A selected guide to the finest coastal paddling trips around Scotland. This completely revised and updated 2nd edition is packed with great photography and detailed route maps, alongside descriptions and anecdotes revealing Scotland's rich tapestry of maritime scenery, wildlife, history, geology and culture. Although primarily written for kayakers, the detailed tidal information contained within the book would also serve as a valuable inshore pilot for other water users such as anglers, windsurfers, sailors and SUP enthusiasts. New in this edition: * 12 additional routes (62 in total) * Selected routes in the Orkneys and Shetlands * New photos throughout * Improved maps * Sat nav coordinates for access points

Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park is long established as a playground for paddlers and attracts visitors from all over the world. Loch Lomond itself has over eighty kilometres of shoreline to explore, but there is so much more to the park. The twenty-two navigable lochs range from the vast sea lochs around Loch Long to small inland bodies such as Loch Chon. The rivers vary from relaxed meandering waterways like the Balvaig to the steep white water of the River Falloch and everything in between. This vast array of options in such close proximity makes this park the perfect place for every paddler of any level, looking for whatever type of adventure. The area is also outstandingly beautiful and it is commonplace to see deer and red squirrels playing on the shores, as well as the many other species of mammal, bird and water life which call this park home. Rather than limiting you to one discipline, we have focused on all options within the national park. Whether you want hardcore white water, multi-day touring trips or a relaxing afternoon exploring sheltered water with your family, you'll find all that and much more in this book.

Looking back at the lives and sailing careers of some of our lifetime's finest yachtsmen, this collection of eleven original, moving accounts is just as much a celebration of the good - tales of hope, achievement and courageous spirit - as it is an account of their tragic final voyages. Included are world-renowned racers, like Eric Tabarly and Rob James, highly experienced cruisers and adventurers, like Peter Tangvald and Bill Tilman, and the notoriously ill-prepared Donald Crowhurst, as well as other famous and some less well-known sailors. Starting with the sad loss of Frank Davison and Reliance in 1949, the book concludes with the amazing last voyage of Philip Walwyn in 2015 - crossing the Atlantic single-handed in his 12 Metre yacht Kate. All of the men and women described were friends with or known to the author, Nicholas Gray, who himself competed in several short-handed long distance races, where he met and raced against many of these fascinating characters. Peppered with photographs showcasing the sailors and their yachts, this is a refreshing look at those who have helped to shape this sport's history, honouring their lives and accomplishments before detailing their tragic last voyages.

'Roger Deakin is the perfect companion for an invigorating armchair swim. Engaging, thoughtful and candid' Telegraph Waterlog celebrates the magic of water and the beauty and eccentricity of Britain. In 1996 Roger Deakin, the late, great nature writer, set out to swim through the British Isles. From the sea, from rock pools, from rivers and streams, tarns, lakes, lochs, ponds, lidos, swimming pools and spas, from fens, dykes, moats, aqueducts, waterfalls, flooded quarries, even canals, Deakin gains a fascinating perspective on modern Britain. Detained by water bailiffs in Winchester, intercepted in the Fowey estuary by coastguards, mistaken for a suicide on Camber sands, confronting the Corryvreckan whirlpool in the Hebrides, he discovers just how much of an outsider the native swimmer is to his landlocked, fully-dressed fellow citizens. This is a personal journey, a bold assertion of the native swimmer's right to roam, and an unforgettable celebration of the magic of water.

What makes the perfect swim? It's all about the most magical locations (and how to protect them), finessing your kitbag, keeping yourself and others safe ... and maybe discovering a nice place for a warm-up cuppa and cake. Whether you're a seasoned dipper or a fledgling, The Art of Wild Swimming is the ultimate guide to becoming an awesome, joyful and responsible swimmer. From the dramatic turquoise bays of Orkney to the peaty lochs of the Cairngorms, the thundering waterfalls of Skye to the calm depths of a reservoir in the Pentlands. Locals who know the secrets of their patch share over 100 spectacular dookin' spots across Scotland. Now they are yours to explore too.

