served with “neeps and nips”
Published July 28, 2009 | 
Many miles away there’s a shadow on a door
Of a cottage by the shore
Of a dark Scottish lake
– the police
A new day, a new bowl of Haggis! Well, something like that anyway. Thanks to everyone for their emails and encouragements. It’s hard sometimes to translate emotions to print but I’m certainly not down or out. Speaking with Kelly last evening I’m sure he’s more disappointed than I am, at least in the fact that I can still get my stuff together continue my Nessie hunt. The only real change comes in that I have to pick up on some logistics and at this point, maybe even those original plans will still go through. Plus there are lots of good folks around that I’m sure I can pester someone to give me a ride to the water’s edge.
The only thing that really jumps out is the prospect of doing a trip solo. With that comes a few more inherent dangers now and again. It’s not that you’re at any more real risk maybe, but if you do get into trouble it’s a bit more serious that if you are part of a team. However when I originally planned this trip I did it with solo paddling in mind and picked a more relaxed, protected route along the coast and lots of inland areas. If that makes me a wimp, so be it!
That protected more inland route has received some occasional negative feedback actually. Every so often someone will tell me it’s a totally boring paddle. Yeah, whatever! I paddle every few days here at Devil’s Lake State Park. It’s bloody boring. To me. Sometimes. Still over 1.5 million people come each summer to explore this “boring” lake. Often “boring” is simply another word for being jaded. Besides the sea or loch, or lake is only one part of the story. I know we’re all paddling fans but how many pictures of kayaks on beaches can we handle? Paddling at least for me, is a means of exploration not just of the sea or coastline, but of the land itself. Scotland is a land that I know very little of and every bird, rock, tree and street sign will be new. To the locals I’m sure it’s like any place else; Old houses, a petrol station and a Tesco. But to an American even Tesco can be an adventure.. I’ve been waiting 2 years for a little binge on sausage rolls, Mars bars & Smokey Bacon flavor crisps! LOL! That’s exotic food indeed! I’ve discovered that sometimes we forget how new or amazing our own part of the earth can be to others, and fresh eyes can sometimes lift a fog. Living in such a popular tourism destination as I do, I know this first hand.
Thanks again to the Loch Ness RNLI who sent a bit more information my way today including a new webcam address, Local Weather Link at a voluntary safety registration form for the Coastguard. Thanks too for some clarity as to the difference between the UK Coastguard which is a paid agency and the all volunteer RNLI. Learning something new every day!
I suppose I’d better go help straighten up the house just in case Justine rolls by this afternoon on her way to the Namakagan River.
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Posted in Expeditions, Loch Ness, My Paddling, Paddling, travel | 
devils lake, Expeditions, justine curgenven, Paddling, RNLI, scotland, travel, uk, wisconsin2 Responses to served with “neeps and nips”
I use to make more solo paddle when I was younger then I do now, but the best advise I can think of is to give yourself permission to take your time, devate from the orginial plan if your gut tells you to do so, and remind yourself to have fun.
A few years back I was attempting to solo around the Queen Charlotte Islands. I was bay hopping to make miles and totally bored out of my mind. I had spent gobs of money, taken time off work and family was seeing the islands from afar. Asked myself one morning, “Was I having fun?” No. Decided to abandoned the circumnavigation and spent the next 2 weeks poking into every bay and beach I found, took off days to explore and had a great time.
Go get ‘em!
Hey Steve!
I can’t add anything to that, other that “it’s your thang Do what cha wanna do!!”