When you picture a wilderness canoe expedition in Scotland, what comes to mind? Majestic lochs, winding rivers, and breathtaking landscapes untouched by time. Scotland offers all of that and more—but there’s one thing that can truly transform your experience: a local guide who knows the land like the back of their hand . Snow-capped Ben Nevis | Loch Lochy | Great Glen Canoe Trail At CAG Adventures , we believe a canoe trip should be more than just paddling from A to B. It’s a chance to immerse yourself in Scotland’s wild beauty, rich heritage, and hidden stories. That’s why all our wilderness expeditions are led by local Scottish guides —people who grew up here and know these waters better than anyone else. Why Local Knowledge Matters Sure, anyone can learn to paddle a canoe, but actual expertise goes beyond technique. Our guides don’t just know the safest routes and the best campsites—they know the subtle changes in wind and water, the hidden lochs that few visitors ever see, and the places where wildlife thrives. One of our guests recently told us: “I thought I was just signing up for a canoe expedition, but what I got was a real journey into Scotland’s soul. Our guide knew stories about every plant, every ruin, every peice of folklore.” That’s the difference local knowledge makes. It turns an adventure into a connection. When you're local life is easier | Guide Emy | River Spey Stories Beneath the Surface Every loch, river, and glen in Scotland has a story. From ancient clans and legendary battles to wildlife, myths and cultural traditions, our guides bring these tales to life as you paddle through stunning scenery. It’s not just a journey through nature—it’s a journey through history. More Than a Canoe Trip When you join one of our Wilderness Journeys , you’re not just signing up for an adventure—you’re stepping into an authentic Scottish experience. Our expeditions blend adventure with culture, giving you memories that last long after you’ve stepped off the water. Local tales from local guides | Guide Grant | Loch & River Tay ✅ Ready to explore Scotland the way it’s meant to be experienced— with people who know its heart and soul ?👉 Discover Our Canoe Expeditions

Are you ready to take your canoeing to the next level? If you’ve got a few journeys under your belt and can handle your boat on lochs and rivers, then CAG Adventures’ Rannoch Crossing Learning Journey this October is the perfect opportunity. This journey is not just a scenic paddle across one of Scotland’s most iconic landscapes; it’s a hands-on, fully immersive experience that bridges the gap between competence and confidence in expedition paddling. Why Rannoch? The Rannoch Moor area is one of the most stunning and remote parts of the Scottish Highlands. Crossing it by canoe is not just about ticking off a classic route; it’s a rite of passage. This experience allows you to understand what it means to paddle independently, navigate changing conditions, and manage yourself and your team in a wild setting. You will encounter open lochs, portages, rivers, and varied weather. All this will happen under the guidance of our experienced instructors. They are there to coach, not coddle. You will come away with skills, insights, and the kind of hard-earned confidence that only real adventure delivers. What Makes It a Learning Journey ? This isn’t merely a guided trip where you follow along. This experience is a progressive, skills-focused venture designed to elevate you from improver to advanced canoeist. Throughout the journey, expect to: Refine your paddling technique in real-world conditions. Navigate and make decisions as a team, supported by expert coaching. Build campcraft and expedition skills , from tarp setups to food planning. Learn to adapt and manage risk in dynamic environments. Gain experience with portaging, group travel, and remote weather challenges . The focus is on doing, reflecting, and growing . You will receive daily feedback and supportive coaching, helping you to take ownership of your progress. Who Is It For? This journey is tailored for paddlers who have moved beyond the basics. If you can paddle your canoe on flat water, manage a basic journey, and wish to become more independent and confident in more advanced environments, this is the right fit for you. Whether you're aiming for your BC Advanced Canoe Award , preparing for independent expeditions, or seeking to deepen your skillset, you will find immense value here. What You’ll Leave With By the end of the crossing, you won’t just have completed a memorable journey; you will also leave with: A clear sense of your strengths and development areas. Practical expedition experience in challenging yet supportive conditions. New confidence in leading, decision-making, and technical paddling. A toolkit of skills that move you closer to advanced paddler status. Additionally, you will join a community of like-minded adventurers. These individuals are just as committed to learning and growth as you are. Additional Insights for Your Journey Preparing for Your Adventure Getting ready for the Rannoch Crossing Learning Journey requires some preparation. Consider the following tips: Physical Fitness : Ensure you are in good physical shape. Canoeing can be demanding, and a bit of stamina will go a long way. Gear Check : Make sure your equipment is suitable for the expedition. Our instructors will offer advice on what gear is best for such conditions. Mental Preparedness : Be ready for challenges and new experiences that will test your limits. This journey will open your mind to new perspectives on paddling. Building Community Connections While you will develop individual skills, this journey also focuses on teamwork. You will work closely with fellow adventurers, building relationships that often lead to lifelong friendships. Shared experiences in challenging settings can bond people in unique ways. Embracing the Challenge The Rannoch Crossing Learning Journey isn’t easy, but that’s precisely why it’s valuable. If you're serious about progressing your canoeing skills and ready for an adventure that challenges and transforms you, then we’d love to have you with us this October. Spots are limited, so get in touch to book your place or learn more.

