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Nature Based Tourism (30.01.08) “Last week Mike gave up two days of his time to speak at a Nature Based Tourism seminar organized by the National Trust for Following on from Mike’s invitation to talk on a similar theme at a conference in Winter Canoeing (10.01.08) The weather doesn't have to stop our activities. Some of them are positively fantastic in the winter. Neil was out canoeing on Loch Beinn a Mheadhoin yesterday with a couple
Our Winter Skills courses for 2008 are now available. (20.11.07) Have a look at the Courses tab at the top of any page on our website for full details of the introductory and intermediate courses available from December 07 through to March 2008. We are offering a 5% discount for anyone who books a weekend course of both the introduction day and the intermediate day together. Come and get the knowlege and skills to make the most of the UK hills in their best season. Equipment for sale (20.11.07) We are now offering great deals on some of our fleet of open canoes and mountain bikes. The canoes are a mix of Mad River Horizon 15ft boats with two seats and 17fts with three seats. All are fitted with bow and stern buoyancy, some with skidplates. Ages of the boats are between one and two years old. Prices vary depending on the condition of each boat so some bargains could be had! The mountain bikes are in sizes from 13 inch to 19 inch Specialized Hardrock Disc in a very cool understated grey. The bikes are in absolutely top condition being only 6 months old and having had only a few hours use each. Retail cost is £370 and our great condition fully serviced bikes are a snip at £250 per bike. For more details on either boats or bikes or to view one give us a call in the office on 01463 783448 or at local rate from any landline on 0845 6125567. Drambuie Pursuit (28.04.07)
Wow. This years event was bigger and better than before. There was more contestants and more challenges for them. The day itself was gloriously warm and sunny and the teams were all up for a great time. Here's a photo of the power boats in action at the Skye Bridge. (Boats not provided by Boots N Paddles - we don't do motorised actvity).
Going The Extra Mile It is now easier than ever for you to share any great experiences that you have had of hospitality and activity tourism in the Highlands. If a member of staff in a hotel, café, or activity business has gone out of their way to help you out or make your experience even more special then please consider visiting the new website Extra Miles Scotland and sharing your experience with others. This is a great way to highlight best practice in the Scottish tourism and leisure industry and to reinforce the extremely customer-focussed behaviours that we work hard on here at Boots N Paddles. Staff Training (02.02.07) Twelve of our full and part-time staff got together for our first staff training day of the year. First off was an induction session for three new associate instructors - welcome aboard to Duncan, Calum and Becs. Once the rest of the team joined us we had short practical training session at Cabrich which included showing off our new drying room. We then retired to the Priory Hotel in Beauly for two hours of chat and input from the team on how the business can further improve our systems and procedures. After lunch at the hotel it was playtime, and off to Nairn links for a whale of a time power kiting with Andy from Kite Highland. Andy ran a fantastic session for us in glorious weather and managed to cope with a range of abilities from the nervous first timers through to more confident folk that knew a few tricks already. Ade was probably the star of the Boots N Paddles team, while the entertainment award went to Ross who managed a (unintentional) ’flight’ 6 feet off the ground himself! We can now thoroughly recommend Kite Highland for a really fun and educational session with big laughs and a great range of equipment for all sizes and abilities of people. Contact Andy on 07962 588944 for more details if you fancy a go yourself. New member of Full-time staff (08.01.07) Roddy Cormack has joined us on a one-year contract on a Graduate Trainee programme. Roddy is a qualified solicitor who has seen the light and decided on a career change into the outdoor industry. He joins us after completing a post grad degree in Outdoor Education at Moray House. Roddy’s main passion is mountain biking, though he is also a keen skier, hillwalker and paddler. Our joint aims for Roddy’s year with us are for him to improve the range and levels of national governing body awards that he holds, to shadow and learn from a number of more experienced instructors and to gain experience of planning and running big outdoor events. Welcome Roddy - I’m sure you will be a great asset to Boots N Paddles. Rothiemurchus Estate (07.12.06) We are delighted to announce that we are now working in partnership with Rothiemurchus Estate to offer a selection of our activities. After a successful pilot scheme in October where we offered Archery and Canoeing sessions, we are now offering Archery over the festive period and thereafter Mountain Biking and Archery on a fortnightly basis until Easter when we will be putting on a more extensive programme. If you fancy taking part in any of the activities, please contact Rothiemurchus on 01479 812345 or visit the Rothiemurchus website for more information on activities. Equipment for sale (27.10.06) We are now offering great deals on some of our fleet of open canoes and mountain bikes. The canoes