Descent of the River Spey

No! The River Spey is the perfect trip for beginners, but is also sought after by more experienced paddlers looking to refine their paddling skills or who just want to paddle on the classic river trips in the UK! All you need is a sense of adventure and confidence around water. Our river guides are highly qualified and experienced coaches and will help you to develop the skills needed to paddle the relatively easy waters of the Spey.

Included:

• Highly qualified and experienced leaders
• Tasty meals from lunch on Day 1 to lunch on Day 4. Juices and hot drinks always available and some alcohol provided.
• Paddling equipment: canoes, paddles, helmets, buoyancy aids, waterproof drybags for personal kit
• Safety equipment.
• Tents and basic sleeping mats.
• Digital photographs and videos from your adventure.
• Group shelter and tarps
• Garmin inReach tracking device to share your location with friends and family.

Not included:

• Sleeping bags (you may wish to bring your own inflatable mat too)
• Personal clothing (we will send you a kit list)
• Spending money for personal snacks and drinks

This is a general kit list. A full list will be provided with your booking confirmation.

For paddling:

• Warm and waterproof clothing

• Footwear: Must have closed toes and good grip. We recommend wearing wellies or old trainers 

For camp:

• Camp clothes and footwear  

• Spare underwear and baselayers

For packing:

• Dry bags. Feel free to bring your own, otherwise these will be provided.  

  For eating and drinking:

• Water bottle and flask

• Vacuum flask: Optional, but recommended. The smaller 300ml-500ml ones are ideal. Avoid the older glass models 

• Mug, knife/fork/spoon, plate and bowl 

Personal equipment:

• Head-torch and spare batteries 

Personal Care and Hygiene

• Small first aid kit and wash kit

• Towel: small and quick-drying 

Sleeping Equipment:

• Sleeping bag: we recommend a 3-season sleeping bag rated to around 0c

• Waterproof stuffsac for your sleeping bag

• Sleeping mattress: we provide basic closed-cell foam mattresses. If you have your own inflatable mattress such as a Thermarest of an Exped mattress, bringing it along will make for a more comfortable experience 

Canoeing Equipment:

We provide paddles, buoyancy aids and helmets. If you have your own and would prefer to use them, please feel free to bring them 

• Knee protection: kneeling can be hard on the knees and you may wish to bring along a piece of foam mat or some padded knee protectors 

Now we're talking! This is the bit we get excited about and the bit our customers rave about!

For breakfast, there will always be hot options such as breakfast rolls filled with bacon or sausages or perhaps bowls of warming porridge with blueberries and honey stirred through. 

Lunch will often be a picnic with cheeses, meats and dips served with pittas and crackers with fresh fruit. There will always be a hot brew and slice of cake at hand!

For dinner, we can expect hearty and delicious freshly cooked meals such as Thai green curry, jerk stew or spiced mushroom pilaf. With our Dutch oven we will be knocking out fresh baked garlic breads, cakes and perhaps even pizzas. 

There will be an endless supply of teas, coffee and hot chocolate and none of our trips depart without a bottle of Speyside whisky and some wine top enjoy with our meals. 

For vegetarians and vegans, you can be assured of delicious and imaginative cuisine. Please let us know if you have any dietary requirements. 

We provide spacious, high-quality three-man tents per two participants. You will be paired with a participant of the same gender if travelling alone. Single tents are available for a supplement. We also provide basic foam sleeping mats.

We will be staying in true wild-camping locations with no facilities whatsoever. This is a proper adventure in the truest sense!

Our group sizes are limited to 8 participants to ensure the best possible experience. We will paddling in tandem canoes. If you are joining us on your own, you will be paired with a fellow paddler.

This trip starts and ends in Aviemore. Our will meet us at the Old Bridge Inn in Aviemore at 9.30am.

There are plenty of public transport options to Aviemore which has a mainline train station and there are plenty of parking options in town.

For those travelling from further afield, Inverness airport is only 40 minutes away by train.