“Chuck us another can,” I say to Moose from my sofa.  He reaches down and opens the small fridge we’ve adopted as a beer fridge takes out a can of Tennent’s for me, as well as one for himself and chucks it over to me before opening his. He never leaves his own sofa.  This has been our life for the last few months. Moose, Ellie and I have been living in the staff house at our centre over the winter. We have got used to having a sofa each, a fridge full of beer and are living off of out of date bread cheese and pasta dishes “stolen” from Ellie’s dad’s shop.  It’s been a long winter. Moose and Ellie are off contract for the winter, and I have the joy of being office based, meaning that with the short days and long nights we find ourselves most evening sitting, watching films and drinking beer. “We really should do something this week,” Moose says, “aren’t you off mate?”  “Yea I’ve Tuesday Wednesday off, what you thinking?” I reply. “IT’S PANCAKE DAY ON TUESDAY,” Ellie announces with great enthusiasm.  “We really should take our new boats out,”, I think out loud, “we could do an overnight somewhere?” “Isn’t it meant to be pretty cold still through the night? Why don’t we go round to the bothy?” Moose suggests. “Sounds good to me” “We can make pancakes on the fire then!” Ellie exclaims. So the plan was set. We’d take our new boats that we had picked up the week before from Hōu Canoes, out for an micro adventure to Mark’s bothy an easy 12Km paddle from our village.  We would spend the night in the cosy bothy before carrying on our journey to Arrochar at the head of the loch, another 12Km from camp. Monday morning arrived and because of the truly terrible, unemployed mindset that had set in, we got up around 10 o’clock and started to pack and faff. By the time we had loaded our boats on the trolleys and pushed them through the village, down to the shores of Loch Goil it was already nearing 2pm, giving us around 3 hours of paddling time to get to the bothy.  It was a crisp clear winters day, and the minute I pushed off the beach and took my first couple of paddle strokes I could feel all the cobwebs in my brain being blown away.  We fell into rhythm as we cruised down the loch, chatting rubbish as only good mates can.  Loch Goil is a stunning sea loch that splinters off Loch Long, on the west coast of Scotland, forming the Argyll’s Secret Coast. Surrounded by wooded mountains with jagged cliffs you could easily mistake it for a Norwegian Fjord.  We paddled towards the seal colony sitting on their rocks basking in the winter sunshine. As we drew level there was an almighty splash as the first seal realised that 3 boats had just cruised up next to them. The action of the first seal formed an inevitable chain reaction, with barking and splashing, around 20 harbour seals descend into the loch and dove deep under our canoes. The only evidence they were ever there was the stream of bubbles on the surface as they played beneath us. We reached the end of the loch, in the greying dusky light then we heard a splash behind us.  “What the hell was that?” Ellie asked.  “Seal,” I responded.  “Yeah he’s come out to sing us a wee song” Moose helpfully added. Moments later, up pops the grey dog-like face of one of the many harbour seals tailing us. It’s not until now that we realised that there has been a bob of seals following us, likely for the last 4kms since we sent them all into the water. As we stared into the dusky light, trying to spot the seal we all had the realisation that it was probably time to get out our head torches, as we would definitely be arriving in the dark. The darkness rolled in as we paddled past the blinking lights of Finnart, a telling sign that we would need to power up our lights to find the trailhead that would take us up to the bothy. Mark’s Bothy used to be one of a number of dwellings on the banks of Loch Long, but today it is the only one left. A classic single story, whitewashed stone built cottage, as seen throughout the highlands of Scotland. With its main room complete with a small fireplace, “sofas”, table and kitchen counter, as well as a second, smaller room with 4 bunks in, it’s the perfect place to spend a pleasant, dry night on an adventure. We broke out our bag of kindling and coal and got the fire light. Hanging up or damp boots, inflating and lofting our sleeping before preparing our dinner and getting cracked into our beers.  