The Great Glen Challenge 2019!

The Great Glen Challenge is a 92km (57 mile) event to paddle the whole of the Great Glen in the smallest time possible. Over the years different organisations have organised this event and at present the UK Endurance Race Series does the heavy lifting for the event. Many of the competitors do the event on Stand-Up Paddleboards (SUPs).

The Great Glen Route follows Thomas Telford’s Caledonian Canal from Fort William to Inverness. The 2019 event ended up not being a standard event! Normally the course is set either West to East or East to West, depending on the wind so the competitors paddle down wind. In 2019 the wind direction changed overnight after the organisers had set the event direction. This meant the competitors had a pretty tough time of their racing by paddling into the wind for much of the course.

Joanne Hamilton-Vale, organiser said “We chose to cross the correct way in line with day one. However, we ended up with a 20-25 knot headwind for 16km before it dropped off and the water flattened out. It was super tough. We were pleased so many finished in those conditions.”

There are two formats to the event; the non-stop race or doing the event over 2 days.

Cory Jones, founder of Gairloch Canoe and Kayak Centre, decided to take part in the Great Glen Challenge in 2019 in his sea kayak, not on a SUP. He came 14^th overall being the second kayak to complete the course on the two-day event. In 2020 he plans to take part in the non-stop event.

If you want to take on Nessie yourself next year – and if you don’t like sleeping – add the epic Great Glen Challenge to your ultra bucket list. It’s not just an almighty challenge, it’s an adventure in some of the most beautiful scenery you’ll ever witness. “God’s Country” is what they call it around here.

For a slightly more tame paddling challenge, take a look at our website to see the trips that we offer in Gairloch, Skye and Loch Ness.