34 Spotlight 11/2019 TRAVEL
paddle around Eilean Donan for a few
hours. Will tells us about the otters and
other wildlife on the loch. It’s great fun to
be paddling with a “local”, and we show
our thanks by inviting him to breakfast in
the castle’s café. Later, we wish Will and
Kate all the best for their SUP business,
Scotland SUP Co., and head off on the
four-hour drive down to Loch Lomond, a
famous lake about an hour from Glasgow.Wallabies on Loch Lomond
When we check in at the busy youth hos-
tel at Rowardennan, on the east shore of
Loch Lomond, the receptionist asks us
what we have planned for the next day.
He’s interested that we’re paddleboard-
ing and tells us about an island in Loch
Lomond called Inchconnachan, home to
a colony of wallabies. “Wallabies?” I ask.
“Wallabies,” he nods. The cousin of the
kangaroo was introduced to the island in
the 1940s by Fiona Bryde Gore, Countess
of Arran (1918–2013), a Scottish power-
boating racer. Inspired, we set off the next
morning to look for wallabies.
Loch Lomond is Scotland’s biggest
loch and has up to 60 islands, depending
on the water level. We launch the boards
at Balmaha, a village to the south of the
hostel, with a rough idea of where we’re
going. As I pass a sailing boat, I ask the
man who’s cleaning it for directions. He
points out the island in the distance, cau-
tioning us that it’s “quite far”.
“We’ll manage,” I reply cheerily.
It’s windy today and a long bracing
paddle to the island, but well worth it.
The white gravel beach is pristine and
the island is covered in thick vegetation,
blueberry bushes in particular. We secure
the boards and explore the island a little,
expecting to see hordes of wallabies. We
don’t see any. Not being ones to give up
easily, we paddle all the way around the
island, but all we see are a few Highland
cows on the beach of a neighbouring is-
land. “I glaub des wird heit nix mit den Kängu-
rus,” says Erna, as we prepare for the long
paddle back to our van.
It was our last paddle in Scotland. We
were out on Loch Lomond for four hours.
We felt tired and content, and a bit sad
that our adventure had come to an end. I
know this won’t be our last paddleboard-
ing trip to Scotland. All the places we visit-
ed are too beautiful not to visit again, and
there’s still so much more to discover.ankle [(ÄNk&l]
, Knöchel
bracing [(breIsIN]
, hier: anstrengendcaution [(kɔːʃən]
, warnen
coil leash [(kOI&l li:S]
, Sicherheitsleine
countess [(kaUntIs]
, Gräfin, Komtessdouble-action
[)dVb&l (ÄkS&n]
, Doppelhub-
gravel [(grÄv&l]
, Kies, Schotterpristine [(prIsti:n]
, makellos, unberührt
secure [sI(kjUE]
, festmachen
wallaby [(wQlEbi]
, kleines KänguruA note about our equipment
We used Starboard Touring Zen inflatable SUP boards 30 inches (about 76 cm)
wide and 12 feet, 6 inches (3.81 m) or 14 feet (about 4.27 m) long. It took about
ten minutes to inflate each board with a double-action handpump. Our three-
piece Starboard paddles fitted easily into the board bag, and we had no problems
checking in the bags as regular luggage.
Most days, we wore Starboard Allstar SUP drysuits and neoprene boots.
Wherever we paddled, we never left the shore without a coil leash, attached to
both board and ankle.If you go
Getting there and around
Easyjet has direct flights from Munich to Edinburgh.
http://www.easyjet.com/de
Van rental from Enterprise, Edinburgh
http://www.enterprise.de
Ferry from Uig (Isle of Skye) to Tarbert (Isle of Harris)
http://www.calmac.co.ukWhere to stay
Hostelling Scotland
http://www.hostellingscotland.org.ukPlockton Hotel
Waterfront hotel with views of Loch Carron
http://www.plocktonhotel.comNo. 5 Drinishader, Isle of Harris
Inexpensive, with views of East Loch Tarbert
http://www.number5.bizWhere to eat
Glenelg Inn, Kyle of Lochalsh
Traditional inn with views over the Sound
of Sleat to the Isle of Skye
http://www.glenelg-inn.comOak Tree Inn, Balmaha, Loch Lomond
Bar, restaurant and beer garden serving
Scottish food and drink
http://www.theoaktreeinn.co.ukMore information
http://www.visitscotland.com