| Canoe Hire |
 |
 |
 |
|
Find what you're looking for quickly by using these links:
We offer canoe hire for anywhere in the Scottish Highlands. Whether you want to paddle a specific river, cross Scotland via the Great Glen, create some variation on the 'walk' into Suilven or just take the family out for a picnic on a beautiful loch, we have the canoe equipment for you. We're probably the largest canoe and kayak hire operator in the Highlands, with a large fleet of boats available for individuals, small groups and events. With a flexible shuttle service and comprehensive outfitting service we should be your first port of call.
All our boats are lightweight canoes that come fitted with painter ropes and buoyancy airbags. Our price includes the boats, paddles, 60 litre watertight barrels and buoyancy aids. We can also provide helmets at no extra charge and portage trolleys for a small additional fee if you are going for a multi day trip. You can pick the canoe up from our equipment depot outside Inverness or, for an additional charge we can deliver the canoes, and yourselves, to your required starting point. If you wish to be picked up after a multi-day adventure, we can quote for that too. We can pick you up from the airport, provide camping equipment, and drop you off along with the canoes at your preferred starting point. We can even build in a stop at the supermarket for you to get your expedition supplies. The permutations are endless. At Boots N Paddles we enjoy talking about canoeing almost as much as doing it, so if you need any advice or recommendations on where to go, don't hesitate to ask. Below you will find some guides and example costs for two of our most popular trips, including useful information such as campsite locations - both wild and with facilities - and advice on how far to expect to paddle in one day.
“Thanks again for all the information. It's always a pleasure dealing with Boots N Paddles. There's always a friendly and well informed voice on the other end of the phone, which makes all the difference.” [Aly Ainsworth, Edinburgh]
For flat water canoe trips such as the Great Glen Canoe Trail (canals and lochs), we ask that you have some previous flat water paddling experience. If you have only canoed on flat water before and are keen to try a River Spey descent then we would recommend taking part in one of our guided Spey descents to increase your safety and enjoyment of the whole experience. Acceptance of risk: By signing our equipment hire agreement, you explicitly accept that all members of your party are competent to use the hire equipment unsupervised. If you have any doubt about the competence of the group, you should book a Boots N Paddles' guide to accompany you and look after the safety of the group. You and members of your group use this equipment entirely at your own risk. Canoe and equipment prices:We charge £45 per boat per day or £35 per day for two days or more. However, if you hire for 5 days we'll only charge you for 4). (The hire cost includes: paddles [with spares], buoyancy aids, helmets [if required] and two 60 litre watertight barrels per boat) Additional equipment that you might need: You may not have your own, or you may not be able to bring it to the Highlands with you, so we can provide the following equipment for you should you need it:
You can pick the canoe(s) up from our equipment store outside Inverness, or for an additional charge, we can deliver them to you. If you wish to be picked up after a multi-day adventure, we can quote for that too. We can even pick you up from Inverness Airport, provide camping equipment, take you to the supermarket for provisions and then drop you off along with the canoes at your preferred starting point. The permutations are endless. Although we're best value for shuttles to the likes of the Great Glen and Speyside, we can also run shuttles to and from the rivers Dee and Tay. Although the list of canoeing possibilities is endless, here are some of our favourites: Great Glen Canoe Trail
If you don't feel you have the experience or time to organise your own trip, why not join one of our guided Great Glen expeditions...find out more Apply for your British Waterways licence online Great Glen Canoe Guide Information required by the Coastguard if paddling on Loch Lochy or Loch Ness Camping information River Spey Descent One of the 'Big 4' rivers that is a must for the touring canoeist in Scotland, and which normally provides a fast current, great scenery and some interesting rapids. To paddle from Newtonmore to Spey Bay can take up to 5 days depending on the fitness, age, size of the group, weather and the water levels. Other popular start points for a shorter journey might be Kincraig or Aviemore. If you lack experience of whitewater paddling but would love to give it a go why not join one of our guided trips on the Spey...find out more River Spey Canoe Guide Loch Veyatie, Fionn Loch and Loch Sionascaig A wilderness canoe adventure - Take 3 days for this true wilderness trip with no real paddling difficulties although there are a couple of difficult portages and great views of Suilven along the way. A wild camping heaven. Get in touch for more information about this trip.
