Make your way to Corpach near Fort William, perhaps via the scenic West Highland Railway, where our guide will meet you at a local bunkhouse, where we spend the night. At 7.30pm, the guide will give a trip briefing and help organize equipment ready for our departure the next morning.

Open canoeing in Loch Shiel is a superb experience. We begin at Glenfinnan at the head of Loch Shiel, under the shadow of the viaduct made famous by the Harry Potter movies. Weather permitting, we aim to reach the little bay of Camas Crom on the north side of the loch, an impressive paddle bounded by steep mountains on either side. At Camas Crom we will establish our camp for the next two nights.

Depending on the group aspirations, there is a choice of walking routes for today, from an easy walk up Glen Aladale and back to a full mountain day, with the highest of several possible peaks being Beinn Odhar Bheag at 882 metres. Whichever route we take, we will enjoy the wilderness which surrounds us before returning to camp at Camas Crom.

We enjoy an easy day of open canoeing down Loch Shiel as we paddle just a few miles today to the sheltered bay of Rubha na H-Airde. Along the way, we aim to explore the River Polloch and perhaps have a walk into Glenhurich Forest before pitching our camp on the shore.

We’ll paddle our canoes from the rugged confines of Loch Shiel, watching the landscape open up as we emerge onto the River Shiel which meanders through a beautiful little gorge and out onto the sheltered sea loch of Loch Moidart, where our island campsite is on beautiful Eilean an Fheidh. A wonderful day of canoeing in Scotland.

Now that we are on a sea loch, wind conditions will dictate our final day. There is the possibility of a circumnavigation of Eilean Shona by canoe or foot, or perhaps a journey up the coast a short way in order to visit a stunning sandy beach. Our journey will end early afternoon on the north shore of Loch Moidart, with our summit to sea trip complete.