The Descent
Anyone who has been on the Scottish rivers this summer would be able to tell you that the water levels were a wee bit on the low side. and the Spey was no different. It was clear that this would be a river trip with extra obstacles to navigate - even on the simpler sections. We started the first day on the river from Boat Of Garten and after the usual kit sort made our way onto the river. As luck would have it, strong Westerly winds made up for the lack of flow and before long we were cruising down to Boat of Balliefurth.
It is easy to assume that we had to hold people’s hands and mollycoddle the veterans down each section of river. Whilst we had to adapt our guiding techniques to allow for extra needs, at no time were we taking the control out of the canoeists hands. It was amazing to see each veteran start to adapt to a new challenge - those with partial sight established fantastic communication with their paddling partners and those with physical disabilities were able to adapt paddling techniques to suit them.
With any great river trip the main sound heard from the group was laughter. Stories were shared and the spectacular scenery of the Cairngorm National Park provided the backdrop to this inspirational adventure. This is a trip we enjoy guiding throughout the year and every group we take down the river brings something else - whether it is a DofE team, an adventure holiday for friends or, like in this example, a group wanting to achieve a challenge that many would not have attempted even when able-bodied.
Day 3 proved a long and challenging day on the water. As we meandered down towards Blacksboat, there were rocks in the flow where we had never seen them before which led to a few unintentional swims. Again everybody rose to the challenge and showed great resilience in carrying on, even after swimming in the icy highland waters. One of the highlights of the trip, as it so often is, was the bouncy ride through the turbulent waters of the Washing Machine, all paddlers successfully navigated the rapid to end the day on a high! It was clear that technical rapids were not going to be our friend and we made a decision as a guiding team to take advantage of our logistics back up to skip Knockando rapids on Day 3, putting on at Aberlour instead of Blacksboat. The weather brightened to allow us to pass under the iconic bridges of Craigellechie in the sunshine, reminding us just how beautiful this stretch of Scotland can be. This set up the final day nicely as we prepared to complete the challenge at Spey Bay. Four days of canoeing is a lot for most people, but for The Not Forgotten team it was a real test of their resilience, there were plenty of sore muscles and tired heads.
With the promise of beautiful views of the Moray Firth we set off on the last day of our trip. The meandering sections of the lower Spey can be a hazard in their own right - earlier in the year the channels had been blocked with trees and strainers but we were delighted to discover that the hazards had mainly been cleared out the way of the flow. This let us enjoy a beautiful (but blustery final river day with a fantastic group.
Spey Bay is always an awe-inspiring sight, but this trip in particular gave us cause for celebration at the amazing achievement that we were witnessing. Grins were aplenty as we beached our canoes at the mouth of the river.
Sometimes words are not enough to communicate the feelings at the end of a trip; sadness that it is over, pride that the group rose to the occasion and relief that we were able to keep the team safe throughout the week all melted together. For a long time we stared at the waves crash over the shingle banks of Spey Bay which have greeted many a paddler, soaking up the atmosphere of satisfaction from a job well done.
The team leader of The Not Forgotten group, Rosie Thompson MBE, commented “Beyond Adventure organised the perfect trip for the veterans of The Not Forgotten. The River Spey descent epitomises all we stand for, Comradeship & Challenge at its best. Professionally organised, the veterans felt safe from the moment they got on the water and throughout were guided safely to Spey Bay. There was lots of laughter along the way, morale and confidence was boosted and everyone returned home with their spirits lifted and a feeling of great achievement”
With help from the SCA we are able to make sure that each craft was outfitted in a way that let everyone on the journey have a chance of completing the challenge. We were lucky to be able to provide everyone the chance to achieve great things in a canoe, kayak or paddle board and it is always an absolute pleasure to see the smile on the face of someone trying a great activity for the first time.