After burning our dinner to a crisp, the one layer of tin foil failing to protect our pies and tatties, Ellie reached into the cooler and pulled out an old ketchup bottle, full to the brim of pancake mix. Ten minutes later and we’re having a heated discussion over the technique making a good pancake, shortly after which we’re all enjoying pancakes with sugar and lemon along side another beer or two and some good chat. The following morning we’re woken by the bright winter sun blazing through the window of the bothy. We drag ourselves out of our sleeping bags. Once upon a time there may have been curtains in the cottage, but the sun now wakes weary travellers, promoting early starts on the hill.  We rekindled the fire and brewed up a coffee in the morning. Breakfast was another pancake fiesta, and with a roaring fire and full stomachs it was hard to drag ourselves out into the cold morning.  Back on the water, the weather was, unusually, in our favour. A gentle tailwind prompted us to raft together and hoist a tarp to form our sail. We cruised toward Arrochar. Despite having lived just a few miles up the loch, Ellie, for her whole life, we had hardly paddled Loch Long. The age old “it’s right there” had stopped us, the doorstep is rarely explored, because why would you when you always can?  Using the tailwind to travel up Loch Long to Arrochar. It was magnificent. Not quite the steep sides of Loch Goil, but the rolling hills to our right sloped downward into the loch, and to our left peninsulas jutted out from mountain chains. As we rounded a corner, The Cobbler, Beinn Artair, came into view, one of the most recognisable, impressive summits in the highlands. We saw more seals and the odd porpoise swam with us for a while. The morning sun was warming us slowly, but the crisp February morning was serene and silent except for the gentle whistle of the wind and the rustle of the tarp. It was all going well, too well, and before we really knew it, we reached the Ardgartan peninsula. We were chatting away, making plans for when we get back, mainly revolving around the sofas, and some beers, probably a family sized lasagne. We would be at the end in half an hour or so at the current rate, it wasn’t far from here. Almost a shame to be finished, we wanted to be on the water so much longer, it was relaxed, it was just nice to be outside. We got our wish, sort of. The wind swung against us and what should have been a short sail to the beach turned into a hurried tarp drop, dismantling the raft and battering into the wind. It hadn’t just turned, it had gathered strength and was trying to push us back to the bothy. We considered whether it would just be easier to turn around!  The change of gear was unexpected and we could feel pancake churning around inside us. We fought and fought our way to the beach, and when we finally got there we collapsed into heaps on the ground. One thing was for sure, we were no longer cold.  It was a rough ending to a trip that we should have done years before, but a trip which got us out for a night when the odds, and our motivation, were against us. The adventure was always right there, we just hadn’t ever bothered, and the cold and short days had been a convenient excuse. It woke us up, got us ready for summer and this micro adventure reignited the desire inside us to get outside again.  We went home, laid on our sofas and drank a beer. But instead of a film, we talked and planned more trips, more days out. We had our motivation back.

