A Scottish Paddler

It may seem slightly unexpected for a Member of Parliament to be talking about canoeing. But then one gets invitations from a wide range of people. Recently one was from the Scottish Canoe Association to join them on the Tay.

As I spent much of my youth with my rear hanging over the side of a sailing dinghy on that river's estuary, the idea of a day out canoeing seemed interesting. After all I had once been quite used to drinking more than my share of brackish Tay water.

And the reason for the invite? Like many outdoor types, canoeists have a keen interest in the Scots Parliament’s Land Reform Bill. So a day's paddling was an opportunity for me to enjoy myself and for paddlers to pound my ear while trapped far from shore.

In the event we went to Loch Faskally rather than a very turbulent River Tay. A couple of days of downpour had created very treacherous conditions and the canoeists didn't want to be responsible for a by-election.

The new Bill is designed to entrench the traditional rights of Scots to access land, free of the threat of a trespass accusation. But as is often the case, the original proposals might just have made things worse. And it's not just the canoeists who say so.

I almost concluded that the paddlers had indulged in a little ‘spin’. Our first attempt to reach the water was thrawrted by a landowner! Luckily it was easy to move a little further along the bank. Oh that it was always so easy!

So when we start debating the next stage of land access, I'll certainly have quite a lot to think about. But this outing gave me a very pleasant surprise as well.

It seems that Sandend in the North West of my constituency of Banff & Buchan is one of a small number of superb sites in Scotland for kayak surfing. And that's not unimportant as Scotland does very well internationally. In fact, in the 2001 World Championships at Santa Cruz, Tracy Stewart won the women's event.

So that's a Scottish world champion that I didn't know about. And we need every one we have! I'm certainly going to try and see her next time the paddlers are at Sandend. But this time I'll be 'canoeing' from the shore. I don't fancy drinking lots of Moray Firth salt water!