The Paddle Bandit

My son and myself's latest  Paddle Adventure was at Lake Windermere in the Cumbria Lake District National Park, this is the largest natural lake in the district national parks in England,it is a staggering 10.5 miles long, 1 mile wide and is 220 feet deep. This is what is called a glacial ribbon lake and has 18 island features, which make it a really memorable paddle, wonder if there is any 'Wee Nessie's' lurking in the deep, must admit did not see any, thank goodness for that.  Windermere is said to be the home of the children's book writer Beatrix Potter, and has a display of memorability of her works on show, as well as being where Donald Campbell first launched his boat The Bluebird in which he set the World Speed Record on Lock Ness in Scotland. We started off our paddle at Newby Bridge, where there was parking for our second vehicle and finished off at Lake Side car park at Water Head.           This is a paddle I highly recommend, but plan ...

My son Andy Hill and myself Andrew Hill (The Paddle Bandit) went up to Lochgilphead on the Kintyre Peninsula to paddle the Crinan Canal between Crinan and Ardishaig in Argyll and Bute on the West coast of Scotland. The canal opened in 1801 and takes its name from from the village of Crinan at its Western end, it is approximately 9 miles or 14km long and connects the village of Ardrishaig on Loch Glip with The Sound of Jura, providing a sailing route between the Clyde and the Inner Hebrides without having a long diversion around The Kintyre Peninsula and saving sailing around the exposed Mull of Kintyre, you travel through a series of 14 loch gates that switch you from level to level from the village  of Ardrishaig. This is a highly recommended paddle, which is both challenging and from a visual point of view, really stunning.     

                                                                                    Today Stephen Ellis (Montrose Kayaker) and myself The Paddle Bandit went on a early morning paddle to the Loch of Lintrathen, a few miles outside of Kirriemuir in Angus Scotland. We arrived just as the pale sun was beginning to peep its head over the surrounding hills and the temperature was still at the overnight temperature of about 4 and 6 Deg. C and as you can imagine, "Wondering what the hell we were doing here", rather than being tucked up in a warm bed, and why we were proposing to go for a paddle in near freezing water. I was extremely glad to be wearing a winter wetsuit, booties and full finger neoprene gloves, l also had on my Rooster Top to keep out the wind chill of a 23 km predicted wi...

After a cold frosty early start, myself ( The Paddle Bandit) and my friend Stephen Ellis (Montrose Kayaker) went up to Backwater Reservoir, which turned out to be one of most memorable paddles I have had in a while, brisk conditions, with no wind and mirror flat water. When the sun broke through the the early morning mist, it turned out to be a 6 miles of really enjoyable paddling and would highly recommend a visit to Loch of Linthrathen as well, which you would have passed on your left about a mile from the Backwater turn-off .