Great Glen Canoe Trip: Page 4
Day 4.
On waking, we noticed that the water level had dropped during the night. After a good breakfast we packed and were again away by 9am. The journey made good progress until we arrived at the top of the big rapid just outside Fort Augustus where the lowering of the water had exposed a great many rocks but reduced the number of available ways through the maze of rocky outcrops. Some time was spent negotiating through the low water this resulted in a a capsize and a great deal of water and being shipped into the boats during the passage. We eventually paddled into Fort Augustus wet and a little weary but still a complete party with no-one missing! The scheduled stop at Fort Augustus was a long and leisurely affair with some people taking a shower at the lock shower block, others shopping and everyone indulging in a feast of bacon rolls and hot drinks at the local café. We had now reached the top end of Loch Ness so, after taking on enough water for 2 nights, we paddled across to the uninhabited south shore of the Loch to find a camping spot. By this time a strong wind had started to blow up so that large waves were forming on the water but we continued paddling until we found a sheltered east facing promontory that was entirely wind free. This day’s paddle was fairly short so we had plenty of time to relax and enjoy the scenery and we all voted this to be the best camp site of the week.