Helping You Choose The Trip To Match Your Ability and Motivations There’s no one reason to take to the water. Whether you’re a budding canoeist, a capable kayaker, or keen to take your paddleboard to new and exciting places, we have a trip for you. We have decades of experience of pinpointing the right trip for the right person and have devised a selection of trips that we think fits the needs of every paddler out there. At CAG adventures, we tend to find that there are three main reasons that people have for getting on the water: to go on a journey or an adventure, to develop their paddling skills and knowledge, or both of those things. We’ve put together this blog post to help you to pick the right trip to match your ability and your reasons for getting on the water, but of course if you’re still not sure at the end of this, feel free to contact us and we can help you further. Guided Trips & Tours These people want to get out there and see the world and have chosen to use paddlesports to do that. There’s no need to get too technical with all that paddle-waggling stuff, just enough to make sure that we can cover the trip we need to and see what we want to see. And wow, is there a lot to see. Our guided trips & tours are fully focused on making the most of our amazing surroundings. We run our half and full day trips in the amazing Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, utilising not only the fantastic Loch Lomond itself, but many of the lesser-known lochs and rivers that make up this park. We also run beaver float evenings, an opportunity for you to get up close and personal with these incredible creatures and see how they live. Paddlesports journeys are special in the world of exploration and adventure. There’s no right way to do them, and no limit to what you can see and where you can go. We can even extend these journeys to multiple days, canoeing the Great Glen Canal - the ancient transport link that crosses Scotland and includes Loch Ness - or a four day trip following the footsteps of the Vikings as they raided their way around the fjord like loch systems of Western Scotland. Our journey trips are graded to help you find a trip that suits you. Our green trips are family friendly, beginner oriented and take place in calm, or relatively calm waters. Blue trips are a step above this and take place in more exposed environments, leaving you more at one with the natural world. Red trips are our advanced trips, taking on challenges both on and off the water, and call for a higher level of canoeing, as well as a desire to physically push yourself. For more information, check out our single day and multi day trips. Learning If you care about paddle-waggling and how to do it right, then learning days can help you become the best paddler you can be. We offer coaching at all levels, with the aim to make you both a more competent and confident paddler. If you’re after certification or a qualification, we can do that, too. Our developmental programmes include all of the British Canoeing qualifications in the personal, leadership, safety, and coaching schemes. We also offer bespoke coaching on a 1:1, or group basis, as well as open coaching days for you to come along and work with other paddlers of a similar level to yourself. Not totally sure what you need to work on? Don’t panic, we’ve all been there. Our coaching will help to identify your developmental needs and build you a pathway to achieving them. In the session, we will work on the building blocks of that pathway and build a programme of development to help you keep working on your progress between sessions. Learning Journeys These are the greedy ones, but we have to admit, they’re our favourite! Not only do these paddlers want to explore the world on the water and head out on wild adventures, but they want to spend the time in the wilderness using these places to become better paddlers along the way. A combination of a wilderness journey and developmental aims lets us use real-world scenarios to give you the most real learning experience possible. There is nothing better than testing a skill in exactly the right place for it. Once you’re comfortable paddling against the wind, why not use those skills to get yourself to camp? We have three levels of Developmental Journey. Each of these levels starts with some online planning workshops, to meet the other members of the team and establish group and individual motivations. From here, we can plan the expedition, picking an appropriate venue to ensure that we meet all of your aims while also experiencing everything that Scotland has to offer. Beginner Three days paddling in the Trossachs starting on Loch Achray and paddling the gental river Blackwater to Loch Venacher staying in campsites along the way looking at expedition skills both on and off the water. Intermediate Five days paddling on the Tay network covering Loch and River Tay (Scotland's longest river) wild camping but also using a couple of campsites on the way to maintain a bit of home comfort allowing us to stay in the learning zone. Advanced Seven days paddling the famous Rannoch Crossing, this remote wilderness journey involves some hard open water and river paddling where decision making is the key factor and we spend as much time out of boats using trad skills as we do paddling, all wild camping with minimal luxuries. It’s Time to Pick Your Trip Head on over to the CAG Adventures products page to see the options under each category and book today! Still not sure what trip is right for you? Drop us an email to hello@cagadventures.com and we can help you decide! See you on the water.

