It was damp and miserable when I first arrived with my inflatable Paddle Board at the sandy shore of Lock Morlich in Aviemore, situated at the foot of the mighty Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland.

I was accompanied this time by my husband who though not a big fan of SUP Paddleboarding (yet) decided to hire a Kayak from Loch Morlich Watersports which is situated right by the Lochside.

Here you can hire out Kayaks, Paddleboards, and Canoes, by the hour. The prices which seem very reasonable include life jackets and wet suits. You can check out their website here (NOT an affiliate link).

Soon we were parked up in the early morning drizzle and pulled out the board and all the paraphernalia – including the electric pump.

First drama off the day – the paddleboard would not inflate the board properly to full pressure. Turned out that a little ‘O’ ring on the pump fitting had gone missing. Most probably fallen out when I last packed up the pump.

Thankfully we a were able to remove an exact match from the deflate nozzle and fit it to the inflate part – job done! (Note to self – get a spare O-ring ASAP).

Top lesson here – always remember to pack your manual pump just in case the electric pump crashes on you!

The good news was that by the time we had parked up and got the Paddleboard inflated (about 10am) the sun was poking through the clouds and the rain and wind had rolled on by to ruin somebody else’s day!

In fact it turned out near perfect as the wind totally dropped to create a glass-like surface on the water, unlike most open water paddleboarding I’ve done, perfect for SUP Paddleboarding adventures.

As soon as we had the Paddleboard set-up, my husband hired a Kayak at the sports centre and we set off onto the loch which by now had become almost flat-calm and was perfect for a smooth paddle out into the middle of the loch.

Floating out there on my Paddleboard marvelling at the majestic Cairngorm mountains reflecting on the mirror-like waters of loch Morlich, just highlighted why I like SUP paddleboarding so much.

The stress of life just seems to drain away as your mind is opened up to the sounds and rhythms of nature, when you are slowly paddling along at your own pace in the middle of a Scottish loch or reservoir, watching brown trout jumping and various wildfowl doing their thing – just great!

A couple of hours soon passed by and we had planned to go for a short hike to the Green Lochan (An Lochan Uaine) so we packed up our gear and set out on the Ryvoan Trail (approx 4 miles).

This is an incredibly beautiful small Lochan that I would love to Paddleboard in – unfortunately it is just too far to carry as the nearest car park is a few miles away from the lochan.

Nestled at the base of a scree covered mountain interspersed with native Caledonian Pines, the water has a deep turquoise colour caused by the reflections of the trees.

Or you can believe the local folklore that says the colour comes from the Fairies that wash their clothes in it – sounds good to me!

The local mallard ducks soon came by to check us out as we rested on the sandy beach that runs all along the border of the water opposite the mountain.

After spending a restful hour or so, we headed back to the car which we had left at the car park at Loch Morlich.

This time we took a slight detour through the Glenmore Campsite that borders the Loch Morlich car park, just to check it out – and I am glad we did!

The camp site is well equipped for tents, Motorhomes, or caravans, and the reception desk was very helpful and friendly when we dropped in to ask for more details.

The great thing is that it is only a short stroll through the woods that separate the site from Loch Morlich itself. Perfect for a weekend away with the girls!

Summary:

Loch Morlich was a fantastic trip. Not only that, but the whole area around the Cairngorms National Park, with it’s amazing scenery and outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, kayaking, SUP Paddleboarding, and loads more – make it an absolute magnet for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages.

Although we had a great day with fine weather, remember this is Scotland! Wet weather and midges are never far away, so come prepared with SUP accessories for both.

The midge season is around early June to late August, and believe me they WILL drive you crazy if you do not have a suitable midge repellent.

Next Trip – Paddleboarding on Loch an Eilean!