Canoe Across Scotland

You don't need any paddling experience to enjoy this adventure - the guides are great at making it enjoyable for all abilities. You'll need a moderate level of fitness, as you'll paddle around 20km per day. This involves about 6 hours on the water per day. You can expect plenty of rest stops along the way. If you do events like park run, tough mudder, or if you swim, cycle, or hill walk, you'll find this at your level. The trip, depending on the weather, will challenge you at times, both physically and mentally. But, our Guides are always on hand to help you. At the lock gates the group will have to carry canoes around the gates. This requires some effort but the group will work together to do this. We provide trolleys to manoeuvre the canoes, and your drybag has rucksack straps. Most people have little to no canoe experience, and that's ok. You'll spend time learning the basic skills from your expert guide.

See the inclusions and exclusions section above.

You don't need to be able to swim as you will have a life jacket (buoyancy aid/ personal floatation device) on, but some level of water confidence is essential. Whilst unlikely, it is possible that your canoe could capsize, so you need to be happy spending sometime in the water, whilst your guide empties your canoe.

The guides on this trip believe that to give you a quality experience, you need to be comfortable. They work with a number of companies to ensure that the equipment available on the trips are not only fit for purpose but also the best quality. You’ll be provided with: - Tents (We won't make you share with strangers. If you have booked as a group, you may need to share, but we can usually accommodate needs.)*** - Self inflating 3cm sleeping mats. - Large Dry bags - All Safety equipment** You’ll need to bring: - Sleeping bag (3 season is best) - Waterproofs (Jacket AND Trousers) - Outdoor clothing for wearing when your on the water x2 sets, synthetic walking, cycling, running is best with a thin fleece. Avoid heavy cotton. - Sun hat and warm hat. - Warm jacket/fleece for camp. - Shoes for on the water (These will get wet) - Shoes for camp - Toiletries - Torch - Midge net (those made by Smidge work well) and spray - Sun protection - Personal medication - Camera. Overall, keep your kit pretty basic. Most people don't change clothes through the trip unless they get wet. It is worth investing in quality waterproofs. If it is a wet week, a spare cheap Pac A Mac work well as a 2nd waterproof ** If you have your own safety equipment then that’s great. To use on any of the guides trips, the equipment must be CE marked, (EN ISO 12402) under 5 years old and be fit for use.

There will be a maximum of 12 clients, with 2 people sharing a canoe. We provide 2 guide on trips over 8 people, which gives the lowest guide to client ratios on these trips, to enhance your safety and enjoyment.

We recommend a minimum age of 18 years, or 14 years if accompanied by a parent or guardian. Anyone under the age of 18 must share a canoe with their parent or guardian.

Yes absolutely! It's a great way to meet like-minded people. Around a 3rd of our clients book solo. If you are nervous about booking solo, drop us a message for a chat. You will either be in a canoe with another solo traveller or with one of the guides. We work hard to foster a team approach when it comes to meal prep and tea breaks, and helping out with us is a great way to chat and get involved. If you book solo, you will have your own tent.

Winter season (Nov – Mar) Winter in Scotland can be extremely cold. In Scotland, temperatures can go as low as -15 degrees Celsius. Shoulder (Apr– May & Oct) Temperatures in Scotland can vary at this time of year. Lows of 2 degrees Celsius and highs of 15 degrees Celsius. There can be some chances of rain, with May turning very green. High Season (Jun – Sep) June to Sept can be warm, with daytime temperatures ranging from 10 – 25 degrees Celsius. There can be some rain. The weather can be quite unpredictable and weather situations can change very quickly. Therefore, it is necessary to always be prepared for such a change.

Absolutely - try and give us as much notice as possible of any dietary requirements. You can do this when completing your participation form after booking.

You will be best flying into Glasgow and getting the train to Fort William. If you were to fly into Inverness, you would have to get the train to Inverness centre and then catch a bus (1.5 hrs) to Fort William. On the way home, Inverness is the better option

Not at all! If you book solo, you won't have to share a tent. If you book with someone else, and you would like your own tent, we can usually accomodate this too.