Who doesn't love Kit...? For many it's up there with the reason they love being in the outdoors, they get to play with all the shiny shiny! So we thought we'd get Grant, CAG Adventures Owner and Head Coach to take a look at what kit he takes on a CAG Adventures Learning or Wilderness Journey by canoe. Personal kit If you're joining us on a CAG Adventures Learning or Wilderness Journey this is the stuff you'll need to bring, pack and carry yourself. Clothing It's always hard to know how many pairs of socks to pack... So I like to simplify everything. The first step is to embrace the stink. On any wilderness trip where we're living out of boats, we're going to end up being a bit smelly anyway so if we embrace it early on it'll make packing our kit much easier. It allows me to use what I like to call the 3 sock system; One set in the canoe, One set out of the canoe, One set spare, This extends beyond socks to see exactly what I choose check out our blog on what to wear boating, but know that the clothing choices are the same in all three parts of the system. In the bag Of course, as a leader, I'll have my trusty leader bag with me but go and check out the "What's a Leader Bag" blog to see what it is I've got packed in there, the big question is what's in the exped bag? For my exped bag I use an NRS 60L Bill's Bag (if you're coming on one of our trips we can give you a 60L barrel for this), inside this I like to divide my kit into smaller dry bags, mainly for the organisation and to help me get camp set up faster when i get in. These smaller drybags are; Sleep system - sleeping bag, sleep matt, bivi bag, Shelter - either tent or hammock depending on where and when the exped is and a trap Clothing for being off the water, Spare Clothing, Warm Kit - either a down or synthetic down jacket and synthetic down trousers, Bowl, cutlery, mug, lunch box and water bottle, In addition to this in the big drybag I'll also have my flip-flops and depending on the route walking trainers or boots, if we have a hill day or long portage to do. Group Kit This is the stuff that on our Learning and Wilderness Journeys we'll sort out, it might need to go in your canoe during the trip but we'll pack it. Kitchen "The kitchen is the heart of the home" so we do our best to ensure it's a big heart on our trips! My needs when it comes to a stove in the outdoors are relatively simple, it needs to be simple to set up, work efficiently and be able to cook things fast! In addition to that because I'm cooking for more than one it needs to be capable of holding larger pots. Over many years of living and working outdoors, I've owned and used many stoves of many fuel types, and it shouldn't come as a surprise that the best stove for a solo mission vs the best stove for group cooking is very different beasts! So what's in the kitchen box? It's the MSR WhisperLite Universal of course! It's that good there are two of them. Why the WhiserLite? Well, it's famously one of the best expedition stoves of all time, following in reality in 1982 the WhisperLite hasn't changed much yet have been on some iconic expeditions around the world! The Universal version we use is a slight update on the original WhisperLite in that it allows you to not only burn liquid fuels but also gas. The ability to burn multiple fuel types is one of the main reasons we choose to use these stoves as we are always guaranteed to be able to get at least one type of fuel for them. They are also straightforward for us to fix in the field (not that they ever break) and have a superb cooking speed with very little fuel use, what's not too like! Fuel-wise it's hard to decide what to go with, but we use unleaded petrol. Before you start stressing about the environmental impact of this decision, it was because we want to help the environment that we made this choice. Let's remember that gas and oil are natural resources that need a lot of effort and have equal challenges to get to us with huge carbon footprints, but unlike gas, which comes in a single-use can that is often not recyclable, our fuel cans for our unleaded fuel are good for hundreds, maybe even thousands of uses. We can also safely store excess fuel and simply top up the fuel cans before heading out and know we're at 100% instead of running the gamble of the partly used gas can. Unleaded also burns so much more efficiently than gas so we use less fuel per meal than if we were singing IsoPro. On top of the stoves we use, a mix of MSR hard-anodized and nonstick pots with a 5.3L, 3.2L, 2.5L, 1.5L and a Skillit, seems like quite a lot of pots but it's amazing how quickly they get used when cooking for a group of folks. These pots share 3 lids and have the same removable handles so we always have one handy! To protect them we store our DeepDish Plates and Insulated Mugs around them, which also helps stop the rattle when moving the kitchen around. We then have everything you'd expect to see in a kitchen, sharp knives, cutting boards, utensils, cooking oil and washing up clothes with eco-friendly soup. And what do we use as the kitchen? A toolbox of course! We have a Stanley FatMax waterproof toolbox, it seals tight so in the event of a capsize everything is safe and if tradies can throw them around I'm sure it'll stand up to any abuse we can throw at it! Food I'm not going to give you a full rundown of our menus as they change every trip depending on who's on the trip, how long the trip is, and what's available, but on our trips, we cater from lunch on day one to lunch on the final day with healthy balanced meals using fresh produce where possible. To achieve this we carry a 60L barrel plus a 32L coolbox of food to keep everyone fed and happy. We also take a large water container and water treatment kit. Other canoe journey kit To finish off our group kit we have a large tarp which we'll often set up to give us a working area to eat, drink and chat under in the evenings and at breakfast. We also have wheels, poles and sails for the canoes (if people don't bring their own), depending on the venue Of course, our canoes make fantastic tables with a little bit of know-how. Finally, no wilderness or learning journey by canoe would be complete without a wee dram, Slàinte.