are a mix of Mad River Horizon 15ft boats with two seats and 17fts with three seats. All are fitted with bow and stern buoyancy, some with skidplates. Ages of the boats are between one and two years old. prices vary depending on the condition of each boat so some bargains could be had! The mountain bikes are in sizes from 13 inch to 19 inch Specialized Hardrock Disc in a very cool understated grey. The bikes are in absolutely top condition being only 6 months old and having had only a few hours use each. Retail cost is £370 and our great condition fully serviced bikes are a snip at £270 per bike. For more details on either boats or bikes or to view one give us a call in the office on 01463 783448. Drambuie Pursuit (25.09.06) Early indications are that the Drambuie Pursuit is going ahead next year and that Boots n Paddles will be the chosen activity provider. Check out the Drambuie Pursuit web site for details. In Search of Highland Wildlife (22.09.06) We ran this holiday offering for the first time in September and it received a big "thumbs up" from our jolly wildlife watchers. Over the course of a glorious week of weather, we managed to see badgers, pine martens, wood mice, buzzards, red kites, seals, red deer and roe deer amongst other things. The photograph is Noelle scanning for dolphins in the Moray Firth. We hope to run this again next year, so watch this space!!! Welcome to our new Support Manager (01.09.06) A big welcome to our new Support Manager Moira McLean, who has joined us at the start of the autumn season. Moira has lost no time in getting to grips with the complexities of Boots n Paddles and has already been canoeing, getting wet and wildlife watching (as part of our wildlife watching holidays). Autumn + Winter Program (01.08.06) Life is never dull at Boots n Paddles. We’re already considering our autumn and winter program. Oh no I hear you groan. It’ll soon be time to buy the Christmas Cards! Included in the program wil be Navigation, Winter Skills, Winter Climbing, Telemark and Ski Touring Experiences and all the usual. Keep an eye on the web site. Dates, venues and prices will follow shortly. If you are interested, give us a call or drop us an e-mail. Summer Going Well (01.08.06) The "summer program" has been a great sucess. Locals and visitors alike have had great fun trying out all our activities. The weather has certainly helped a lot but lets face it, canoeing on Loch Ness or gorge walking at Culloden just has to be great fun in any weather. There are still places left for August, so come along and join us for a Highland Adventure!! Exploring New Venues (21.07.06) What do you think of this as an abseil??? Try and spot the figure near the top. That’s Sally. Ring the office if you fancy a go at this awesome challenge!
Latest Goings On (21.06.06) Here at Boots n Paddles, we are in the middle of our busiest season yet. On the open We have just received a new delivery of rock boots from Boreal. We feel these boots have the right combination of user comfort and technical ability. They were delivered direct from Spain and we hope to put them to use immediately. New Member of Staff (07.06.06) Also joining us for the summer is Sally Morley. A great all rounder, Sally is at home on the water or on dry land. She has undertaken various expeditions throughout the world and her arrival at Boots n Paddles is a welcome addition to our staff. Glen Affric Walking Festival (05.06.06) The Glen Affric Walking Festival is over for another year. The walks were well subscribed and although there was mixed weather, everyone had a great time. Boots n Paddles provided the leaders for 2 of the high level walks and we hope to do the same again next year. Visit the official web site at www.glenaffric.info/walkfest/index.html New Member of Staff (12.05.06) A big welcome to Ross Boardman, who joins us for the summer season. Ross is a great all rounder who is happy canoeing, climbing and gorge walking. His main passion is sea kayaking which he has indulged both in the UK and further afield. With a winning smile and a wry sense of humour, Ross is a great addition to the team.
Drambuie Pursuit Update (03.05.06) Well, thats the Drambuie Pursuit over. The event seems to have been a great sucess and although it was very hard work, we certainly enjoyed taking part. The teams had a great time and the weather couldn’t have been better. It was filmed for Channel 4 Television and as soon as we know a transmission date, we’ll post it on our site. Drambuie Pursuit Update (24.04.06) With only a few days to go, things are coming together nicely for the Drambuie Pursuit on Saturday 29th April, 2006. Boots n Paddles staff have been working very hard behind the scenes and now we can’t wait for the event itself. Watch this space for comments and photos of the event. Arrival of a new fleet of mountain bikes (17.04.06) We have just taken delivery of a new fleet of mountain bikes. These were supplied by Bikes of Inverness, a specialised company who really know about bikes. We have gone for "Specialized Hard Rocks" in a really cool and understated grey and black livery. Neil, our senior instructor says, "these bikes are built to take anything you can fling at them. The combination of carefully chosen front suspension, cable disk brakes and full gearing mean they will be forgiving enough for beginners, but be able to deliver all the feel and action needed by experienced mountain bikers". On their arrival, we just couldn’t resist taking them out for a trial spin around the mountain bike tracks at Learnie, on the Black Isle.