The inspirational story behind the film The Swimmers on Netflix, by Syrian refugee and Olympic swimmer, Yusra Mardini. 'An extraordinary tale of bravery, survival, and winsome, never-give-up moxie. It is impossible not to be won over by Yusra.' - Khaled Hosseini It's important the world understands what many ordinary people must endure to find a safe place to live. If it will help others, I'll tell my story a million times. When war broke out in her native Syria, Yusra Mardini fled to the Turkish coast in 2015 and boarded a small dinghy full of refugees bound for Greece. When the small and overcrowded boat's engine cut out, it began to sink. Instinctively, Yusra and her sister took to the treacherous open water and guided the boat for three and a half hours, helped by two other refugees, until they eventually landed on Lesbos, saving the lives of the passengers aboard. Butterfly is the story of that remarkable woman, whose journey started in a war-torn suburb of Damascus and took her through Europe to Berlin and from there to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo. Yusra Mardini is an athlete, one of People magazine's twenty-five women changing the world, on the list of TIME Magazine's most influential teens, and one of the the youngest UNHCR Goodwill Ambassadors. Yusra's and her sister Sara's story is the subject of a major Netflix film documenting her life, written by Jack Thorne. Now with an updated afterword.

Wouldn't it be useful to be able to come up with an accurate weather forecast simply by reading the clouds? Well, with this book, you can! TV forecasts, online predictions and smartphone apps are all based on the same data - a number-crunched overview of how air pressure and temperature affects the weather over a large geographical area. But to get an idea of how the weather will develop for the precise spot where you're standing (or walking, sailing, golfing, fishing, etc) you don't need any equipment or a wifi connection - you just need to look up. This book will give you a great understanding of why clouds are symptoms of weather patterns, not causes. Highly practical, it shows you how by reading these signs in the sky and referring to the explanatory colour photos and diagrams, you will be able to tell exactly what those signs mean. After its very well received first edition, this second edition is revised and expanded, including plenty of new photos to cover every possible view of the sky. With this at-a-glance guide to the clouds anywhere in the world, on land or at sea, you will be able to predict the weather by recognising cloud types, shapes, colours and behaviour. Including a Foreword by Tom Cunliffe, writer, TV presenter and yachting instructor, this will be an invaluable companion for everyone who enjoys time spent outdoors.

Alaska has few roads and even fewer trails-only a few hundred miles of maintained footpaths exist outside the cities-so paddling the state's thousands of miles of rivers and lakes is the best way to get off the beaten track. Paddling Alaska describes the best and most accessible routes-thirty-six classics in all, from downtown Anchorage to the Matanuska and Susitna Valleys and the Kenai Peninsula, and from the southern interior north to the Yukon. Carefully chosen to accommodate most beginning-to-intermediate paddlers, each route is within easy driving distance of population centers, providing quick access to wilderness for city residents and visitors alike. Look inside to find: * Detailed river descriptions * Maps showing access points and river miles * Level of difficulty, optimal flows, rapids and other hazards * Gear and packing recommendations specific to Alaska conditions

South Africa has seen a disturbing culture of acquiesce and silence develop after 1994. Such silence is largely driven by patronage and a misplaced sense of loyalty, especially to the ruling party. It is clear that speaking out has been left to a few voices that are seen as having nothing to lose. Let's talk frankly contributes to saying some home truths in a satirical sense and is meant to offend sensibilities as well as raise things that people often say around dinner tables but are too afraid or too constrained to say in the open - where such speaking out could have consequences for them. The addressees of the letters - from Helen Zille to Gwede Mantashe and from Revd Ray McCauley to Steve Hofmeyr - are people of influence who are called upon to change the course of events in society. In the letter addressed to each of them, they receive praise for work well done and are castigated for poor judgement and omissions in their public life and deliberations.

This title includes full-sized plans for 8 canoe designs, most of which are the author's own adaptations. The step-by-step directions are accompanied by more than 100 photographs and illustrations. Covering everything from safety in the boat to shop repairs, Gil Gilpatrick thoroughly explains the whys and shortcuts learned from his experience in the shop and on the water. A Maine guide, he uses his own canoes and tests their performance on the challenging Allagash River every summer. It includes full-sized plans for 8 well-proven canoe designs, most of which are the author's own adaptations. Step-by-step directions for building a canoe from start to finish are accompanied by more than 100 photographs and illustrations.

Robin Lloyd-Jones has been exploring the west coast and islands of Scotland in his sea kayak for more than forty years. In this book he recalls many a memorable expedition to wild and beautiful shores. Amongst magnificent scenery and ever-changing seas, we are transported to Jura, Scarba, the Garvellach Isles, Mull, Staffa, the Treshnish Isles, the Monach Isles, Iona, Lewis and the Uists, Skye, the Orkneys, and the Shetland Isles. Along the way, he explains a great deal about kayaking, about the wildlife and history of the areas he visits. More than that, however, he makes us feel that we are with him in his kayak. Through his vivid and beautifully crafted prose, we experience the terror of a force nine gale, the tranquillity of moonlit trips, and the lure of tiny bays and seal-meadows accessible only to a slim kayak. We encounter dolphins, otters, unidentified monsters and nuclear submarines. This is a book to set the imagination adrift and appeal to the Robinson Crusoe in all of us; a book for those seeking wider horizons, be their vessel an armchair or a kayak.

