Outdoors: Sea kayaking in Aviemore

Preparing to launch at Hopeman Harbour. Picture: Contributed

Glenmore Lodge may sound like a luxury hotel – it has an enviable position at the base of Cairn Gorm mountain, a pool, sauna, gym and an impressive 4.5 star rating on Tripadvisor. However, dig deeper and there are some more unusual facilities; climbing walls, roller ski track and drying room. Glenmore Lodge is actually Scotland’s National Outdoor Training Centre, opened in 1948 and now operating as a charitable trust as part of sportscotland offering training courses to the more adventurous holiday-maker.

My husband and I are attending a two-day residential course – Introduction to Sea Kayaking. The only prerequisite is water confidence and a basic level of fitness.

You don’t have to be either adventurous or on a training course to stay here, catered accommodation is of hotel standard and there are also three self-catering chalets available to rent.

We have a delicious dinner in the Lochain Bar, which is also open to non-residents (and their dogs). The portions sizes are geared to active people as they would satisfy the biggest of appetites.

The student dining area is downstairs, where the next morning a hearty breakfast is served from 7:45-8:15am. At 8:30am we attend the lecture theatre where Nigel, head of training at Glenmore, talks students through the rules and safety information. The storeroom is the next stop where Jim kits us out with the latest, high quality gear. Here we meet the other four students on the course and our instructor, Graham.

Soon we are all around the pool in our wetsuits chatting about our hopes for the weekend. This gives us a chance to feel comfortable with Graham and confident in his expertise before we tackle the part of the weekend I had been dreading: capsizing. The pool provides as safe an environment as possible for learning this vital skill. The viewing windows allow us to watch Graham’s demonstration clearly. First we try without skirts (a piece of kit which keeps the water out of the kayak but can make you feel trapped) then as confidence builds, wearing a skirt. I learned what to do, followed clear instructions and survived – a massive success and a vindication of Graham’s teaching.

We go on to practice rescues, taking turns to be the rescuer and rescued. Knowing what to do in this situation boosts confidence further; capsizing no longer feels like an emergency situation.

Next we learn about various styles of paddles and kayaks and choose one that suits us – useful to avoid potentially costly Gumtree purchases in the future. The boats are loaded onto a trailer and we are soon launching from the shore at Loch Morlich where our afternoon is packed with learning and practising paddling and rescue techniques.

Back indoors, Graham talks us through weather, tide and wind charts as he plans for the following day’s expedition. This provides an insight into how technical forecasting the weather and tides can become and it is a valuable lesson in tidal sea conditions should we want to head out independently in the future.

After breakfast the next day we meet with our kit and are soon loaded on a mini-bus to Hopeman, near Burghead on the Moray coast which is to be our location for the day. As the sea comes into view the atmosphere in the bus intensifies. There’s no doubt the conditions are choppier than predicted, though we know from yesterday’s planning that it’s an improving forecast. The design of the harbour means there is a sheltered inner section and we take to the water like ducks to practice our techniques then move into the outer harbour where the sea becomes choppier, the swell strengthens and the waves bounce from the walls.

There’s no pressure to venture out into the waves. Everyone has their own comfort zone and Graham is more than capable of providing us all an experience that we’re comfortable with while encouraging us to push our own limits. As it turns out, I have the lowest tolerance of the group for the sea conditions but I’m exhilarated by my experience. After all how do know you’ve reached your limit until you’ve been there?

• A two-day Introduction to Sea Kayaking, including full board accommodation, transport and equipment hire, costs £235.

Glenmore Lodge, Aviemore, Inverness-shire PH22 1QU, 01479 861256, www.glenmorelodge.org.uk