Sea Kayaking Isle of Man - Fort William.

I've been working up in Fort William, Scotland, for a couple of weeks. In fact I've been working a lot, but I have found time on a couple of occasions to paddle. The first trip was in the sea loch at Fort William as shown in the top photograph with Ben Nevis in the background. The second paddle was on a fresh water lake extending into the mountains, perpendicular to the Great Glen.
Paddling a sea kayak in fresh water is a new experience for me. I felt a little bit like Ray Mears setting off in a canoe in some remote part of the Canadian wilderness. Certainly as I paddled deeper into the mountains and the rough tracks disappeared, I did appreciate that the only way to reach this spot was by foot or by kayak. The water was flat and uninteresting, but the solitude and silence compensated for the calm conditions and I soon began to appreciate that I was the only person for miles around.
I liked the isolation. I liked the fact that I would emerge for once not salty, and that as I paddled my gear was washing itself after Monday's salt water trip. I didn't like rolling in the peat stained water which, as I stared upwards to place my paddle for the role upright, was like gazing out of a freezing cold cup of tea! I didn't like the shock I felt as two loud explosions emanated from a fish farm as I paddled to close. These were presumably bird scarers but they nearly tested the integrity of my dry suite in reverse. I guess I'm not completely sold on paddling on lakes, but I'll give it another go on Monday. Meanwhile, if I can find a few waves and a bit of tide I may change my plans.
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