The Great Glen Challenge

29/06/2022

📣 check your emails 📣
A wee update email was sent out yesterday to all the registered competitors.
This included details of how to follow us on social media where some of the updates are likely to appear.
Date for your diary - there will be an online, virtual briefing one month out. A zoom link for this will follow in due course.
Volunteers - if your support team find themselves at a loose end while you are on the water, I am sure we can find something for them to do!!
Didn't get anything? Drop me an email to [email protected] and I will try to find out why.

24/06/2022

Let's talk portage... ☕
Firstly, portage is when you have to carry your board, usually round various locks on the Great Glen Challenge route.
If you get these wrong, you could end up in the wrong place, being shouted at by landowners and having to portage waaaaaay further than necessary!
Please read the information on the website carefully 👀, and be aware it is subject to change so 👂LISTEN UP 👂at registration, just in case!
It's definitely worth practicing the portage element of the race. Paddle 10km, portage 200m, paddle 17km, portage 200m, etc - you get the idea! Practice with your kit bag, so you know how the board balances with it, or devise a system so you can quickly unclip your bag, sling it on your back and reclip it when you get back on the water.
Practice, practice, practice!

22/06/2022

Early morning at Loch Ness back in 2021.
Looks dreamy, doesn't it? Let me assure you, by the time we reached the other end of the loch (35km later), it was like paddling in a washing machine!!
With 3 months to go, we still have around 20 spots remaining - who wants to take part in the most scenic endurance paddle out there?
For Event info 👉https://sailingfast.co.uk/paddlefast/the-great-glen-challenge/ 👈
To sign up on Webscorer 👉 http://ow.ly/WZUA50JzZ5b 👈

Noble Marine

27/05/2022

Who wants to have a go at this bucket-list experience?
The Great Glen Challenge done as a race..!
92km over one or two days (your choice) along the epically beautiful Great Glen on 24/25th September 2022.
Ideally run from Fort William up to Inverness to follow the prevailing wind (direction is decided the night before dependent on the forecast).
Registration is open until 1st August via Webscorer (link below)
https://www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=259996

31/03/2022

Just saying… you might be safer on the water than off 😝
(NB We don’t take your safety lightly, see all the info on the website and we will also be running 2 safety boats on Loch Ness this year).

18/03/2022

The course… Day 1
The website links are back working again. Please note a new home on our parent company website for all things , and Great Glen.
Follow this link:

https://sailingfast.co.uk/paddlefast/the-great-glen-challenge/

for details of the route, the timings for checkpoints, safety and our FAQs.
To sign up, head over to Webscorer and put your name down!

14/03/2022

Emma and Duncan are delighted to announce the first of our event sponsors.
🥁 🥁 🥁 We have worked with Noble Marine for many years now with our main Sailingfast business. Ian and the team at Noble jumped at the chance to get involved and are looking forward to see the event in action in September.
Participants need to have a level of insurance cover to compete and Noble are offering special rates to Great Glen paddlers. Just double check in case you already have cover as part of your membership with British Canoeing or other organisations.
If not, follow this link 👇
https://www.noblemarine.co.uk/boat-insurance/the-great-glen-challenge/

Paddleboard insurance from Noble Marine. Our high quality cover for your paddleboard is backed by our 5 Star claims service. Get your free online quote today. Noble Marine Insurance is proud to support The Great Glen Challenge.

11/03/2022

People often ask me what paddling on Loch Ness is like… 🦕 💦
It depends on the day! I have launched in thick fog, 🌫 which clears to stunning sunshine ☀️ . A flat calm which becomes a raging ocean (seriously, it felt like being in a washing machine!). 🌊
My advice is to be prepared for anything. Practice some downwind in big conditions, but also be prepared to paddle into a headwind or with flat calm and no tailwind. We have a saying in Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿, ‘if you don’t like the weather, wait 20 mins, it’s bound to change’!
Grab a place on the start line in 2022 and challenge yourself!
https://www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=259996
(Photo taken at Dunbar on the east coast during my race prep for the 2020 event which was cancelled thanks to COVID).

09/03/2022

1 hour 34… by 🚘
How long will it take you? 🛶 🏄‍♂️ 🏄‍♀️
Your first decision is 1 day or 2 day option? Paddling across Scotland, the length of one of the most beautiful glens, it’s really easy to start day dreaming and looking at the view! ⛰ 🏰
Why not stay a couple of extra days and explore after completing the challenge?
https://www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=259996

09/03/2022

The Great Glen Challenge is a paddle board endurance event woven into the very fabric of the sport. Taking place in Scotland, the