around by the time we finished though. Tents up as the darkness came in with our dinners rehydrating.
Waking up to snow hitting the tent, we knew the storm was beginning to roll in. Opening the tent door and snow covered everything. It was a chilly morning to say the least! For safety reasons, we thought it’d be best to pack up the canoes on the car and dump all the stuff we don’t need so we can make a beeline out of the glen later that morning. The hike up though was pretty gorgeous. This is why I love Scotland in winter - because Scotland is SO much better in winter than summer (in my opinion).
Our initial aim was Cárn Eige. We wanted to see if we could summit it in the daylight that we had. We knew it’d be a push, but we’d just have to see what happens. The going up was pretty easy following an old 4x4 track before turning off and following some much thinner harder to see path with a bit of off piste. Snow on the ground certainly made things a lot more energy sapping, but much more rewarding. The view of deer in the distance roaming freely was certainly gratifying. As we trudged higher, the winds were certainly getting stronger - definitely quite blustery as it began to batter us around the more exposed we became. By this point, we were about half way up on an exposed little peak with a gorgeous view down the glen. We knew at this point, this would be our finale. There was no way we had the time, light and weather conditions to summit. So from here, we took a little break, gathered some shots before turning back round and heading to the car park. Even as we were heading down, the weather began to worsen with hail showers passing on as, being annihilated by what felt like tiny pin pricks. Just goes to show, you don’t mess with the weather.
All in all, an epic few days in a fantastic location that I will no doubt visit again. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such an idyllic Scottish location.
Definitely great times with good friends and some lovely photos. Couldn’t have asked for any more.
This trip was supported by Sidetracked Magazine, NRS & Bending Branches,
The full film of the trip can be watched below: