Tag Archives: canyoning

Married…

October 14, 2023

2023, Adventure time, adventures, ASK adventurer, Blogging, canyoning, family adventures, GingaNinja, married, outdoor adventures, ultraboyruns, wedding

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Long time readers of this blog might recall that about two years ago as the GingaNinja finished the outstanding Durty Events Craggy Island Triathlon I got down on one knee in front of assembled triathletes and asked her to marry me. Some of you may recall this was as a result of something I’d said years earlier to her, ‘if you ever complete a 100 mile walk, an any distance ultra marathon or an any distance triathlon I will ask you to marry me – she did, so I did.

At no point did I say we would take it any further…

The GingaNinja and I at that point had been together more than a decade and it seemed to me that perhaps we were beyond the point of marriage – we had already moved to other countries together, bought houses together, had a child together and even run races together (the ultimate test of a relationships ability to survive I’ve found). I say this because as we moved further and further away from the triathlon engagement the importance of the wedding slipped further into the background.

However, fast forward to February this year and I was in the middle of a short hike through Alva Glen – the place were we decided to move to Scotland – and I had a eureka moment where I said to myself with a sly grin creeping across my lips, ‘if we are getting married, we are getting married here‘.

14 days later I had my plan and I had outlined the idea to the GingaNinja and I had made contact with those that could possibly make it happen. What was the plan? a canyoning wedding of course, and as far as we can tell, the first time it’s been done (if you know of other people who have done this then I’d love to hear from from them or about it). My idea was that we would go to the top of the inescapable slot canyon at Alva Glen, canyon through it together unmarried – abseil down a waterfall into a lovely deep pool, get married, pick up the child and then canyon through the rest of Alva Glen as a married couple.

So with the family on board for an adventure filled wedding it was full steam ahead but there was one thing missing and that was the getting dressed up in your finery. It may come as little surprise that you can’t really have a canyoning wedding in a wedding dress. And to be fair I wanted to use the wedding as the opportunity to get the kilt I’ve always wanted and so I said to the GingaNinja, ‘we can have a dress up day a few days before in the Ochils’.

And thus it was set – from a standing start in February we had about 6 months to get all the bits together that we wanted to happen and then it would be split across two days – one dressed to impress and one dressed to adventure.

Day One
This should have been the easy day as no wedding was happening, this was basically ‘wedding cosplay’ in our favourite hills. We arrived early so we could transport a rope and telescopic ladder up into the hills to make getting the bride and bridesmaid up into difficult to access places a bit easier. We did some litter picking too because I’m sad to say that we get litter here too, thankfully there wasn’t too much but I’d rather it was gone, as much for the environment as for the state of my photographs.

Then it was time to get changed, me in to my newly made Ochil Flora tartan kilt, with material woven by the amazing Taffled Threads and hand made by the truly exceptional Crimson Kilts and the GingaNinja in a simple and elegant wedding dress with some wonderful dried flowers from Willow Dried and all of us in our hiking boots. There was of course ASK too who delighted in telling all who would listen about ‘her wedding day and wedding dress’.

It was quite the experience, bounding through Alva Glen and the Ochils in a wedding dress and kilt and despite not being the wedding day itself it was a hugely emotional day. Stood atop the hills overlooking the glen was a reminder to me of how far we had come together and why we had come this far together. As the wind whipped through our hair, destroying headbands of dried flowers and blowing dresses high above heads I took in the sight of my bride and bridesmaid and was happy.

And without the stress of the ceremony we had all the time we needed to enjoy ourselves and not worry about what came next…

Day Two
The actual ceremony happened a few days after the photographs were taken and was a truly magnificent but slightly odd occasion. Once more we arrived early and took a telescopic ladder and a rope up to the ceremony location for anyone that might need it and then headed back down to the starting point to meet Ruaridah and Diana who would be leading the canyoning part of the wedding. We got into our neoprene and made our way slowly through the mists of Alva Glen on another glorious day. The benefit of doing something mildly dangerous for your wedding is that you don’t give much thought to the nuptials because you are concentrating on surviving. So when we arrived at the foot of the water we said goodbye to Diana and to ASK (they’d be joining us in the water at the ceremony point) and off we went making our way to our waterfall venue to be married.