The verdict? Superb!!!! We’ve matched them with a purpose made trailer from Burtech in Wales and now we’re ready to rock and roll. Drambuie Pursuit Web Chat (29.03.06) As you know, we are part of the Drambuie Pursuit which is an adventure challenge starting on the Isle of Syke and finishing in Inverness - all in one day. Here’s what the fokks at Webchats have to say about it. Watching sport just isn’t as captivating as it used to be and more men are leaving their armchairs to create their own excitement by participating in adventure sports. Saturday April 29th sees just such a challenge in the first ever Drambuie Pursuit. This exhilarating mental and physical team challenge will take place across the breathtaking scenery of the Scottish highlands. A once in a lifetime opportunity, this adrenalin packed event will have the participating teams white water rafting, abseiling, mountain biking, kayaking and racing rage buggies whilst being filmed by helicopter cameras. Matt Bates, downhill mountain bike racer and pursuit events organiser, joins us live online on Friday 31st March at 1200hrs to discuss why more men are participating in high octane sports. He’ll also be able to tell you how you can take part in next year’s Drambuie Challenge. To submit questions or take part in the webchat click here For more information visit http://www.drambuiepursuit.comhttp://www.webchats.co.uk/webchat.php?ID=267Mike in Sweden (24.03.06) Mike’s been in Sweden this week as part of an iniative to study Nature Based Tourism. It’s an area of tourism we are extremely interested in and we feel it is appropriate for our location in the Highlands of Scotland. We shall use what he has observed to help build our own wildlife trips. Fixed program of Activities (07.03.06) The first of this year’s fixed program of activities has started to make it’s appearance on the web site. This is where, throughout the summer, we will be doing a fixed activity, in a fixed location on a fixed weekday. It’s easy to book on and there is plenty of choice. Just visit our "day trips" page for more details of each activity. Mike’s German Trip (01.03.06) Mike has been away in Germany with a Visit Scotland trade delegation to meet German tour operators. He had an interesting and productive time. 2006 Holidays (31.01.06) The first of our holiday offerings for this year are now on the web site under "Holidays". Give it a look and see if there is anything you fancy. If not, why not e-mail us with your suggestions. Given sufficient numbers, we would be happy to put a holiday together just for you! Leave No Trace Trainer’s Course (31.01.06) Boots n Paddles, who are one of the main inovators in the UK for this initiative, are holding a Leave No Trace Trainers course on the Wed 5th and Thu 6th April, 2006. The price is £85. More details can be obtained on the "courses" part of the web site or by contacting Neil on 0845 612 5567 or neil@bootsnpaddles.co.uk Leave No Trace Trainer’s Course (16.01.06) Ardroy Outdoor Education Centre www.outdooreducation.co.uk located in Lochgoilhead are running a Leave No Trace Trainers Course on the 11th and 12th February, 2006. They have a couple of places left at this time and the price is £87. If you fancy attending this worthwhile course, please contact them on 01301 703391 or e-mail at info@outdooreducation.co.uk Drambuie Pursuit (13.01.06) We are delighted to have been chosen by Drambuie to provide the outdoor challenges in an activity pursuit which starts in Skye and ends in Inverness and takes place on Saturday 29th April, 2006. Preparations are well under way for the event and if you would like to see what’s involved, please visit the web site on www.drambuiepursuit.com Glen Affric Walking Festival 2006 The details for this years walking festival are now on the Glen Affric web site. To see whats on offer and to book a place please go to www.glenaffric.info/walkfest/index.html New Video Projector and Screen (10.01.06) We’ve taken delivery of a new video projector and screen today, so if anybody would like us to pop along and give you a presentation of what we do, please just contact the office. We love talking about our business and we’ll happily show you and your clients how we could maybe provide some value added activities for your visitors. We’ll also give a talk to clubs, SWRI’s, shops, hotels and in fact, anybody who will listen for twenty minutes! Just call us on 0845 612 5567 Staff Christmas Outing (19.12.05) Even the hard working staff of Boots n Paddles get a staff do! This year, 8 of us went for a lovely lunch to the Beauly Gallery (www.beaulygallery.co.uk). Thereafter we sped off to Invergordon to the Inverbreakie Raceway where we had a great time go kart racing. The occasional snow shower made things interesting. Summer 2006 Activity Programme (08.12.05) During these quiet months, John, our customer support manager, has been hard at work preparing for next year. We are hoping to run a weekly fixed programme of activities right through the summer so that visitors to the area can sample some of the wonderful scenery the Highlands have to offer. These will be available to book on-line through our web site and should be of benefit to accomodation providers and guests to the area. Glen Affric Walking Festival (05.12.05) Boots n Paddles has again been asked to supply walking guides for the walking festival in 2006. This is a project we are delighted to be assocoated with and wish the festival every sucess. Preparations are already underway for next years festival so keep an eye on their web site for more info. http://www.glenaffric.info/ Boots N Pa We are delighted to announce that Mike and his lovely wife Brenda represented Boots N Paddles at the 2005 