The best way to start the day? waking up early, sitting outside, and admiring a view, just like the one above. Scotland is awesome because there is hardly any people let alone tourists, so you pretty much have the place to yourself. Yes the water may well be cold but if you’ve got a wetsuit you will be fine.

I’ve been kayaking since I was 8, when my family bought a Canadian canoe, and my brother got a sea kayak. It was so much fun chucking the kayaks on the roof of the Landrover, and heading down to a nearby river. We used to go with family friends who also had a Landrover and Canadian canoe too, and we would bring heaps of food with us for the day out.
Since then, we have purchased/gained a couple more kayaks, and every year we go to Scotland or Wales, with the Landrover packed full of gear, inside and on top, as well as 5 or so of us, plus Basil, our dog. Safe to say we don’t know how to pack light!
One of our trips was to Port Logan, Dumfries and Galloway, in Scotland. Its not far from the English border, so not too far to drive. In fact its so close to Northern Ireland, you can see the lights of Bangor at night.
Here’s some of my crazy family kayaking in Port Logan bay:

It’s definitely fair to say they are not normal, but its something i’ve got use to now..

This is pretty much all that is in Port Logan, some little white beachfront houses, dotted along. Some are holiday homes, but they’re mainly the locals houses, who have fishing boats in the bay. There was also a pub when we went, although this was being refurbished. This is what makes it great though, because it has a beautiful, wide, sandy beach, safe to mess about in before you head further out to sea, and there is hardly anyone about.

However Port Logan isn’t far from Stranraer which is about 12 miles north, and has everything you could need, so you’re not in the middle of no where. We stayed in a holiday cottage just up a little hill, so we had a good view of the whole bay, and a pretty cool walk to the other side, where we found a tiny bay opening:

Pretty crazy to think this is Scotland right? The water is so blue and clear, because of the rocky, unstirred surface below, and the grass is so green due to the amount of rain Scotland gets. We had a day of kayaking, where all of us took turns to head out on the kayaks and do some fishing, in the bright sunshine. It was a pretty cool day.
Here’s a wonky picture of us kayaking & fishing taken on the go pro:

The ocean to ourselves, pretty good huh?

Until we tried to bring the kayaks in this bay instead, by tying rope to each kayak and pulling it up – not easy! (but very entertaining)

Cliff walks are the best, just not too close to the edge! (Basil is a daredevil)

This is one of my favourite photos – that is the sea..! You know, where the water is normally full of waves crashing against the shore? Not that day. The water was like a mill pond, and crystal clear too, you could look down into the water and see fish way below you! Not a boat in site, or anybody to be honest. It was perfection.


Another thing I love about Scotland, is how rapidly it can change. You see the perfectly still water above? Now look at the next photos, of the day after!!




Sorry the quality isn’t great, I had to screenshot from my Gopro Hero 3 videos. But you see my point? It was pretty rough, but awesome fun. If you want to see more clips from Port Logan, click on my videos tab and click on ‘Go Pro Adventures: England, Scotland, Wales’. This is why I love sea kayaking, its so unpredictable, and never the same. Kayaking is so much fun, I would rather have a kayak than a new Ipad!
Port Logan was definitely a holiday to remember. I would far rather go to Scotland on holiday, than to Barcelona, or the Canary Islands. Is that weird?..
What do you think of Port Logan?