And what an adventure it was…

And to conclude
I can really only write for myself but I got the kind of wedding (and life) that I wanted.

The wedding had in attendance only my now wife and daughter because it was about those people and I considered it a private matter between us – so yes you can blame me for the lack of invites and forewarning. However, it was a couple of days filled with adventure, tributes and nods to both our past and future, what more could I, and hopefully what more could we, have asked for?

In my vows I quoted one of my favourite writers – Dr Suess who said, ‘We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love‘. I think he got it about right because we are both a bit odd, we have had good times and bad and yet despite, or possibly because of, all the weirdness we find ourselves here and I’m very happy about that. I hope the GingaNinja is too.

And some thanks

Scotland’s Canyons
The wedding, in the form we did it, was only made possible because Ruaridh and Diana (two of the best human beings ever to walk the earth) said yes to helping us with a plan, that on paper, looked ridiculous and in practice should have been ridiculous. Here’s the thing though, they took my ridiculous plan and they made it work, on the day that made it all look simple and I know it’s not simple. Occasionally I’d catch glances between them as they silently co-ordinated things so that we could have the best possible day. Scotland’s Canyons are an absolute gem of an adventure company and absolute stars as people. I should point out that they don’t specialise in weddings they specialise in canyoning and adventuring and trust me they are truly superb for canyoning and adventuring but they do a hell of a wedding too (and they make delicious cookies and cakes too).

Find out more here: scotlandscanyons.com

Matt Hall Photography
In my day to day life I’m a graphic designer and have a very specific view on photographs and I knew that I wanted the pictures from the wedding to be timeless, simple and classical. The trouble was I also needed a photographer who was willing to do a bit of adventuring too and even possibly get very wet. Matt was all of the above and more, he simply blended in with everything that was going on but he was also a part of the proceedings as he jumped in and out of the water. You’ll see from the pictures that he did a truly fabulous job capturing the beauty of the Ochils, the power of the water and the fun of the day. Matt did everything he said he would and more and he is a fabulous person to be around – all the right ingredients for your wedding day elopement and your photographer.

Find out more here: hall.photography

Kendal the Celebrant
Neither the short gingery one or I are religious and therefore we knew that a humanist celebrant would be required to help us make things legal – but as with our photographer we knew that we were going to need someone who could get on board with the madness. Thankfully the Humanist Society has a excellent search facility and we spent a very productive evening drawing up a list of just one that we thought would be silly enough to agree to marry us – her name was Kendal. Now while Kendal was incredibly professional and made sure that everything was above board – she is also the most fantastic fun to be around and got stuck in and went over and above. If you were looking for a celebrant I can highly recommend her!

Find out more: facebook.com/Kendalthecelebrant

WillowDried (Willow Houseplants)
Now for those of you that follow either of my Instagram accounts you’ll know how much I love a houseplant – with the majority coming from Willow Houseplants in Callander – but did you know that the owner of the business, Janine, is also something of a dried flower expert who beautifully crafts dried flowers for all occasions? Well she does! and I was delighted that she was happy to do the small amount we required and I was doubly delighted that what she produced was incredibly beautiful. The sight of these beautiful creations really elevated the dresses and gave the whole natural vibe we were aiming for a massive lift, it was also perfectly matched to my beloved tartan! I should also say that Janine (and Neil – mwah!) sourced one of my wedding gifts to the short rouge one – a Florida Ghost Philodendron – hard to come by I might add. But not only did they find one, they found a decently sized one at a great price. The best plant and dried flower emporium in the world, well worth a visit!

