What an amazing trip and way to start an MSc! And no midges!! The map above shows the Spey river basin. We paddled the northern half and right into the sea. The trip was 8 days and involved 2 days practicing paddling skills in canoes, kayaks and seas kayaks at the University's outdoor center called Firbush, which is on the shore of Loch Tay. Its was an absolutely gorgeous location and a perfect place to learn and practice. The weather was pretty miserable these two days, but being soaking wet all the time just made the idea of accidently dumping into the water so much easier to deal with! Although, I have to say, I did not go in once! I did however, manage to strain my wrist fighting to get my canoe going in the right direction in crazy wind on the Loch. Nothing that drugs and a brace wouldn't fix though!
We then had two days at Woodlands which is an old Victorian house in the town of Kinguisse, that has been modified to house groups of students. From here we did a day trip on the Spey to practice our new paddling skills on moving water. It was such a cold rainy day but it was fabulous to be on the river! At night, we went to the local pub called the Tipsy Laird (no comments about this please!) to take in one last pint and some good music before heading down the river.
Each day down the river got more and more exciting. Dave, our guide was an encyclopedia of knowledge when it came to the Spey. He told us story after story about the people who own the land and the gillies who make a living from the rich people who fly fish. The social elite have staked their claim on the river and most made it very clear we were intruding on their day of fly-fishing. We had to paddle our butts off to stay clear of their lines. They just stood on the banks in their head to toe tweed giving us dirty looks, their land rovers standing by and small squat hound dogs running around. I was fully expecting to see Prince William out for a day of fishing, but unfortunately that never happened. He has more important things to do I imagine! Can you believe they pay about 10, 000 pounds to fish for a week! That is equivalent to about $20,000!! No fish is worth that kind of money in my opinion.
Pete, one of our lecturers, filled in the very rare moments that Dave was not talking with information about the geology and ecology of the areas we paddled through. Robbie, another lecturer, filled our evenings with lectures and various discussions about the environment. Camping in this country is sooooooooo different to Canada. With Scottish access laws, we were able to pull over and camp anywhere, which meant we shared a site with cows one night and essentially camped in someone's back yard another. Very strange.
The speed and volume of the river increased everyday we got closer to the sea. On the second last day, we were paddling some pretty impressive rapids. There was a very close call for my paddling partner and I coming through a big set of rapids- we nearly tipped over but JUST managed to stay upright. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for another group. There were three in the boat because Fran had also injured her wrist and couldn't paddle. The boat was not balanced very well and they went for a very cold swim. It was a good thing that we all practiced rescues!
About an hour after we rescued these three out of the river, another incident unfolded. We had been told to pull over to the bank so everyone could catch up. A girl named Jess was in the first boat to pull over and as she stepped out of the canoe a wave pushed the canoe over her ankle and broke it. My partner and I were the next to paddle up and all I saw was Jess collapsed on the ground wailing in a horrible fashion. We ended up splinting her leg on the side of the river, then ferrying her to the other side, carrying her up a huge hill to the road where the ambulance could pick her up! I say we, but I what I really mean is the guys did all this, while the rest of us waited patiently by the river in the sun!
The highlight for me though was paddling into the sea. It was a great ending to an incredible trip. Everyone was celebrating, jumping around and hugging when we got on shore. The trip was wonderful and a great opportunity to get to know my colleagues. We bonded and laughed our way down the river as we learned about the ecology, history and the crazy social traditions that define the river. We started out essentially as strangers and emerged into the sea as friends. The feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment was absolutely indescribable. It was a great start to what everyone knew was going to be an exciting year!
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