Kayaking for Kisoro!

One of my dreams has been to row down Loch Ness. The image I had was of sparkling water, a rowing boat, and just me, leisurely whiling away my retirement years... so imagine my surprise when I found myself on Loch Ness in August, wet through and paddling for dear life against a howling gale and 2-foot waves, with my nephew Brendan in another sea kayak being tossed about for company.

Transported by our Thrifty van the plan was to start from the Inverness end at Dores, paddle 5 miles the first day, 5 miles the second and 10 miles the third, ending up at Fort Augustus in grand style, against the prevailing wind. However the weather being particularly inclement we decided to reverse the middle and last stages, so that we ended our trip pretty much half way back, at Foyers.

Never having been in a kayak before and not having time for any instruction, our progress (without splash decks to entrap us and near enough the shore to swim for it) must have looked slightly ungainly. However, this did not deter the odd tourist from taking photographs of us. Admittedly there was nothing else to take pictures of on the Loch, with Nessie not being in an accommodating mood and the local fishermen wisely in front of their fires. But our kayaks, hired from Tiso’s, and named Hansel and Gretel because we had to hide them in the forest every day while we retrieved our vehicle, were indeed very beautiful.

Nights were comfortable and undisturbed as the van turned into a large dormitory,there were great overnight parking spots at both Dores and Foyers, and the high winds kept the midgies away. One of the highlights of the trip was attending the Sunday evening service at Foyers. We met a delightful couple who live on the top of a remote hill, and insisited on picking us up in their Landrover on Monday afternoon when we had finished our 3-day paddle. The trip to their home shifted my idea of a hairpin bend into quite another dimension - but the celebratory tea and company was worth it.

So overall it was a body, mind and spirit-expanding experience which I would highly recommend to anyone, and which raised several hundred pounds for the Kisoro School for Deaf Children . And nobody believes me of course but I definitely saw something quite large swimming in the middle of the loch early one morning...

Clare Bird.

The Kisoro Trust
91 Restalrig Avenue, Edinburgh, EH7 6PN, UK
Recognised Scottish Charity No. SC 029384

Email address: info@Kisoro.org