Find out more here: willowhouseplants.co.uk

Taffled Threads
My family tartan isn’t very nice, I mean it’s okay but you wouldn’t want to get married in it. So off I ambled to the Tartan Register of Scotland to explore the more generic options and also the MacDonald colours to which my family name is associated, none of these were floating my boat and then I had an idea! What if there was an Ochils tartan? A quick search and an email later to the Ochil Flora tartan creator and suddenly I found myself having the fabric for a kilt made by Claire at Taffled Threads. Oh my word… how brilliant! how beautiful! how wonderful! In addition to the stunning fabric I also had blankets/shawls made for the bride and bridesmaid as connective tissue between our outfits and these were as fabulous as the fabric for my kilt. I almost found myself crying when I picked it all up because such care had gone into something that was being made for such a special day to me. Taffled Threads are truly exceptional and Claire is awesome and having my fabric made just a couple of miles from where I would be getting married was doubly special.

Find out more here: taffledthreads.co.uk

Crimson Kilts
I didn’t have anyone to make my kilt when I spoke to Claire at Taffled Threads but she said she knew a lady that made them locally in Tillicoultry, right next to the Ochils – where you are getting married – how fortunate! I immediately headed over, almost unannounced, and from there I found a lady, Lesley, who would craft, with love, a kilt that I couldn’t adore any more than I do. Lesley showed that deep passion for her art that has come out, so deeply, in the making of my kilt and that passion translated over to both the GingNinja and I and made us even more enthusiastic for it. I will add that the finishing touch was, that Lesley and her wonderful husband Jim came up to the Ochils on the day of the wedding photoshoot to say ‘hello‘ – a really classy touch. I love wearing my kilt, and do so at every available opportunity, and know that if you choose Lesley and a Crimson Kilt then you’ll be very, very happy too.

Find out more here: crimsonkilts.co.uk

Skive Sporrans
I didn’t have anyone to make my sporran when I spoke to Lesley at Crimson Kilts but on the wall of her studio were some simple and simply beautiful sporrans that I instantly knew were what I needed. Some sporrans I’d seen elsewhere felt a little fake but there was no such problem with the beautifully hand crafted sporrans from Skive Sporrans. Every single person we asked to make things for the wedding were absolute artists and this was no exception but it is exceptional. My sporran is the perfect size and the perfect smell and the perfect… well you get the idea. It wasn’t just the making of the sporran that was special though it was also the maker himself – Jim was just a passionate and dedicated crafter and that really translated into what he was making for me. For a sporran that feels like it was really made for you and your kilt then I can highly recommend Skive Sporrans.

Find out more here: facebook.com/skivesporrans

Sally Grant
It was quite a long time ago that the GingaNinja and I approached Sally Grant to make the engagement and weddings rings for us. We looked long and hard for someone that could capture our distinctiveness within their own creativity. Sally did this through the engagement ring by helping us tell the story of the people we love, those missed and our love of Scotland. The wedding bands are simpler but have a little peak on them which reminds me of the mountains, hills and outdoors that I look to and engage with each and every day. Sally, in her crafting, delivered rings that are a constant reminder not only of the love we share between us but also are a reminder of the love of the life the GingaNinja and I share.

Find out more here: sallygrant.co.uk

Faodail
Because everything had been so local, from the rings to the tartan to the people bringing to life the actual ceremony I wanted a gift for the GingaNinja that represented that and I stumbled, about a month before the wedding, upon Faodail who was sourcing agates from the Ochils and surrounds and turning them into beautiful jewellery that I’d never seen anything like before. Obviously I contacted him immediately given the shortness of the timeframe I was working with and within just a few weeks we had the perfect piece for the GingaNinja (and ssshh I got one for the child too but for later in her life). It was the greatest pleasure to work with someone local who was using his passion for the outdoors and craft to make something so beautiful and who, like us, was at the start of a new part of their journey. I have no doubt that these beautiful pieces will become very popular indeed.

Find out more here: faodail925.com

And finally…

Thanks to my wife… for turning up.

8 year old child wants adventure… canyoning time with Scotland’s Canyons #canyoning #familyadventures #scotlandscanyons

September 27, 2022

ASK, ASK adventurer, canyoning, ochils, Scotland, This Girl Can, ultraboyruns

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So after I went canyoning with the GingaNinja last month (read about that here) I decided it would be fitting that we take the child to have a go and because we had such a tremendous time with Scotland’s Canyons there was only going to be one company that we were going to do it with.

