Richard and Claire met me in the rain, it didn’t deter them and we headed off onto the water. Shortly after getting out in the boats the rain stopped and the wind diapered, giving us perfect paddling conditions. The one thing that they wanted to see on our paddle was a seal – the seals didn’t disappoint and we had them swimming close to our boats as we left the harbour area.

Alison joined me for an afternoon paddle before coming to the normal climbing wall session in the evening. It was a nice calm afternoon on the water, with a nice bit of wildlife around as we paddled along the craggy shoreline.

I met Irene and Alan again for another session, this time from the jetty in Laide. After the great seal experience we had last week I warned them that our wildlife sightings might not meet their expectations, but we had another great wildlife show today. Along with the seals swimming around us we also followed an otter along the coastline – he posed on a rock whilst eating a fish, then he swam towards us to get a good look at us before he made his way along the coast in front of our boats. On our return journey a peregrine put on a display by swooping down and catching a pigeon for his tea.  The paddling wasn’t bad either.

Nibby, Ken and Sue luckily got a lovely calm morning on the water – great for us but maybe not such a good start for the Gairloch boat club sailing races that were due to be starting later on in the day. As we paddled around we saw thousands of little fish schooling and jumping out of the water.

Today we had some very friendly seals, looked like they were trying to eskimo kiss the kayaks!

Irene and Alan met me on a midgy afternoon ready for a paddle. We had some very inquisitive seals coming right up to our boats, always a great experience.

Ashley and Beth were on their tour around the #NC500 and they stopped off for a look at the route from the water’s edge. We paddled from Gairloch harbour, exploring the rugged coastline as we went around, bumping into a number of large jelly fish on the way.

Oliver, Sonja, Rafaella, Felix and Oskar joined me in Mellon Charles for a slightly breezy session. We used the wind to our advantage and headed around the coastline with it, using sheltered spots to learn some skills and play some games. Oskar, who joined me in my boat, decided that I had such a great job he’s going to become a canoe instructor when he’s older too.

Sophie and Simeon met me for an afternoon paddle as part of their #NC500 adventure. They chose the sea kayaks rather than the more stable sit on top kayaks, Simeon might have regretted this later when he inadvertently took a dip.

David, Emilie, Harriet and Matilda joined me at Gairloch Harbour for a fun morning splashing about in kayaks. As well as the piranhas that often join us on the water we had some seals swimming along with us and some lion’s mane jelly fish below us.

Dave, Rebecca, Emily and Elliot joined me for the afternoon session at Shieldaig. The heavy rain shower didn’t deter them or the seals. The rain soon got bored and it cleared into a nice afternoon.

Peter, Joseph, Amber, George and Emily joined me just south of Gairloch at Loch Shieldaig for some fun in the kayaks. We had a great morning learning skills, playing games, seeing the seals and scenery.

James, George and Isabella met me for their second session on the water, this time from the old military beach in Mellon Charles. We took the sea kayaks out this time and learnt how they paddle compared to the sit on tops we used the other day.

The low tide gave us a great opportunity to spot lots of sea life all around the craggy coastline.

Julia, Dave, Georgina and Jack joined me for some fun canoeing. We had a great time paddling around the craggy coastline and spotting seals swimming near us. We ended with Georgina and Jack getting thrown from the slip way into the water – for fun, not as a punishment!

James, Isabella and George joined me for an afternoon on sit on top kayaks. James’ parents live in Ullapool and as a Christmas present bought them two sessions out on the water with me. We had a good time paddling around the sheltered loch whilst watching the many seals and having fun.

Jonathan and Ross didn’t have far to walk to meet me, Jonathan is currently renovating Charleston House, which overlooks the harbour area. Being so close to the water he’s keen to learn to kayak and be able to get out for a paddle straight from his doorstep when he gets his own boat.

Johnny, Julia, Rosie and Eliza came to Gairloch for a paddle. We headed around the coastline and luckily had a nice low tide which enabled us to spot lots of sea life in and around the water.

Jane, Aodhan and Grace joined me for some damp kayaking. We had a ‘refreshing’ heavy rain shower just after our brew break, not being wet enough they all ended up swimming after that. In the end it was hard to keep Grace on her boat as she kept jumping off!