Quality coaching, excellent upgraded accommodation at Glenmore Lodge, and some very fine weather were the distinguishing features of this year’s Open Canoe Symposium. Migrating north of the border, on its three year rotation with the English and Welsh symposia, this annual pilgrimage is a must for any open boat enthusiast.

Although this is the smallest of the three symposia, it more than makes up for this with a vibrant atmosphere, and the numbers mean that there is the chance for much greater contact with the star field of coaches available. Indeed, it is slightly baffling that many more canoeists do not try to make a regular booking for the Scottish symposium, particularly given the astonishingly low rail fares available – it is noteworthy that the £15 taxi fare from Aviemore to the Lodge costs more than the current advanced rail ticket from London to Aviemore! The chance to try out a range of different boats at the Symposium also makes the hire options very attractive. Many Sassenachs also take full advantage of a canoe trip before or after the event which will also make the long haul by road worthwhile.

However, the best value for money for participants is undoubtedly the opportunity to be coached by the very best open canoe instructors in the UK. It is a tribute to their display of enthusiasm for the sport that these coaches repeatedly volunteer their services, and are prepared themselves to travel to each of the three symposia in turn. With a full range of workshops ranging from ‘Improver flatwater skills’ through to ‘Advanced white water’, there was something for everyone at any level of paddling. In addition, other sessions on topics such as poling, tracking and lining allowed development in the ‘traditional skills’, while early evening colloquia, after use of the Drying Rooms, encouraged expertise in sailing rigs, outfitting, and – if you were determined to get wet again – rolling and support stroke instruction in the indoor pool. As one enthusiast remarked at the Spey, having travelled perhaps the furthest of any participant, ‘I cannot believe that I am getting personalised river rescue coaching from Ray Goodwin on the rapids at Knockando, along with everything else this weekend!’

Some swift, and wholly unscientific, market research established that perhaps the most popular evening programme for years was on a topic only remotely related to canoeing – a whisky tasting evening. But then this is Scotland, so perhaps the two elide more closely than one would think? Certainly, when the ‘Balvennie Whisky Ambassador’, equipped with a PhD in the subject and a string of jokes, turns up with free samples of a range of choice whiskies, it was perhaps surprising that some of the drinkers remembered very much at all. Particularly when at the end of an evening comparing samples, our host produced some bottles of the ‘Balvennie Portwood’, at £85 each, and encouraged the assembled company to pour themselves ‘as much as they wanted’.

Other evening sessions included Tom Sibbald with a lyrical slide show of Scottish and Swedish canoe tripping, and Justine Curgenven (of Sea Kayak video fame) giving a sneak preview of her forthcoming Open Canoe DVD. This included an unedited section from a trip that she had just made across Rannoch Moor with two of the Symposium organisers, Dave Rossetter and Scott Simon, containing a dramatic sequence when one of the boats was pinned. Some of the language used on that occasion might need editing out, but this DVD is obviously going to be an essential part of any open canoeist’s collection in due course. As ever, these formal evening sessions led straight into the eternal informal debates at the bar, augmented by live music. One current hot topic is the ‘Griff’ question; good thing or bad for canoeing? Those staggering off an epic Rannoch Moor trip to be asked ‘Are you doing a Griff?’ can be somewhat bemused, particularly in the light of several comical stories from locals on the actual realities of this ‘tele-paddle’. But, thanks to SCA and the BCU, there is also no doubt that the programmes highlighted some acute questions about access, and have again raised the profile of canoeing.

Finally, a very considerable word of praise for Nancy Brookes, who with her usual charming manner, orchestrated the whole weekend. It is a great tribute to Glenmore Lodge, the national outdoor training centre, and to Stirling Canoes that they support this key event in the paddling calendar. Roll on October 2010, and the Welsh Symposium at Bala.

“Bembe”