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Ten minutes on Tummel

Ten minutes on Tummel

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    Aug 11, 2018#1

    ...well it was actually a day and a half but I had enough footage for a ten minute vid.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXbSIzW4_c4
    Much happier than my last blog! Again the weather wasn't great with some high'ish winds forecast but there was a decent weather window around Tummel for a couple of days so off we went.

    We stayed at Ardgualich farm campsite, decent if a little shabby. There's plenty of camping spots round Tummel right on the bankside but not exactly wild (roadside). As I suspected the roadside spots were pretty much all inhabited and non too attractive (might go back in the autumn when it'll be a lot quieter). The easy access to Tummel on the south shore unfortunately allows for the inevitable abuse - we saw everything up to (new) tents abandoned. Apart from that it is a beautiful area and much of the banks being wooded gives a greater illusion of 'wilderness'.

    We arrived and set up around mid-day and paddled the east end of the loch from Ardgualich. Second day we paddled as far as we could to the west - managed a wee bit up the Tummel river but came to a set of rapids a few hundred yeards up before turning round to find a lunch spot. A day and a half was plenty time to paddle the entire length and back allowing time for exploring and a couple of hours fishing.

    Weather conditions were a bit four seasons in one day but generally favourable with some decent sunny spells. We were paddling into the wind for some of the time but never blowy enough for it to be a slog. As we had loads of time we sat out the two very heavy but brief showers we ran into.
    The wind freshened up a bit (as forecast) as we headed back up the loch in the afternoon. It made a nice change to get a boost on the way back, with the long fetch (WSW winds) there were long slow swells circa 18" - it did take a little effort to keep the canoe on track but by 'eck we fair shot up the loch (made it up to An Dun Island about an hour earlier than I expected).

    An Dun is a good sized wooded island which has also unfortunately not escaped the abuses seen on the shoreline (a multitude of fire rings). It's a pretty little spot with some viable camping areas and two good landing sites - both at the west end of the island one each side (north and south).

    Wildlife (flora and fauna) was seen in abundance - everything from butterflies to Eagles.

    Ardgualich campsite - £17 per night (for our large truck tent) owners very nice, shower block shabby but functional, has a purpose made put-in (at the end of the video).
    Fishing - Permits available from the campsite for £8 per day for perch, pike and brown trout, bank fishing only but quite restricted - a lot of the bank is not viable for fly fishing so I took a wee spinning rod.
    Phil

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      Aug 13, 2018#2

      Not often my attention span allows me to watch >5 mins of you tube videos, watched this on all through. A nice and watchable short film :)
      Cheers
      Tim
      :canoe:

      SMpiratePaddles a Prospector

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        Aug 13, 2018#3

        Lovely.


        Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

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          Aug 14, 2018#4

          I keep seeing this thread when I’m at work and can only skip through the video on mute. I’ve subscribed to your channel so I remember to watch this later.
          John

          Every time a canoe trip is not blogged on SotP, God makes a new kayaker.  SMopencanoe

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          14949

            Aug 14, 2018#5

            MagiKelly wrote:I keep seeing this thread when I’m at work and can only skip through the video on mute. I’ve subscribed to your channel so I remember to watch this later.
            Yay, my first subscriber - now I feel like a real vlogger!
            Phil

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              Sep 24, 2018#6

              Where you landed on An Dun, other side of the beachy part, I had to get cragger`s and my boat after an easterly night storm from Ardgualich. Always will have fond memories of Loch Tummel. Been tying up canoes properly ever since :D
              After 69 years on this planet I figure that humans are their own worst enemies

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                Sep 25, 2018#7

                Sounds like a good story in there somewhere :) - after a particular a youtube vid (think it was Shawn James/My Self Reliance) I've gotten into the habit of tying up regardless, he had some story about his canoe getting blown away while several meters away from the water's edge!
                Phil