By popular demand, "The Beast" is back. In response to customer feedback and general confusion, "The Stormrider Surf Guide Europe" is back in one huge, mind-blowing book. Much like a traditional bible, it seems surfers want both testaments in one place, so "The Continent and Atlantic Islands" books have been combined into 400 pages of pure surf stoke. This book is thick enough to stop a shotgun blast at point blank range, so it's R.I.P. for the box set as this is the 4th coming of "The Stormrider Surf Guide Europe"."The Stormrider Guide Europe" (978-0-9539840-7-7) includes - Iceland & Scandinavia, Ireland, Wales, England, Scotland, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Morocco, Canary Islands, Madeira and Azores.Fully revised and detailed information covering "The Surf", "Ocean Environment" and "Surf Culture" on a country by country basis. The "Surf" outlines where to go and when to go and demystifies the entire European coastline. "Ocean Environment" deals with pollution, erosion, access and hazards, while "Surf Culture" illuminates the surf scene including history, surf media, contests and localism. The indispensable travelling information is concise plus there's links to all the latest oceanographic and swell forecasting resources.The entire coastline is accurately mapped in detail, showing where to find the main surfing breaks. Each surf break report outlines how and where the waves break, quality, consistency and the general vibe. The unique Stormrider symbols reveal optimum wind, tide, swell size and direction, as well as wave type and bottom contour. Crowds, hazards, dangerous sea-life, pollution, access and environmental problems are also noted.A picture tells a thousand words so there are hundreds of the best photos of European surf ever compiled. Stunning images in crisp colour from the cream of the world's surf photographers and that extra dimension that makes "The Stormrider Guide Europe" the most detailed surf guide money can buy.

This map of mainland Britain that shows the huge extent of paddling possibilities on rivers, lochs, canals and coast - some 37,000km of paddling! Enthusiasts buy this map to plan and dream, whilst for the newcomer to the sport it answers that question "where can I go paddling? It is colour coded to clearly show the nature of these waterways. Southern England and Wales is on one side of the large B1 sheet - Scotland and the North of England on the reverse. The base is provided by a map of Britain at 1:625,000 (ten miles to the inch) that shows roads, towns, villages, rivers, streams and lakes with this detail in pastel colours. Brighter colours show some 540 rivers graded by difficulty - also canals and waterways used by motorized craft. Popular paddling trips are highlighted, as are white water centres. The map also shows locations for selected loch and coastal trips. Information panels give guidance, recommended websites and guidebooks - all designed to 'open the doors' to the world of paddling - for canoes, kayaks and SUPs.

More than just a book about sailing, Go for the Green is a clarion call to bring sailing out of the doldrums and into an expanded role as a catalyst for the more environmentally sensitive enjoyment of the sea. As a former Coast Guard Officer, active racer, cruiser and yacht designer, author Garry Hoyt combines a lifetime of sailing experience, with a weather eye to uncover the new challenges of global warming and the need for energy independence.

His prediction that carbon based fuels will eventually draw the same degree of social scorn that smoking now receives, creates an automatic need for ingenuity in the harnessing of sail and solar power as better alternatives for water based recreation. To encourage readers along that path, Hoyt presents a philosophy and a variety of new design solutions to stimulate more creative design development. He makes his case in a simple, readable style that will interest all those who love the sea.

'The cold water has given me the key to unlock myself within a place I didn't know existed: the community of cold-water swimmers right around the world. What binds us all together is the cold and how it makes us feel: brave enough to tackle even the toughest of life's issues.' Having been a keen runner and cyclist all her life, in 2017 Sara Barnes was diagnosed with severe osteoarthritis and found herself facing major surgery and a future of limited mobility. Rather than obsessing about what she could no longer do, she decided to focus on what she could do and took to the water of the tarns, river pools and lakes in her home county of Cumbria. A new appreciation of being in nature and love of cold-water swimming and immersion was born. In The Cold Fix, Sara takes the reader on an enthralling journey, from her first tentative steps into the water, to meeting other swimmers from around the world who share her passion and who can help her answer the question: what is it about cold water that proves irresistible to an increasing number of people?

