It is our last day and, in some ways, the most challenging. Wearily, we follow the established morning routine and carry our boats down to the shore for one final push.
The day starts by retracing our route to Lochend. Our aching limbs power the boat forward, crashing through waves that have grounded a sailing yacht further along the coastline. At the headland, we try to pick a route between the stranded sailing yacht and the shore, whilst Brian and Matt gave the stricken vessel a wide berth. Alistair and I did not choose wisely. The narrow gap left little time to counteract the force of the huge waves which are sending us closer to the shoreline and, ultimately, for our first unplanned swim of the trip.
Fortunately, we remain in one piece and everything is washed ashore. After a quick bail and repack, we bounce back out into the waves. Once we round the headland, the waves lose some of their force. That said, they are still strong enough to force us into an unwanted beaching.
Once again, we bounce back out into the waves and after a few miles we reach the relative shelter of Loch Dochfour out of which flows the River Ness. This in turn flows gently towards Inverness and out into the Beauly Firth; the end point of a memorable canoe trip through the Great Glen. After sorting our kit, we hand back the boats and head into town to celebrate...
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