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Red open canoes drawn up on a sandy Loch Ness beach under a blue sky.
Inverness

Explore Highland

An Inverness canoe and paddle company run by Donald Macpherson, who set up the Great Glen Canoe Trail, offering guided trips, canoe hire and shuttles.

Welcome

The Great Glen cuts across Scotland from Fort William to Inverness, a chain of lochs joined by the Caledonian Canal, and it makes one of the finest canoe journeys in Britain.

The man who did much to set up the Great Glen Canoe Trail, and wrote its guidebook, is Donald Macpherson, and Explore Highland is his company.

It offers the trail in whichever way suits you. There are guided trips of a morning, an afternoon or an evening on Loch Ness and other lochs, rivers and the sea, and multi-day guided journeys along the whole Glen. For those who prefer to go alone, there are good open canoes to hire, with drop-off and pick-up and plenty of advice, including a briefing before you set off. His hire canoes go down the Spey as well.

Donald is a qualified coach and guide in canoe and kayak, and his guests speak warmly of feeling in safe hands. Book ahead.

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The Daily for 10 November, from Scotland with love. Aerial view of a concrete road bridge with angled supports spanning a sea loch, twin cloud-wrapped mountain peaks rising behind autumn-coloured hills.
Close byCoyote Burger3 min by roadSee itCoyote Burger

Before you go

Trips and hire are booked in advance through Explore Highland's own site; the office is on Telford Street in Inverness.

Where
Telford Street, Inverness, IV3 5LE.
Offers
Guided trips, canoe hire and shuttles.
Known for
The Great Glen Canoe Trail.

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Where it is

Based on Telford Street in Inverness, IV3 5LE; trips start across the Great Glen and beyond.

Close byInverness.
  1. A tray of sponge cakes dusted with icing sugar and filled with jam and cream.Harry GowUnder a mile as the crow flies
  2. Rows of coffee bags on a wooden dresser under a "Good Coffee Good Day" signInverness Coffee Roasting CoUnder a mile 2 min by road
  3. Leakey's BookshopLeakey's BookshopUnder a mile 3 min by road
  4. The Walrus & CorkscrewThe Walrus & CorkscrewUnder a mile 3 min by road
  5. Wooden jetty and lochside houses beneath forested hills on a misty shorelineDores BeachThe shingle beach at the loch's north end.9 miles 18 min by road
  6. Invermoriston FallsInvermoriston FallsFalls on the Loch Ness shore.28 miles 44 min by road
Directions
The gilded pipes of the Willis organ and the carved wooden pulpit inside the Old High Church, Inverness.AttractionsOld High Church0.8 miles
Macaroni cheese served in a mini skillet with garlic bread and saladRestaurantsCafe Artysans0.9 miles
Caledonian Sleeper carriage waiting at a station platform under a glass roofAttractionsCaledonian Sleeper0.9 miles
Red iron arches line a covered market hall with shopfronts either sideAttractionsThe Victorian Market0.9 miles
Corner building with green shopfront reading "Black Isle Bar, Craft Beer & Wood-Fired PizzasRestaurantsBlack Isle Bar0.9 miles
Hootananny's frontage on Church Street at dusk, gold lettering over arched windows lit purple and blue.AttractionsHootananny0.9 miles
Sliced bread in a wooden bowl beside butter and a gin glassRestaurantsMcBain's by the River0.9 miles
Crispy-skinned salmon fillet on risotto, garnished with pea shoots and herb oilRestaurantsThe Mustard Seed0.9 miles
Coyote's café storefront with an Open sign and pavement blackboardRestaurantsCoyote Burger0.9 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the paddling, and when each is next free.

A white harled cottage with a slated roof and gabled porch sits behind a garden of wildflowers, a table and chairs on the patio.Garden Cottage
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Dores
  • 7 miles from Explore Highland
Check datesA stone steading with green shutters and a slated roof sits beside a gravel drive, mature trees framing the entrance.South Bothy
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Inverness
  • 7 miles from Explore Highland
Check datesA pink harled house with turreted gables and stepped chimneys stands among pine trees behind a dry stone wall.Gatehouse Cottage
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Dores
  • 7 miles from Explore Highland
Check datesA white harled house with multiple gables sits behind clipped box hedging and shrubs, framed by overhanging trees.Factors Cottage
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Dores
  • 7 miles from Explore Highland
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in InvernessAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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