Highland Tourism Awards held on Friday 18th November at the Drumossie Hotel, Inverness. Unfortunately, we didn’t win this year, but we are determined to have a go again next year. Our congratulations and best wishes go to the winner of the category, The Ice Factor, Kinlochleven. Mike and the BBC (Part 2) Listen to how Mike got on with the weaseling. It’s actually very good. Well done Mike! Go to BBC Radio Scotland. Select Listen Again and then "Out of Doors" Mike takes day off and goes canoeing (11/11/05) Even when he’s got a day off, Mike heads off canoeing on the the River Oich, near Fort Augustus. The water this morning was quite high, so it should be an "interesting trip". Neil on Course (07/11/05) Our senior instructor Neil is off to Plas y Brenin Mountain Training Centre in Wales to attend a European Mountain Leader Course. Does this mean Boots n Paddles is going to go European? Keep checking the web site. Latest news from Neil is that it’s been a wet week but that it’s been a great course. Mike and the BBC (09/11/05) Today Mike had the pleasure of taking Joanna Rae from the BBC’s Radio Scotland Outdoor Show weaseling near Inverness. The show goes out at 7am on Saturday mornings so if you are listening this Saturday (12th) you’ll hear how she got on. Computer Upgrade Completed (11/10/05) Our new computer system has now been commissioned and we now have a fully functioning computer each. Not only that, they are fully networked so that they all share information and all have access to e-mails and the internet. This should make a big difference to our efficiency. Boots N Pa We are delighted to announce that Boots N Paddles has been shortlisted for the Best New Tourism Business Award at the 2005 Highland Tourism Awards. This category is open to any business that has been launched in the past two years and is aimed at providing recognition for new businesses that show a high level of committment to quality and exceptional customer service right from the start. The winner will be announced at an awards dinner to be held in Inverness at the end of November. Keep your fingers crossed for us! Dawn Canoe Trips (12/08/05) These have proved very popular and we can understand why. It’s a bit of a thought getting up at that time (especially for the instructors), but once on the river, it all becomes worthwhile. We’ll be running them next year, so keep an eye on the web site. New Technology Upgrade (27/07/05) The mainstay of our office setup is our computer system. Recently, it has become apparent that it just can’t cope so we are presently in the process of sourcing and installing a fully integrated server based system. This should help us be more efficient behind the scenes. Front of house, you should receive the usual cheery greeting from John. New Equipment Base (17/07/05) Our close link up with Ardenbeg Bunkhouse in Grantown on Spey ( www.ardenbeg.co.uk )continues to prove popular with clients of both companies. Rebecca at Ardenbeg has a very similar philosophy to Boots N Paddles in that she is continuously seeking to improve the experience that she provides for her guests. Boots N Paddles now have a store of equipment permanently based at Ardenbeg. Linked with the fact that we have multi-activity instructors based in Carrbridge, Grantown and Aviemore, we are now in a position to greatly improve the level of service that we provide throughout Speyside. At the same time we will further lessen our impact on the environment by minimising the number of car journeys we make up and down the A9. Everyone’s a winner baby! Location, Location, Location! (01/06/05) We’re moving folks. The house at Muir of Ord has just become too small, both for our equipment and staff. It’s been an ideal base but it’s time for a change. The new house and premises are at Cabrich, near Kirkhill. It’s a lovely rural location, with fields, trees and hills. It also has plenty room for our equipment in a safe and secure environment. The changeover date is still not settled but by the middle of June we should be established. Glen Affric Walking Festival Once again this year we provided guides for the walking festival. We were able to lead various walks. The weather wasn’t very kind to us but nobody seemed to mind. Visit www.glenaffric.info for more details.
Tom a’ Choinich (Walk 17)
“Last week Mike gave up two days of his time to speak at a Nature Based Tourism seminar organized by the National Trust for Following on from Mike’s invitation to talk on a similar theme at a conference in |
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canoeing front, we have undertaken numerous River Spey descents, finishing at the sea at Spey Bay. We have descended the River Conon system, including Loch Luichart and also run various single day trips on the Spey and the Conon. A stag party engaged us to canoe down Loch Long, near Dornie on the west coast and we finished up arriving at Eilean Donan Castle. What a spectacular setting. We’ve been in and out our gorges lots of times and the water does seem to be warming up - slightly. As regards our mountain biking, we’ve enjoyed lots of sessions with clients on the cycle tracks at Abriachan, Learnie and Carbisdale as well as our own secret little tracks in nearby forests. Earlier in the year, we helped a group of teenagers canoe and bike the Great Glen from Fort William to Inverness. This week, our clients include Golspie High School, Raigmore Primary School, Portlethen Academy through the SYHA, and Inverness Guides who are going abseiling. In addition, we are also busy with our canoe hire business with clients from all over the UK and Europe. 
ddles In Running For Top Award - Part deux (29.11.05)
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