Lochaber Explorer
an open water exploration where you can truly lose yourself
Scotland’s wild West coast; where the land meets the sea. Knoydart is home to incredible scenery, fantastic wildlife and endless possibilities for adventures.
This five day trip has no set route or itinerary and with no other aim than to head out an explore. This might mean packing up and heading out for four nights expedition style, it might mean individual day trips, or some combination of the two. The idea is that we can be completely flexible and adapt to the weather and conditions as well as the aspirations of the group. Together we’ll come up with a plan that suits us an allows us to have five days paddling in this unforgettable location.
Expect to be paddling & sailing on stunning Lochs and landing on fantastic wild shores. We'll journey at our own pace, taking time to take in the surroundings.
Likely locations include:
Loch Nevis
A sea loch accessed by the Port of Mallaig. The border of Knoydart with a view across to the Isle of Skye, this is the home of the country’s most remote pub and a fantastic place to see dolphins, seals and eagles.
Loch Morar
Scotland’s deepest freshwater loch, with plenty of islands at the western end there is always something to explore. Connected to Loch Nevis by a short Tarbet portage, a satisfying intro to linking bodies of water together.
Arisaig
Gaelic for safe bay, this can be a whole day of exploring the islands just off shore or the starting point for a longer journey north into the Sound of Sleat or south towards Loch Ailort
Loch Sheil & Loch Moidart
Famous with canoeists long before the Harry Potter Films. Heading down here takes you away from the tourists and into the solitudes where the deer and eagles are we can rest on white sandy beaches and potentially head out onto the sea via the river Sheil. Castles, seals and s beautiful coastline awaits.
Loch Sunart
A stunning sea loch just off the Sound of Mull. Far from the beaten track, great road access and good shelter means that this is a fantastic place to go when the weather is poor.
Scroll down for more info below in the FAQs
£550 per person
Optional Extras:
Paddling Equipment Hire: +£150 per boat (solo or tandem)
Canoe, Paddles, Buoyancy Aids, Trolley, Bailer, Drybags
All meals provided: +£100 per person
From Lunch on Day 1 to Lunch on Day 5. Most dietary requirements can be catered for.
Camping Equipment Hire: +£40 per person
Tent & Sleeping Mat
FAQs
Where Do We Meet?
We'll meet in Fort William for a brew, a chat and to come up with a plan!
How long are the days?
Generally we want to be journeying for around 8 hours. Sometimes this might mean early starts or late finishes (we'll try really hard to avoid doing both) but these will always be discussed and will be to get ahead of weather or take advantage of tide.
What Do You Provide?
Five Days of top quality coaching and expert guidance from the team on a whole range of traditional canoe and expedition skills including planning and decision making for coastal canoeing.
I Don't Have All Of My Own Equipment...
Dependent on your requirements you can rent some or all of the required equipment or you can bring your own and just take advantage of our expert knowledge and guidance. Hopefully this allows you complete flexibility with regard to cost.
How Much Experience Do I Need / Is This Suitable For Me?
You need to be a comfortable paddler with some experience of paddling in moderate wind. There will be some opportunities for canoe sailing
Tell Me About The Portaging...
This is entirely dependant on where we go. The hardest portage is a 2km trolley over rough ground with 80m of ascent, This isn't as hard as it sounds and we'll work as a team to complete anything like this.
Where Will We Stay?
Wild Camping by the side of the lochs wherever we end up at the end of the day, that means no showers or toilets and no running water. Be prepared for a wilderness experience.
What Sort of Facilities Are There?
This is quite remote so we will need to be sef-sufficient for the entire duration.
What if the Weather is Bad?
The beauty of this trip is that there is a whole range of route options and we can adapt according to the conditions on the day.
What About Getting Back To The Start Point?
We'll work together to make sure we have vehicles at both ends of the trip so everyone can get a lift back.
What Equipment Will I Need?
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Open canoe with buoyancy fitted. It needs to be capable of carrying everything listed below.
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Paddle & spare
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Sailing Rig - these can be borrowed by prior arrangement.
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Suitable warm and waterproof clothing for on the water
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Buoyancy Aid
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Canoe Trolley
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Drybags or Barrels to keep everything in (remember we'll be carrying everything if we portage)
In Camp
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Sleeping System (Tent, Hammock, Tarp or Bivvy Bag)
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Sleeping Mat
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Sleeping Bag
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Travel Pillow
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Complete change of clothes including shoes and waterproofs
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Warm Hat & Gloves
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Clothes to Sleep in
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Battery Pack
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Headtorch
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Book or Cards
Cooking
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Stove
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Fuel (gas is probably the most common)
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Something to light it with
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Pots and pans suitable for the meals you intend to cook
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Cutlery (a Spork will do pretty much everything)
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Something to eat out of (This can be your pan if you want to save space)
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Mug for hot drinks (a sealable thermal flask is great here)
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Small sponge/scourer
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Eco-friendly washing up liquid (decant this into a small travel bottle)
A few Zip-lock bags are invaluable for keeping things separate and for storing rubbish
What Food Will We Eat?
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Breakfasts - the most important meal of the day. Plenty of carbs and sugar!
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Lunches (these should require minimum preparation and be ready to eat, it may not be practical to stop and cook)
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Teabags/Coffee/Hot Chocolate – your choice. If you take milk, think about having small individual sachets.
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Dinners – the main event. This is up to you but I’ve got some pointers to help make things easier:
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Avoid raw chicken & pork. Vacuum packed red meat or pre-cooked chicken breast works really well especially if its frozen.
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Veg generally doesn’t need to be refrigerated and keeps quite well.
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Weigh out ingredients and bring just what you need in Ziplock bags.
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The longer it takes to cook, the longer it will be until you eat. Keep it simple
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Don’t forget the extras that make things easier and tastier; oil, salt & pepper, herbs, spices, stock etc.
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Enough water for drinking and cooking (5l per person per day is normally enough)