Loaded Packraft
Earlier this week I was involved in shooting a feature for the new Adventure Show series (Web: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0071mxr) that has just started on BBC Scotland. The presenter, Deziree Wilson, made a journey through the wilds of Wester Ross. Together with Andy Toop from Backcountrybiking, she paddled along Loch Bad na Sgalaig, then hiked over to the Badachro River and paddled down it to Loch Bhraigh Horrisdale. They finished with a short walk out to Shieldaig. They carried and used packrafts. These amazingly useable and robust blow-up bathtubs are perfect for watery travel. Weighing only 2.5kgs and packing down to the size of a thermarest, these things are easy to pack into a rucsac and make for efficient travel through terrain like the North West Highlands that is peppered with Lochs, Lochans, burns and rivers. It looked like a fun way to travel and certainly opens up a lot of possibilities for journeys with a different feel to plain old hiking and hillwalking. At around £1000 they aren’t cheap but Andy and Rob organise mad adventures that involve getting out on the water and being in the middle of nowhere, see Web: www.backcountrybiking.co.uk/
Paddling along Loch Bad na Sgalaig, Gairloch
Preparing the packrafts
Paul
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