And so on a beautifully crisp September morning the day after ASK has completed her first triathlon (read about that here) we rolled up once more to Dollar Glen – all super keen to get some thick neoprene on and get cracking through some of Scotland’s beautiful landscape.

We were greeted once more by the seemingly ever cheerful Ruaridh, which I felt was impressive for a Sunday morning, and he made ASK feel very welcome, so welcome infact that her usual ‘new person’ shyness which usually takes 10 minutes or so to disappear was gone in seconds.

We suited up in slightly warmer gear than last time as September had started to chill the air and by the time we all had neoprene on we were suitably toasty and warm. Ruaridh offered us two options for our adventure – the first was a replica of our first trip but with the most challenging bit removed or we could start a touch lower down the glen and then head further towards the bottom. We decided the latter would be better as it gave the adults something new and the ASK wouldn’t wonder what she was missing out on.

Five minutes later our merry band of thrill seekers were heading to the start of our journey and ASK was showing zero nerves – which was mildly worrying – so I asked her, ‘what’s the most important thing to do today?’ And without missing a beat she said, ‘to listen’ – which is the right answer but I also wanted her to have fun so we ramped up the fun aspect a bit as we headed to do a bit of training.

Excitement was building.

ASK had indicated that the thing she was most interested in and excited about was the abseiling and this therefore was were the training began.

Ruaridh took her through it all, carefully explaining things until she understood and then got the GingaNinja and I involved so that we could help ensure she was going to be safe and secure during some epic fun. Now with training and team briefing over we headed straight to the water and within a minute of travelling down the glen we came to our first challenge – a bit of abseiling next to fast flowing water, to give ASK a taste for it.

I made the jump down into the deep pool so I could monitor from below and then she just slowly bounced her way down on the rope. Absolutely awesome! I was so proud of her and more importantly she didn’t moan about a single second of it, infact upon reuniting with me at the bottom she started calling out, ‘More! More! what’s next?!’

Clearly canyoning was going to be a major hit and next was a jump.

ASK had asked for goggles to do the jumps, now despite being an open water swimmer, surfer triathlete, kayaker and paddleboarder she’s not keen on getting water in her eyes – so the goggles came and were put on before the first jump.

What followed next was a big leap into a deep cold pool of water and when she came up out of the splash brilliantly she couldn’t see anything and began to panic for a second until she removed the goggles…

‘Didn’t need the goggles did you?’ I asked semi-mockingly.

She snorted a response through a massive grin and then left her goggles inside my wetsuit for the rest of the trip – happy to have her head and eyes splashed by the water.

From here it was bum scooching, cannonballing, leaps, jumps, slides and battering around the glen like nobody’s business and ASK grew in confidence with every step – so much so I had to remind her of the importance of not getting too over confident. I could tell she feeling confident too by the level of her chat, for which the whole of the glen could probably hear, so my apologies to any other visitors to Dollar Glen on Sunday morning.

Ruaridh really made her experience phenomenal and she grasped every opportunity that came her way and as we waited to descend one of the bigger waterfalls my little 8 year old called out, ‘this is the best thing I’ve ever done in my life’ and I’ll be honest that’s high praise indeed because she’s done some pretty exciting things. Moments after her exclamation she was descending the bigger waterfall on a rope and although assisted here she delighted in the experience and was desperate for more! All I could hear as she went down the rope were screams of joy. ‘What’s next dad?’

The answer to that was simple – more of the same exhilarating adventure.

More jumps followed and more beautiful scenery and this time around on our canyoning adventure I felt fortunate to have the time to stop and watch things happening and absorb my surrounds. Last time I had been focused on the fun but this time having ASK with us meant everything was a bit slower and so I enjoyed this differently.

Eventually we reached what would be the final major jump of the morning and Ruaridh explained it’s a bum scooch to the edge and then a leap.

The GingaNinja dutifully did the leap into the water and then ASK went. There was much hilarity from us as parents as she belly flopped into the water and we were reminded that we need to work on her diving. But as with all the other jumps and leaps she simply popped her head out of the water and gave a massive cry of joy!

