Scottish Bothies

[El Pres]

Following an earlier post about Scottish Bothies you can Paddle to. I have heared about the Oban Bothy located at the eastern end of loch Morar.

How about starting at Morar just south of Malaig paddle up Loch Nevis to Tarbet, then go overland to South Tarbet Bay on Loch Nevis ( a portage of 1K & 82m of assent ) paddle up to Oban hut for an overnight. Next day back down Loch Morar and down the short river back to the start.

It may make and intersting weekend as an alternative if the sea is a bit big ??

Chris

[Jim]

There was a report of a similar trip in one of the mags a few years ago. I think it was in open boats and in canoeist?

JIM

[El Pres]

In Open boats, that would make an intesting trip, as long as it wasnt to choppy, maybe one for next spring

[Douglas Wilcox]

This was one of the "Tarbets" I planned to do this year, but never got round to.

In a deal with the Scots the Vikings laid claim to anything they could get round in their boats and so dragged their longships over any narrow isthmus they could find. Its a nice story but perhaps the effort saved a nasty voyage round a headland. Anyway it caught my imagination, "in the wake and the footsteps of the Vikings...."

Not the first to think about or DO the Morar/Nevis Tarbet ....

www.redrose.org.uk/activi...iquita.htm

And of course, as far back as the late 19th century, the Clyde Canoe Club were doing the round of Gare Loch, Clyde, Loch Long, drag over Arrochar to Tarbert then Loch Lomond, river Leven, Clyde and back to Gare Loch.

As Mike B so pertinently pointed out on the Torridonian Idyll post: "That said, are there really ANY trips that are totally "new" anyway??????"

Douglas :)

[Jim]

Excellent! I only skimmed the report (having just returned from my local) but it brings back great memories of the week I spent with Tom McClean at Ardintigh! Interesting to read that he still allows non-military groups to stop over occasionally, I thought he had got worried about liability - I think I'll mention it to my contacts in Lancashire (if Nigel doesn't get in first) because that really was a fantastic week:

Sailing, sea kayaking, hiking, stormbound, snowbound, searching for a tide race at the kyles and doing a 30 footish seal launch in my spud instead, watching 'the admiral' backlooping a rowing boat in a force 6 when he was adamant he was going sailing (I was kind of worried until I realised that he would never make it to the mooring due to the frequency of the rowing boat loops), eating fresh seafood - some crabs caught by the divers that were with us and scallops Tom provided from his own beds, fixing the gas regulator, starting the genny with a blowtorch, hours of mega-jenga etc. etc. etc. I almost didn't mention our epic run round to Mallaig in a small powerboat loaded with rucksacks where we ended up having to surf 10' waves to get into the harbour...... we caught the mail boat back to Tarbet and left the powerboat on a visitors mooring (thoroughly drenched in our boating gear on the mail boat - especially Keith who had a wetsuit on so had decided to swim back to shore after mooring the boat). The waves by then were big enough that Cameron radioed for permission to stick close to the mail boat in his luxury yacht until both were safely in the relative shelter of Loch Nevis, come to think of it that one short week has so many great memories!

JIM

[Douglas Wilcox]

Douglas W> And of course, as far back as the late 19th century, the Clyde Canoe Club were doing the round of Gare Loch, Clyde, Loch Long, drag over Arrochar to Tarbert then Loch Lomond, river Leven, Clyde and back to Gare Loch.

Found a link:

www.lochlomondsc.org/club/history/

Douglas

[El Pres]

Thanks for the links, and information
I never thought for one moment this would be a first, just an intesting way to get to the Bothy.