Glen Affric Glen Affric is worth a visit in its own right, a glen which is being replanted by 'Trees for Scotland', also offers 2 lochs set in beautiful scenery. Wild camping galore, wild life, mountains, peace and quiet...what else can we say? River Glass, River Beauly & the Aigas Gorge
Why not join one of our Dawn Canoe trips in the Aigas Gorge...read more The ultimate Highland paddling adventure - The Great Glen and The River Spey Looking for something challenging, something different, something that not many other people will have done? Why not take on the grandeur of the Great Glen and the excitement of the River Spey in one paddling adventure. Boots N Paddles are ideally placed to help you do this, offering shuttles to and from the start and finish points on each leg of the journey for you. Your itinerary might look like this... Day 1 C Day 2 Paddle from South Laggan to somewhere near the bottom end of Loch Ness. Wild camp. Day 3 Paddle to Dores at the north end of Loch Ness or camp close to Inverness. Day 4 Transfer from Inverness to the River Spey (early in day if progress has been good in the Great Glen, perhaps later in the day if delayed by weather). Drop-off on River Spey would be dependent on the time available but could be Kincraig, Aviemore or somewhere else. We would normally suggest a start point of Aviemore, the aim being to reach Boat of Balliefurth to camp for the night. Day 5 Paddle from Boat of Balliefurth to Ballindalloch Station (nr. Cragganmore). Day 6 Paddle from Ballindalloch to Craigellachie. Day 7 Paddle from Craigellachie to Spey Bay for a 2.30pm pick-up. Transfer back to Inverness for 4.30pm or back to our depot for 5.00pm. Please note: Paddling the Great Glen in 3 to 3.5 days is hard work, so you would have to be reasonably fit, have canoeing experience and take the River Oich short-cut (this means that someone in the party must be competent at rescues on moving water - which you would need for the Spey anyway). We would strongly recommend that this challenge is attempted by paddling tandem too! What would it cost? The following are example prices for groups of 4 or 8 people assuming a transfer from our equipment depot or Inverness Railway station; a pick-up at Dores with transfer to Aviemore; pick up at Spey Bay and return to Inverness railway station or our equipment depot. A more accurate quote can be provided on request taking into account your exact requirements or additional equipment needed. Canoe hire is charged at 7 days for the price of 6. Group of 4 people using 2 canoes: £760 in total Group of 8 people using 4 canoes: £1356 in total These are just some of our favourites but there are endless other places to paddle. Why not give us a call for other ideas? All paddlers please read... Responsible Access for Paddlers The following is general advice on courteous behaviour for paddlers. On land -Drive and park considerately, not obstructing gates, lanes or passing places; On the water -Follow the general rules of navigation and local byelaws; For more information about the access code for paddlers go to the Scottish Canoe Association website or look at the Paddlers' Access Code Frequently asked questions:
Add a comment |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated on Thursday, 26 January 2012 11:35 |
Before hiring canoes from us we require that you have some relevant experience for the trip you plan to undertake. We do not offer canoe hire to complete novices. So for example, if you're planning to tackle the River Spey we would suggest you get some experience of moving water or at least have sufficient, experienced canoeists in your group who are willing to take responsibility for your safety for the duration of your trip.
The route from Fort William in the west to Inverness in the east is known as the Great Glen. A series of canals, rivers and lochs allow a canoeist to paddle some 60 miles through stunning highland scenery. It generally takes between 3 and 5 days to cover the whole route depending on the size of the group, weather, fitness levels and experience. It also depends on how much you want to enjoy the surroundings and Highland hospitality as you go, or to race to the finish.
lients arrive at our equipment depot near Inverness at 8.30am (free secure parking for the duration of your trip). Clients using public transport can be collected from Inverness at 9.00am. Drop-off at Banavie (at the start of the Great Glen paddle) for people and boats would be around 11.00am. The objective for Day 1 would then be to reach the Glas-dhoire wild campsite or South Laggan that night.