There was of course one final challenge and this was getting out the water and back up the top of the hill. Despite ASK being desperate to continue canyoning I could see in her face that she was exhausted and while she managed the rope climb out of the water and up the side of the glen she needed to be dragged back up the hill to the car. I had one exhausted but truly happy little girl on my hands and I had Ruaridh and Scotland’s Canyons to thank for that.

Conclusions
There are not enough adjectives to describe how outstanding this adventure was.

ASK is still super buzzing about the whole thing and will remember this for such a long time (I’m also aware that another canyoning trip has been added to her Christmas list). We were fortunate that water levels were just about perfect for adventuring and the weather was kind but I feel that whatever kind of day you get the guys at Scotland’s Canyons really will make the most perfect adventure for you.

Once again I’ll say a massive thank you to Ruaridh for his guidance and planning but more this time because he made my daughter feel like the most important part of our adventure. It was no surprise to me that she was much happier chatting to him than either of her parents that she was leaving behind. Blooming kids!

Good for kids?
Is it good for kids? Well if you watch the video (either above or on YouTube) you’ll see how much enjoyment my little one got – but she’s quite a specific case who has been doing all sorts of adventures since the day she was born. However, what child do you know that doesn’t love adventure? doesn’t love getting muddy? doesn’t love doing the unusual or the thing that under conventional circumstances you don’t get to do?

I feel like every child given the opportunity would absolutely love this and the great thing is that Scotland’s Canyons really work with the people they have in front of them so that everyone is getting an experience they are comfortable with and excited by.

Baked goods
Last time we were presented, post event, with delicious, moist and homemade courgette cake, I drool thinking about it (I don’t even like vegetables but I did love the cake). This time it was peanut butter cookies and dear me it was like Ambrosia – the food of the gods. ASK, not a massive fan of peanut butter, left half of hers to me and there were no complaints as I scoffed them down – I’d like the recipe for those please!

Again?
Scotlands Canyons offer tours of Bruar and Alva as well as Dollar Glen (though Dollar Glen I believe is the most suitable for young adventurers) and I’m keen to do both Alva and Bruar, ASK is simply very keen to return for another crack – so will we be booking again?

Yes we will.

And in answer to the question, ‘would we return to Dollar Glen for a third time?’ The answer to that is yes too. Both of our trips were very different and the glen moves as much as the water does and so each time you do something like this the experience is new and fresh! I can’t wait to go back.

Finally
As ever it is worth mentioning that this is an independent and impartial review and I paid for my canyoning – turns out that I’m once more super happy with my adventure and ASK wanted to share it with you. Basically – as stated last time, if you’re considering your own canyoning adventure make sure to look up Scotland’s Canyons.

Find out more
You can find out more about them at their website scotlandscanyons.com. Enjoy!

Review: Let’s go canyoning you say? Let’s go Scotland’s Canyons! #review #scotlandscanyons #canyoning

August 23, 2022

2022, adventure, Adventure time, adventures, canyoning, Dollar Glen, Scotland, ultraboyruns

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Question: What’s better than having a Monday off work?

Answer: Having a Monday off work to go canyoning with the truly awesome Scotland’s Canyons. For those who like spoilers this will be an unapologetically positive review of every last little bit of the experience and everyone should be having a go!

So let me roll back…

We are regular hikers in the beautiful and, in my opinion, vastly underrated Ochils and have often cited the beauty of this location as one of the main reasons we made the move to Scotland. Hiking the numerous glens of the Ochils has been one of the great joys of our time here and we often wondered if it would be possible to get amongst the waterfalls and the pools in a safe way and enjoy the drama and the majesty from another perspective.

Casually browsing…
Totally by accident I was casually browsing the internet (not) looking around for some options to do the exploring of the waters of the Ochils and Scotland’s Canyons came up. Ooooo, interesting I thought.

Initially I inquired because I was looking for an adventure to take my daughter on and they have the ability to take younger adventurers. The guys explained how they work, what’s involved and how much a child of 7 could do – it all sounded brilliant. I emailed back and said there was no rush, however, I was keen to book for myself and my partner and once more the guys were just brilliantly helpful.

