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New 'West Highland Way' for Sea Kayakers

Europe's first long distance route for sea kayakers is created this month along Scotland's west coast with the publication of The Scottish Sea Kayak Trail.

The 500 km route travels from the Isle of Gigha off the Kintyre peninsula to the Summer Isles near Ullapool.  It can be tackled in four holiday-sized sections or as one long, glorious journey.  It's the creation of former BBC Newsnight Scotland correspondent Simon Willis.

The emphasis is on practical advice for the visiting kayaker:

• how to tackle tricky tidal passages
• places to visit
• food re-supply
• where to safely leave kayaks overnight
• how and when to shuttle vehicles

Camping is an essential element of this journey but the book, deliberately, does not identify wild camp sites or even picnic places. 

"My aim is to give visiting kayakers enough information to seek out their own adventures.", says Simon Willis, "Finding your own place to camp is more interesting and spreads the environmental impact."

The book has stunning photographs to help identify wildlife such as seals, whales and dolphins plus guidance on avoiding disturbance.  There are practical recommendations on wild camping, from minimum impact techniques to Scottish access law.

An historical thread, woven through the text, tells 'Scotland's Story'; from the Scoti to the Norsemen, the Lords of the Isles to the Clearances.  For those who travel the trail in the comfort of their armchairs, there's also the tale of the author's own voyage along this superb coastline.

For more information go to www.ScottishSeaKayakTrail.com.