Our sunny day at Clatteringshaws Loch was followed by rather dreich one. We spent time in the caravan, found some lovely smoked salmon at a nearby smokehouse and discovered the bike shop in Newton Stewart which had one new bike available for sale. An evening walk was atmospheric with mist in the trees, but we were champing at the bit for more.

The next day was our last, but it looked more promising. We packed our stuff, drove out of the cloud on the way up to Clatteringshaws and discovered a better day. We headed down the hill towards Earlston Loch. Created by one of a series of dams on the Water of Ken, it promised a nice paddle on our way home. If we could get to it.

Dense woodland separates the loch from the road, but fortune shone on us (unlike the sun!) We stumbled on a narrow layby near the head of the dam, with a muddy path leading through brambles to the lochside. Inflating the boards felt exposed as traffic shot past us down the hill. The path led to a little tree-surrounded bay with a couple of handy rocks to launch off. Soon we were under way.

For once, there was no doubt about navigation. We turned left and headed up to the head of the loch. The clouds had become a little heavier, and it was a bit dull. But the breeze was very gentle and a couple of herons amused us as they kept their distance. Although the road was no more than 100m or so from the loch, the trees baffled the noise and we were in our own wee water world.

Water of Ken

As is often the case, we couldn’t tell where the Water of Ken finished and the loch started. As we headed up the river, it felt surprisingly easy to paddle against the current, as the paddleboard mostly glided over the surface. Slowly the current got stronger and dirty foam spread over whirls and eddies of the dark water. The reason for the latter became clear, as a small falls came into view.

I carried on up, using the eddies, but E left me too it. Aware I was on a rocky river without a bouyancy aid (sold out) or helmet (never thought I’d need it), I endeavoured to take care. I tried a couple of canoeing tricks, but the paddleboard doesn’t really grip the water enough for them. I got about as close as the picture shows before turning into the main flow and enjoyed the free ride to join E, who was sheltering by a tree.

Back on the loch, it felt a little like the end of the trip. We paddled gently, while the day felt even duller now and the birds were all hiding. However, the day still had one surprise left.

I headed all the way down to the dam. The overflows were a couple of feet above the water and I could look over them into a beautiful wee valley. Several shades of green surrounded a flat river with a small cliff to one side. It looked idyllic. I called E over – she’d was in lazy mode as she sat astride her board, with her feet dragging in the water. But it was worth the effort.

It was only a short paddle back to our entry point, which fortunately wasn’t too hard to make out. I didn’t want to get my new wet shoes muddy, but given they had cost me almost nothing I couldn’t get too annoyed.

And that was it for 2020 paddleboarding. It wasn’t our intention to finish there, but weather, free time and lockdowns all dissuaded us from getting out again. At least there’s always 2021…