Now I love good service and I love people who are super knowledgable about the service they provide. Now the great news is that Scotland’s Canyons have top notch service and a boatload of knowledge – you really couldn’t ask for more. Anyway, we found a suitable date – we booked via their website through the excellent online system and from their communication was excellent.

Confirmation received and then a day or so before the event we received comprehensive emailed details about the day, where to go, what to expect and all the little details you need. The thing I really like about the emailed details was the clarity of the information – something that doesn’t always happen when you book something but Scotland’s Canyons really got this right.

And so to the day – we headed off to the grey and murky Ochils, the rain thundering down and both the GingaNinja and I looking at one another thinking this could be a cold, miserable one! But as we rolled into our destination things perked up a bit and by the time we were parked it was a lovely day for an adventure that was going to be filled with water and activity.

Our guide for the morning was Ruaridh – what an awesome name and what an awesome guy, he must be awesome because he has a beard. His professionalism and his friendliness were immediate and he took us through everything we needed to know. He pulled out all the kit we would need, more on that later and in no time at all we were kitted out, briefed and ready to roll. I was excited, probably too excited but bugger that it was adventure time. As we readied to leave we met a couple of hikers who immediately had questions for these neoprene clad adventurers and as anyone who has ever met me on the side of a hill will know – I love a bit of chatty chat.

I digress – let’s get to the action.

We ambled along the trail in our thick, warm wetsuits and I was grateful for the breeze, cooler weather and the ability to unzip the neoprene jacket because I was starting to work up a bit of a sweat. Thankfully this was a company that really gave good consideration to comfort – on any day, thick neoprene can get very toasty, very quickly but by having a jacket and armless wetsuit it meant we could vent heat as was required – perfect. And despite a few minutes of walking to the start, our feet were comfortable in the excellent Adidas Terrax canyoning specific boot.

Anyway after a few minutes we arrived at the waters ‘in’ point and Ruaridh gave us the some key information for a great yet safe adventure plus a bit of practice at some of the skills we would be using during the day. It was the abseiling skills I was most keen to get to grips with as I’ve never done it before and we went through this until both I and the GingaNinja felt confident that we understood the process. However, practice is one thing at the side of a glen but in reality it can be a little different and I had to hope my fear of heights didn’t come into play!

And then we were off – into the water, clambering over obstacles, negotiating our way over the smooth stones of the glen and admiring a place we know so well from a whole new perspective. The route of the water breaks you into the canyoning really nicely, at the top it’s reasonably tame where you can get a good sense of your environment, get a feel for being in the neoprene and also acclimatise yourself to the water. There were slides, jumps and other canyoning fun to be had and as we moved onwards the challenges became more interesting. Ruaridh explained everything clearly to ensure we maximised the potential of each challenge and he clearly knew the route in depth and this knowledge really shone through and benefits the people he is guiding.

The GingaNinja and I took slightly different approaches to canyoning – she was keen and nervous while I was keen and excited and the great thing was that Ruaridh helped us both to enjoy it. He was super encouraging to the GingaNinja when her face would say ‘I can’t do it’ but her words said, ‘I’m going to do this’ and with the support of Ruaridh the GingaNinja chose to do all but one of the jumps – testament to her willingness to challenge herself and to the brilliant guidance we we were getting.

It was then we reached the point in the course that can only be described as the jewel in the Dollar Glen crown – the waterfalls and our descent of them.

It starts out with a jump here and a slide there before becoming truly, truly epic with water cascading all around and a sense that you truly have reached Narnia or Atlantis or some other lost world. The GingaNinja was clipped in and given instruction on the best way to descend and then she set off making slow but steady progress through the water. I watched from above, surprisingly without being terrified about what I would shortly be doing. I saw the GingaNinja release the rope and give a smiling thumbs up and then I headed over to listen to the instructions.

As I stepped out I could feel how slippery the gorge walls were from the hundreds of litres per second of water that were passing through them. I steadied myself and then slowly entered the water, feeling the water cascading around and over my head and it was amazing. I lowered myself further and further to the ground and took shelter next to the GingaNinja – noting that the next abseil looked even more amazing. The GingaNinja and I exchanged terrified but happy glances and waited for our guide to join us.