Flotilla sailing enables thousands of people every year to charter a yacht and enjoy a holiday in a sunny foreign location: a group of boats sails together under the guidance of a lead crew. In 1974, the first holiday flotilla of eleven yachts set off from Aegina in the Saronic Gulf of Greece and no-one involved could have had any idea that they were at the beginning of something that would grow so big. It is now possible to go flotilla sailing in every continent of the world. The author traces how flotillas originated, how new cruising areas were opened up and new companies formed. He worked closely with the pioneers of this form of tourism who willingly contributed to the research into what they called 'the time of our lives': managers in one or other of the companies, skippers or engineers in charge of the boats, and clients. The second part of the book looks in detail at changes in some villages and harbours of the Ionian Sea, an area where much of the development has occurred through the influence of the boats rather than land-based tourism. It draws on conversations with taverna owners who remember when two visiting yachts was big business. Every page has coloured reproductions from the original brochures and cruising guides, and in the Ionian section modern photos are set alongside equivalent views before the yachts started coming in numbers. The book may be an introduction to flotillas, an insight into the background of the companies which now offer charters of this sort, or just a memento of a wonderful holiday.

Gordon Brown is a BCU Level 5 sea coach based on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. He shares his knowledge with you in his own succinct humorous style and very visual approach. In this book, Gordon covers topics of kayaking history, physiology, boat and paddle dynamics, seamanship and navigation, safety and rescue, weather forecasting, caves, rockhopping and tidal races, expeditions and overnighting, as well as a wealth of tips and resources for the sea paddler. Over seventy photographs and illustrations help to make this an essential modern manual for the sea kayaker.

The lifesaving guide to treating any accident or sudden illness at sea

When someone is injured or becomes ill while on a boat, help may be miles and days away. "First Aid Afloat" is the onboard guide to taking control of any medical emergency. Illustrated with photo sequences showing exactly what to do, and written in language that is short and simple, this book will allow anyone to act quickly, stabilize the casualty, and provide the appropriate treatment at sea.Aimed at the novice first-aider and adopts a "no experience necessary" approach to first aidCovers bleeding, burns, musculo-skeletal injuries, environmental injury, illness and medical emergency, and treating childrenInstructions on moving a casualty, resuscitation, and getting help

With advice on what to look for when buying a first aid kit as well as how to be medically prepared when onboard, "First Aid Afloat" could save someone's life. No boat should be without it.

Immersion is about the extreme sport of marathon swimming. Drawing on extensive (auto)ethnographic data, Immersion explores the embodied and social processes of becoming a marathon swimmer and investigates how social belonging is produced and policed. Using marathon swimming as a lens, this foundation provides the basis for an exploration of what constitutes the 'good' body in contemporary neoliberal society across a range of sites including charitable swimming, fatness, gender and health. The book argues that the self-representations of marathon swimming are at odds with its lived realities, and that this reflects the entrenched and limited discursive resources available for thinking about the sporting body in the wider social and cultural context. The book is aimed primarily at readers at undergraduate level and upwards with an interest in sociology, the sociology of the body, the sociology of sport, gender and the sociology of health and illness. -- .

A beautifully, uniquely illustrated nautical guide to how to trim your sails and rig for maximum performance. With a revolutionary approach, this guide tackles the practical and realistic elements of tuning your boat, plus the theory of sail aerodynamics. Due to the design of the book, we have had to restrict the layout of the ebook to PDF style which may result in giving you a more restricted reading experience. For this reason, we would not recommend viewing it on very small screens.

The Avon is a great river to dip a paddle into, whether by kayak, canoe or paddleboard. If you are seeking an expedition journey, wanting to just splash about getting wet, or anything in-between, there is something for you here. The riverine wildlife and scenery are always attractive, and at times truly stunning. In the half-century since the Avon was restored as a navigation, the deep channelled waters and the numerous locks, with their white-water interludes, have greened over into precious habitats for a range of flora and fauna. The river flows right through England's past of climactic battles, monasteries, castles, stately homes and the early industry of mills and navigation. The Avon's international fame is, of course, due to its associations with William Shakespeare, and it's impossible for paddlers not to get sucked into a little 'bardolatry' whilst enjoying the river. This book aims to guide paddlers along the Avon and through its many locks and weirs, while also highlighting the river's remarkable natural and historical surrounds.