Venue Description

We spend a week Canoeing the legendary Great Glen Canoe trail. This is an epic under-taking but full of laughter, adventure and memories. We canoe from the West coast of Scotland to the East coast over a week. This is 100km or 60 miles! To make this as accessible as possible we have a wheelchair-accessible powerboat on the water, which supports the Canoeists the entire distance and carries all the kit needed for a day's paddling (including a mobile toilet & tent) and any wheelchairs. We also have a support van that moves all the camping kit along the way and sorts any logistics. The first, middle and last nights are spent in accessible hostels and the other nights are all spent camping. The trail is well set up by the Scottish Canals with official camp spots and toilets along the way. With our help and your adventurous spirit, we make this as accessible as we can! The Canoeing is a mixture of canals and Lochs (Scottish lakes!) which includes Loch Ness - not only famous for its monsters but as the biggest Loch/Lake in the UK! The scenery along this journey is spectacular! Things we do to help make this trip accessible are start/end the journey from an accessible train station in Fort William, support Canoeists by powerboat, stabilise the canoes so they won't capsize, offer supportive seating, carry an 8-foot ramp, carry a portable toilet and tent for anyone who struggles with a wild wee and can make you a pictorial programme of the week. You are out in nature all week and we do our best to make this accessible, but you do need to be up for an adventure!

Accessibility

We use a different venue each night. 2 are in Glen Nevis hostel which has accessible accommodation downstairs including a wet room. The downstairs is all step-free. The middle night is another hostel (Morag's lodge) which has a twin accessible room and toilet. Downstairs in the property is all accessible. The dining area can get busy but there's usually a quiet space available. The nights we camp, we bring our own toilet and tent, including grab rails. Out tents are tipis, with doorways large enough to wheel in. We have transfer steps to help you get down onto the floor or raised camping beds - your choice! The campsites are near waterways due to the nature of the expedition. We provide torches and all camping kit.

Accessibility Guide

Accessibility Guide Link: https://anyonecan.uk/canoe-across-scotland-journey/

Awards List

Winners of Cumbria Tourisms Award for Accessible and Inclusive Tourism 2022

Toilets

We use a mix of accommodation which has accessible toilets. We also carry a stable portable toilet with grab handles and a large accessible toilet for camping and the days out canoeing

Staff

Vicky is a paddle-ability trainer for British Canoeing and both staff use a small amount of macaron. We are trained in manual Handling.

Assistance dog facilities

Assistance dog exercise facilities

We can take assistance dogs if they are happy being in a canoe for a whole day.