Johns last day

Yesterday we finished off some navigation techniques up Glen Banchor before going back to our house for a classroom session! John planned a route he intends to do in the Lake District using the skills he has been brushing up on. He invited us to The Beeches for a meal which was superb. Jude and Dave really do look after their guests. We had a wonderful evening as there were 3 other guests and lots of things to talk about.

Feshie hills

Today we headed towards Carn Ban Mor as far as the wee little notch and then worked hard on navigation. John is using all the tools and really thinking about where we are going and the best way of getting there whatever the visibility. His compass and map-reading skills are much better than he thinks and his accuracy is superb! Still thinking of what to do tomorrow!

Geal Charn

Today we took John to Geal Charn by Balsporran to start brushing up his navigation skills. He remembered a lot from his time with us before and was very accurate when taking bearings, measuring distance etc. He also put thought into the route we were taking too. Best of all was the craik we were all having, catching up on the stories and jokes! John is staying with Dave and Jude at the Beeches in Newtonmore and we know he is being very well looked after, spoilt we think!!

Shoemakers hill & Canoeing

Yesterday we asked our intrepid 'Active Kids' to lead us to the Shoemakers Hill near Badaguish. On the way we looked at various trees and plants, all the different colours and generally had a pleasant walk. The views were superb! In the afternoon we were out on Loch Morlich in Rafted Canoes making a lot of noise as well as working on paddle skills. Another brilliant day, thanks guys!

Indoor climbing and Archery

More 'Active Kids'! They are a great group of children to work with and do try so hard to get things right, and have fun at the same time. The climbing went really well as did the Archery. Some of them have done these activities with us before and are great at remembering rules, techniques etc. Useful when helping the newer children. Tomorrow we are doing a wee hill followed by some canoeing.

Treasure Hunt

Yesterday a group of our 'Active Kids' had fun on a Treasure Hunt, Den Building and some Team Challenge games. It was cold with showers but they just got on with it all the same!

Duntelchaig

We took a lovely family of Dad plus 3 girls aged 9, 11 and 14 to Duntelchaig today for some Weaselling and Abseiling. We had hoped to do some climbing too but the weather was pretty awful! The girls were amazing and although they were cold and wet they still wanted to do the abseil having had a challenging time Weaselling. Well done everyone!

Loch Insh

Today we met a group from Strathpeffer for a rafted canoe trip around Loch Insh and up the spey towards Kingussie. It was very cold and there was enough of a wind to build up some small waves which added to the day. Considering the weather, they did really well and we had a powerful raft, well done guys!

Aviemore to Grantown

Yesterday we were out with Pat and Stuart. BT Al came along too. Unfortunately we had to leave Louis in the car as he is not ready for a river trip yet, we did have lunch with him at Boat of Garten though. Pat and Stuart pick things up very quickly and work hard to make effective paddle strokes, they were also excellent at picking the best line down the river. It was a great day for all of us and we are looking forward to paddling together again soon.

Loch Insh to Grantown

Saturday Neil & Vanessa came down the Spey with us looking for possible campsites to practise bushcraft. Lovely day and very nice paddle!

Boat of Garten to Nethybridge

Yesterday we took 2 families on the Spey from Boat of Garten to Nethybridge. There was a little nervousness at first within the group but everyone soon relaxed and a lovely afternoon was had.

Today we have hired 2 canoes and kit to a group of 4 guys who are paddling from Boat to Spey Bay and we will catch up with them on Sunday evening. Hopefully all will be in one piece!

More Active Kids

A big group from Carrbridge turned up today for Team Challenge Fun, Archery and Den- Building. It was great fun for all of us. They are very good at remembering how to do things and some were coaching others at Archery! Ian persuaded them to build a den big enough for all of us as you can see!

Active Kids

Yesterday we went to Loch Morlich to practise as many different rescue techniques we could think of with our Open Canoes and Kayaks including a lot of experimentation, it was fun and we wore drysuits!

Today we had a group of 'Active Kids' for Indoor Climbing at Glenmore and Archery at the Hayfield. The weather is glorious at the moment and it was a shame to be indoors but it was a good day.

Canoe Coaching

Yesterday we met Pat and Stuart with their Springer called Louis at Loch Morlich for a day of learning about open canoeing. They were great people to coach and took on board everything we suggested to them. We had fun working as tandem teams and then went on to develop their solo skills. Louis was quite apprehensive but as he loves swimming he was quite happy to jump in and out wetting the occupants!

Bushcraft

Yesterday Ian and I passed the 3* Touring kayak award. We were with Roger Aldred and had a really good day. Roger is a great coach to be with and we always learn something new!

Today we met Vanessa and Neil from Backcountry Survival to do a photo shoot for a 2 day bushcraft/canoe trip we are going to be offering to folk next year. Much fun was had by all!

Ben Nevis again

Working for Maximum Adventure again on the Ben Nevis part of the 3 Peaks Challenge. Another friendly group of folk who kept up a good pace with lots of chat. Weather was much better than we thought so a good day was had by all!

Active Kids

Another bitty week ended with a brilliant day on Saturday when we took 2 groups of our 'Active Kids' out on Loch Morlich, Canoe Rafting. It was quite windy so we made use of sails which they all really enjoyed! They are a tough bunch who are not at all bothered by cold, wind and rain and were keen to just get out there and have fun. Some parents came too to see what it was all about. A great day for all of us!