Welcome to Jolly John's website

01/05/17 - River Tay

Aberfeldy to Logierait
John & Euan. Launched beside bridge in Aberfeldy Grid 851492 Sheet 52 and paddled to Logierait. Get out Grid 968517 Sheet 52. Approx 10km. About 5 hours on water, portaged Grandtully.

21/4/19 - River Spey

Loch insch - Aviemore
John & Euan. Launched from beach at Loch Insch watersports centre and paddled to Aviemore. Get out Grid 894118 Sheet 36. Approx 8Km. About 2 hours on the water.

1/8/2020 - Loch Tay

Killin to Island
John, Wendy & Euan. Launched from slipway at Grid 572332 Sheet 51 and paddled to island at Grid 588334. Short 2KM paddle. About half an hour on water - Good fire, good camping overnight.

15/8/2020 - Loch Tay

Killin to Island
John, Euan & Cian. Launched from slipway at Grid 572332 Sheet 51 and paddled to island at Grid 588334. Short 2KM paddle. About half an hour on water - Had a nice swim, another good fire and overnight camp.

6/9/2020 - River South Esk

Craigesk Wood - GR 530576 to Brechin - GR 599597
John, Euan & Shan. 2 Canoes on the water. John cycled the shuttle, about 10km. Nice weather, about 2 1/2 hours on the water.

13/9/2020 - River Tay Perth

Launched at GR 120231 beside Railway Bridge in Perth. Paddled down River, and back up other side of Moncrieffe Island.
John, Euan & Shan.

19/9/2020 - Loch Etive

Launched from Jetty at GR 011327 - Taynuilt. Paddled east along Loch Etive to Cadderlie Bothy. Camped on Island instead. Nearly caught out by tide, it surges for last two hours before high tide.
John, Wendy & Euan. Good trip, good paddling conditions on the Sunday.

26/9/2020 - Loch Katrine

Launched at the Pier at Stronachlachar, paddled North to Black Island. Good Island, need to go back and use fire pit.
John & Euan.

7/11/2020 - Loch Long

Launched from 241952, and paddled across to Mark Cottage, about a 20 minute crossing. Met two others there, had nice dogs.
John & Euan. Bit foggy on Sunday, but cleared by the time we had paddled across.

28/11/2020 - Loch Arkaig

Launched from GR 138903, slightly further along than usual launch site. Paddled across to Invermaillie Bothy. Got a good fire going and was nice and cosy.
John & Euan. Euan paddled solo for part of trip back across the loch, then paddled completely solo once boat was unloaded.

Bothy walks.

Nov 2017

House of Charr. Our first bothy walk, just out for lunch whilst travelling home from Aberdeen. Nice bothy but no fireplace!

3/4/18

Ruigh Aiteachain
John & Euan. The five star bothy, it is very nice with wood burning stoves. Met Lyndsey, maintenance officer there.

8/7/18

Gelder Shiel Stables
John & Euan. Nice bothy with wood burning stove, wood supply, tap & toilet. Easy enough walk in.

July 18

Ruigh Aiteachain
John, Wendy and Euan. Went back on a Sunday night and had the place to ourselves. Good weather so we didn't even light the stove.

31/12/18

Gelder Shiel Stables
John & Euan. Back again, getting dark as we arrived. Met Nicolle there, she had fire going. Very pleasant evening.

31/3/19

Allt Scheichachan
John & Euan. Hard walk in, took 3 hours. A couple of people already there, very cosy once we got the fire going.

December 2019

Boxing day walk to Callater stables, chilly. Could be a nice bothy for a summer trip, no fireplace. Had some soup for lunch whilst there.

December 2019

29 -31 December. Euan & John. Melgarve and Ruigh Aitechan. Can drive to door of Melgarve hence it was busy - nice bothy. Good walk into Glen Feshie, excellent crowd and Euan enjoyed a new board game. Met Nicolle again! Good walk out, learnt some shortcuts.

Canoe trips to bothies.

August 2018

Cadderlie, Essan, Invermaillie. Euan & John out for a summer recce of bothies.
Cadderlie - good bothy, did two nights here. Bit of a trek up from waters edge but doable.
Essan - very easy paddle but harder trek to bothy. Met several people here, good evening.
Invermallie - after a resupply in Fort William we headed out tho Invermallie. Excellent bothy with two good size downstairs rooms. Open fires but bars for one of them for cooking.

Feb 2019

Invermallie - Back again for two nights this time. Euan, Shan, Howard & John. Excellent couple of days away.

April 2019

Mark cottage and Doune Byre. Quick recce by Euan & John. Mark cottage was busy because it was maintenance weekend, good job we had the tent. Doune byre looks OK, just had lunch in it. Could be busy in summer.

July 2019

All three of us overnight to Mark cottage. Good crowd at bothy, Euan tried fishing

December 2019

22 - 24 Dec. Invermallie. Euan, Shan, John. Calm weather, good paddle across. Had the bothy to ourselves. Nice couple of days away.

Bike trips to Bothies

June 2019

29/7 Wendy, Euan & John - Overnight to Gelder shiel and recce to Glas Alt Shiel. First time out with bike trailers, overloaded them a bit. Recce next day cut short due to poor weather, still a good cycle back to Lochnagar distillery.

July 2019

13 & 14 Euan & John - Glas alt shiel by bike from Lochnagar distillery. Put everything over deer fence then parked at distillery. Good route.
Route to Gelder shiel too steep and too rocky for bikes so it was hard work, but we got there. Excellent weather, sat around on rocks in river!

October 2019

Euan, Cian & John cycled up to Alt Scheichachan, hard work cycling uphill all the way. Good evening in bothy once there. Very damp on way out but much easier cycling.

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