New for 2025, we will provide a pub meal on the last night, subject to it being open (drinks not included). Day 1: Lunch and dinner Day 2: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner Day 3: Breakfast and dinner Day 4: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner Day 5: Breakfast On day 3, you will have some time to explore Fort Augustus. During this time, you will be able to get your own lunch in a cafe or pub or buy fish and chips. On Day 5, there will be some lunch available, and the trip finishes at a cafe where you can buy your own refreshments. The guides also provide snacks that are high in energy throughout. Typical food items include: Breakfast: porridge, bacon or sausage sandwich, tea, coffee or juice. Lunch: sandwiches or soup - lots of different fillings available. Along with fruit and snacks. Dinner: BBQ, stir fry, spaghetti bolognese, lemon chicken, risotto. On some trips, there will be the opportunity to eat in a pub. If you want to do this, it will be at your own expense.

The total distance is 100km. Each day you will paddle for up to 6 hours at a moderate pace, with plenty of breaks along the way.

There will be 4 nights of wild camping with no facilities. Depending on availability, you may have the opportunity to grab a shower on 2 of the days.

There are several designated "wild camping" locations along the way where you'll camp. At the locks, there are toilet and shower facilities. We usually wild camp in forests and beaches. There are no facilities, but we bring a collapsible toilet. We really take you to the wild! Our camp sites are stunning!

Yes you can leave any unneeded possessions in the guides shuttle bus, at your own risk. These items won't be available every day - just the beginning and the end of the trip.

Your Canoe will be 'Prospectors'. They are all made in the UK and can have 2 people in each one. We don't have a set weight limit and have taken guests up to 120kg. Very tall or large guests may be uncomfortable in the boats. If you are concerned, we suggest booking a canoe lesson or visiting an outdoor shop that stocks this type of canoe (Prospector) to try it out.

The guides supply dry bags and barrels to keep everything nice and dry! Each person will have one large 60-litre drybag for their own personal use. This can easily fit in your tent, sleeping bag and personal possessions.

Start: You'll meet your guide at 10:00 AM in Banavie at Neptunes Staircase. End: At the end of the trip the guides will transport you back to Fort William, or drop you off in Inverness city centre.

Car: you can follow your satnav to the following address – Neptune’s Staircase, Banavie, Fort William, PH33 7NG. There is free car parking available at this point. Bus: There are buses available from both Fort William and Inverness. However, this is a much slower option. Full details can be found on the Scotland Citylink Bus website. Taxi: Taxis are available from Fort William Train Station and cost around £10 to your start location. Train: You can get a train to Fort William, and then a taxi to your start location at Neptune’s Staircase. At the end of the trip, we will transport you back to the start location, or a place in Inverness.

There will be times that you'll pass by the shops. On the third night, you'll camp next to the highland town of Fort Augustus where there are a few small shops.

We usually finish the trip around 1:00 PM, depending on the weather. After we have loaded up, we will transport you back to Fort William. We can either drop you off at Neptunes Staircase, local hotels, or the train station. If you wish to catch public transport from Inverness (this has a better train network than Fort William), we can drop you off at the rail station. There is a new line to be airport. If you want to do this, we suggest not departing before 6:00 PM.

Sometimes the weather can deem an activity unfeasible for a set period of time. If this is the case, then your guide will offer an appropriate alternative. Examples are as follows: - The itinerary in reverse. The trip is much more enjoyable when you are not battling against the wind.  - Canoe a different section of water. - Hike the Great Glen trails. 

Midge season in Scotland is the summer months (April to September). The worst months for midges are usually July and August although this differs each year depending on the conditions The midges don't bother you too much when we are canoeing ( which is all day) but can be bothersome at camp if the wind is low. It's nothing worth stressing too much over, even in the peak of the midge season, we generally find that everyone has a great time.

Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed on this trip.

We provide this adventure in open canoes. We choose them as these are the best option to carry our kit (including group kit), as it is a completely self sufficient trip. Because of this, we don't allow people to bring their own kayaks, inflatable kayaks, or sit-on-top kayaks on the trip. The use of canoes also is safer in rough weather where we can provide more options to keep you safe. We provide the best group canoes on the market - Ace Prospectors XL. These are stable, predictable, and great paddled tandem. We, therefore, only allow our own canoes on the adventure. As you will be paddling tandem, we also prefer to use our canoes to prevent any damage to your own.

The Moorings hotel is near the start, the Ben Nevis Hotel is popular too. The pricing really does vary vastly week to week depending what else is on. Have a look on Booking.com

We suggest you take out insurance to protect yourself against your own liabilities We have had guests in the past I able.to attend due to cancelled trains, vehicle break downs, illness, emergencies at home to name a few Amongst others The Post Office offer a UK destination travel insurance

If you're driving, follow your satnav to the following address – Neptune’s Staircase, Banavie, Fort William, PH33 7NG. There is free car parking available at this point. Parking is at your own risk.