This month saw two firsts for Otter Adventures - but not ones that I am proud of or will be celebrating. Last weekend was the first time guests that had been booked in for quite a while did not turn up. This was then followed by my having to postpone/cancel trips due to personal illness. Every business has it's low points and this has been one of mine since I…

For almost 40 years I have been involved in outdoor adventure in some form and have been teaching canoeing and kayaking to a wide range of people for over 33 of these! I have also worked in a wide range of outdoor centres across the country, led advanced trips into Europe and further afield with all ages of people and for many different purposes. I have been very fortunate to canoe,…

While hashtags are quite a new social phenomena, British adventurer Alastair Humphreys' use of the #microadventure is one that has probably helped the use of them grow rapidly within adventure and outdoor circles. But what is a 'microadventure'? Quite simply, and to quote Alastair Humphreys, it is: "A microadventure is an adventure that is short, simple, local, cheap – yet still fun, exciting, challenging, refreshing and rewarding." And this is…

After having to delay a hernia operation due to 'flu', I have now been 'sliced' open, stitched up again and am now recuperating with several appropriate books lined up to read (and a website to build). The first book, that I finished on my hospital bed, is Phoebe Smith's "Extreme Sleeps: Adventures of a wild camper" which I hoped would give me some ideas for personal 'sleeps' as much as…

Yesterday I was privileged to spend the day exploring the Ardtornish Estate on foot, in a sea kayak and (dare I say it) in a 4x4 car with a view to putting together a few different 'slow' adventures. These are not just for their guests but for anyone wanting to visit the Ardnamurchan Peninsulas, specifically Morvern, and experience what the Ardtornish Estate offers in terms of landscape, wildlife, and also…

If I had realised that it was Friday 13th, would I have chosen to decide the name of my company today? Probably, because I'm not superstitious... As you can tell from the website, the business is now officially known as 'Otter Adventures' and will have a logo and identity in due course (although if you are reading this you will already be seeing the website in the public domain).