Club trip to Ratagan

After a year away, we returned to Ratagan for great paddling, delicious food, and even better company—all of which exceeded our expectations.

The journey up provided plenty of entertainment as we followed the trail of a wide load making its way through the Scottish Highlands, with several group members being pulled over along the way. Upon arriving on Friday evening, we were warmly welcomed by the hostel’s friendly warden, who gave us a detailed tour of the facilities. Later, we enjoyed a delicious buffet, though the much-anticipated tomato soup was delayed en route.

Eilan Donan

With fairly heavy winds and rain forecast for the Saturday the majority of us decided to opt for the relatively sheltered option of paddling from the hostel. We divided ourselves into three factions and the flotilla took to the water – with plenty of rain to see us off.

With rain on and off as we paddled up we took advantage of a break in the rain for an early lunch. We then paddled across to take in the castle and most importantly take advantage of the castle’s well-heated coffee shop and toilets. The good weather persisted with a gentle breeze behind us to aid our return to the hostel – just before a large squall came in.

Distance paddled: 13 miles

Loch Oich

The following morning the majority of the paddlers decided to paddle from Kyleakin with its large car park capable of accomodating the sizeable group. With a long drive ahead, I joined a splinter group which chose to paddle at Loch Oich on the way home to minimise the post-paddle driving distance. I had paddled the loch previously as part of the Caledonian Canal and as before it provided a lovely scenic and sheltered paddle. There is a car park at the Eastern end where the canal can be accessed from a pontoon – a bit of a challenge for those of us who are used to launching from the beach!

A lovely few hours paddling was had with a break for a generous packed lunch. Despite our best efforts we managed to avoid the weir and exit safely on the dreaded pontoons. A brief regroup at the House of Bruar chip shop aside, we departed for home with another fun weekend behind us.

Distance paddled: 8.5 miles