Sea Kayak Shetland – A Taster on the Water
A few hours.
The route
Shetland's coast of cliffs, caves and geos, the narrow inlets in the cliffs, is made for a sea kayak.
Sea Kayak Shetland's taster session is the gentle way in, about an hour and a half on the water with a qualified guide, for complete beginners and families. The guides pick the most sheltered stretch of coast for the day's wind and swell, so every trip is a little different.
Before you go
Book the taster session with Sea Kayak Shetland before you go, by the form on its website, info@seakayakshetland.co.uk or 07974 387463, for a day between April and September: £65 a person at the time of writing, at least three to a trip (or £195 shared among fewer), with the meeting place and time sent a day or so before.
The day
Shetland
An hour and a half in a sea kayak with a guide, from whichever sheltered shore the day's weather chooses.
About two hours
Sea Kayak Shetland
Sea Kayak Shetland has no set place to start. A day or so before, the guide checks the forecast, chooses a sheltered bit of coast and sends you a map to the meeting place, which can be anywhere on Mainland. The pin here is only the company's base at Eswick, in Nesting. The taster is about an hour and a half on the water for people who have never kayaked, with a little coaching as you go, and younger children can share one of its two double kayaks with an adult. The kayak, paddle, spraydeck, buoyancy aid and a waterproof jacket and trousers are all provided. Bring warm layers (no jeans), shoes you don't mind getting wet, a full change of clothes and a towel, a drink and a snack. It's £65 a person at the time of writing, with at least three to a trip or £195 shared among fewer, and under-18s must come with a parent or guardian. Book early in your stay so there's time to rearrange if the weather turns.
If it rains
The trip goes ahead in rain when the guide judges the sea safe, in the waterproof jacket and trousers provided; wind and swell decide it, and if the sea is too rough the guide rearranges the trip.
Photograph by Seakayak Shetland via Google