It was decided that the water flow was a bit strong to go straight down the waterfall and so we headed a few feet to the side of the waterfall and abseiled down from there. I should have spent more time taking in my surrounds but instead it felt like I thundered down the descent. But I did have an absolute blast facing my fear of heights – what a way to face them!

At the bottom of the second waterfall we were afforded a bit of respite while ropes were collected and we took in the splendour of the waterfall and the size of the achievement in actually getting down it. We also took in our lack of core strength which if either of us had any would have been a bonus coming down the rope! That said we both absolutely loved it and were thrilled to continue sliding, abseiling and jumping our way to soggy fun.

Eventually we reached an easy ‘out’ location and Ruaridh asked how energy levels were and I gave an immediate thumbs up but the GingaNinja looked like her legs might be a bit wobbly. However, she too eventually gave the thumbs up and we continued further down the glen for another half an hour of liquid fun – bombing into crystal clear water pools, sliding down the smoothest of rocks and I even managed an impressive slow motion fall on flat ground and about 3 inches of water (what a numpty I am). Eventually though the adventure had to come to an end and we clambered out at a rocky viewing platform that I’d once stood at looking longingly into the water, wondering if it was possible to get in the canyon.

Seems I found my answer.

The hike back to the car park is uphill and when your body has just done the canyoning it can feel hard work but it gives a chance to chat, in our case mainly about our respective fruit and vegetable growing experiences, and once back at the car park we were offered a little snack to send us on our merry way. A delicious slice of the most moist cake I’ve ever had combined with a very fine cup of tea was the perfect way to end our adventure.

What a day.

Conclusions
It’ll come as absolutely no surprise that I loved my time with Scotland’s Canyons. End to end of the experience, absolutely everything, was covered and it felt safe but super adventurous all at the same time. In all the adventures I’ve done over the years, from running the 74 miles of the Skye Trail Ultra to racing through the winter night in Lyon to snorkelling in the freezing cold waters of Iceland this one rates very, very highly.

I’d also like to say a massive thanks to Ruaridh for his excellent and regular photography during the day, it was much appreciated!

Who would enjoy this?
There’s something here for almost everyone I think. Whether you enjoy exploring little nooks that few see or you’re a thrill seeker that wants to take adventure to the next level or you just love being in the outdoors and want to try something different then Scotland’s Canyons will be able to give you a great day out. I often describe living in Scotland as the ‘life fantastic’ and if you enjoy living the ‘life fantastic’ then you’ll love canyoning too.

And the best bit?
For what you get it is tremendous value for money. It was absolutely cram packed with action for over 3 hours solid – Ruaridh really wrung all the adventure out of the glen for us and we appreciate that. The GingaNinja even commented that if she had come out of the water, that half an hour earlier, when her body was saying, ‘finish’ but her head was saying ‘continue’ she would still have felt like she’d had a great time and it would have been worth every penny. I always feel it’s the highest compliment I can pay to say that the thing I’ve ordered was both value for money and exceeded my expectations in every way.

Again?
I suppose the true testament to my enjoyment is whether I would go back, well would I? Oh yes, we will be going again at some point in the future because we believe that no two adventures with Scotland’s Canyons would be the same and that’s super exciting. Plus we are definitely looking at taking our (near) 8 year old daughter to do their family version of canyoning – she’s excited and so are we.

And finally…
As ever it is worth mentioning that this is an independent and impartial review and I paid for my canyoning – turns out that I’m just super happy with my adventure and I wanted to share it with you. Basically, if you’re considering your own adventure make sure to look up Scotland’s Canyons.

Find out more
You can find out more about them at their website scotlandscanyons.com. Enjoy!

—UltraBoyRuns

Saving the world one run at a time

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Tag Archives: canyoning

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8 year old child wants adventure… canyoning time with Scotland’s Canyons #canyoning #familyadventures #scotlandscanyons

Review: Let’s go canyoning you say? Let’s go Scotland’s Canyons! #review #scotlandscanyons #canyoning