West Coast Sea Kayaking Course
4 days Arisaig Not included Group size up to 6
What to Expect A trip designed to help you develop as a sea kayaker - helping you explore more coastline, build more confidence, develop your skill and have a great time in a sea kayak. The Sound of Arisaig and Knoydart offer lots of coastline that is waiting to be explored and we'll aim to complete 4 diverse day trips on this course - picking the areas that work best with the forecast and the groups experience.
Trip Highlights A four day kayak trip, suitable for sea kayakers with some experience and confidence, exploring some of the finest coastline around, focusing on journeying and learning skills in sea kayaking.
- Explore the sea Lochs of Knoydart, the white sand and islands of Arisaig or the rugged coastline of Moidart and Ardnamurchan.
- Develop skill and confidence progressively through 4 days of journeying and coaching.
- An instruction only course - choose accomodation that suits you.
Grade:
Improver
Level 2 - Improver These trips are perfect for those who have some sea kayaking experience and confidence and want to build on their existing skills, or want to experience a more challenging journey.
- You should have some prior experience and confidence in a sea kayak such as an introduction course or some sea kayak day trips in mixed conditions - this should be recent enough to influence your current confidence and skill level.
- These trips can also be suited to those with little sea kayaking experience but who have transferable knowledge and skill gained from a good level of experience in another paddlesport such as white water kayaking, paddleboarding or canoeing.
- Progressive skills and longer journeys compared to intro level trips, typically between 12 and 20 km per day (daily distances will vary depending on trip type and conditions).
Typical minimum number of days experience - 2 to 10+
Clients may have done a recent introduction type course where they gained a good amount of confidence and skill and experienced a range of conditions or may have experience based on multiple day trips or a mix of paddlesports experience from different disciplines. Or clients may have a substantial bank of experience from multiple trips and expeditions and are simply wanting to explore somewhere new or learn at their own pace.
Dates and Prices
Scroll down or click to see the course content or the detailed trip information
Skill Development -
We will spend the first day on the water getting to know you and your paddling and we will aim to help you develop a good idea for what might be possible over the next 4 days - there are lots of potential journeys, lots of potential for learning and also lots of potential for different weather forecasts - this is the West coast of Scotland after all!
We will use our expert local knowledge to pick the best journey for each days conditions.
There is no fixed agenda for the course and as we complete our day trips we'll aim to work with you as individuals or as a group and help you build the knowledge and skill that will help you take your sea kayaking a little bit further.
Journeying in Knoydart -
Knoydart is a fantastic place to journey for those with some sea kayaking fitness and experience - Loch Nevis bounds the Southern side of the Knoydart peninsula and offers a Fjord like Sea Loch that winds its way towards the mountains of Knoydart.
In good conditions we may reach the village of Inverie - home of the only village on mainland Britain only accesible by boat.
The steep mountains and open sea Lochs offer an excellent contrast to the intricate, winding coastline of Arisaig.
Exploring the Sound of Arisaig -
There are hundreds of possible trips in the Sound of Arisaig and we'll use our expert local knowledge to choose one that will deliver the right conditions and interesting coastline to explore.
Keep an eye out for White tailed Eagles and Otters as we explore one of Arisaig's Sea Lochs.
On our journeys we'll help you develop an understanding of the sea - how the sea state forms and changes and how it may affect our paddling. Building a bank of experience handling a sea kayak in different wind speeds and sea states is a hugely important part of developing as a sea kayaker.
Sea Kayaking in Moidart -
Loch Moidart bounds Eilean Shona on three sides, its north and easterly channel shallow, sandy and studded with wooded islands, contrasting with the South channel gradually opening out to the West to reveal a rugged coastline.
Progression -
This course would form a great warm up before joining a longer expedition.
Or it may be that you simply want to explore more coastline under the expert eye of our sea kayak guides.
We are happy to advise on progression with sea kayaking - equipment choices, how to find paddling partners, how to go about paddling independantly, how to join a club, which expeditions or courses to join next.
Accommodation No accommodation is included. There is a selection of accomodation available in the Arisaig area
Food No food is included.
Start and Finish Meet at Arisaig at 09.30. Trip ends at Arisaig 16.30. The trip is 4 days in total.
Group Up to 6 people with one guide.
Kit List Our kit list applies to this trip. All specialist kayaking equipment can be provided.
Trip Grade This trip is best suited to those who have some existing sea kayaking experience and are looking to explore more coastline, develop more confidence and knowledge. If you've done an intro to sea kayaking course and felt confident at the end of it then this trip may be suitable for you. You could also join this trip if you have a good bank of experience from another type of paddlesport and have the fitness and confidence to join a group who already have some sea kayaking experience. The journeys we complete may be longer and feature more challenging conditions then we'd expect to paddle in on an introduction course, although as always it depends on the conditions we get for the trip.
Location
Frequently Asked Questions
Individuals, couples or small groups of friends. Our courses and day trips are open to those aged 15 and over (under 18's only with parents present).
The weather on the West coast of Scotland can vary through the course of the season and from area to area - Scottish islands and coastline can see dramatically better weather and more sunshine than more mountainous areas inland. The wind speed and sea state are the primary factors that affect the trip - if the conditions are difficult then we will seek out a more sheltered section of coast to run the trip. You should note that it is very rare that we have to stay off the water on multi-day trips and the vast majority of trips run as planned. For full terms and conditions see the link below. You can read more about the weather/cancellation/booking on our FAQ page.
A 25% deposit is required at the time of booking, the balance is due 11 weeks prior to the trip, for cancellation policy please see our full terms and conditions.
We have a much larger FAQ page that covers all aspects of sea kayak trips with us.
