A Review of 2020
At the beginning of 2020, my country count stood at 45. And at the end of the year it remained at 45.
A very strange year got off to a poor start, even before COVID came along. In January I planned to take part in the Glagla Race, an event held on Lake Annecy, France every year. And I had a little plan to divert to Liechtenstein on route to add an extra country to my tally. Unfortunately I had to cancel the entire trip due to illness.
Then, of course, came the COVID 19 crisis and associated lockdowns. My plans to SUP the World were well and truly on hold.
Derwentwater
After a period of feeling sorry for myself, I eventually decided to use the opportunity to do some SUPing and exploring closer to home. I live less than two hours away from the Lake District National Park in Northwest England, an area of outstanding natural beauty. But I was embarrassed to admit that I had never paddled there. Too busy exploring the wider world to appreciate the wonders on my doorstep. That realisation led to a visit to Derwentwater in July 2020 and eventually became my Great Lake District Perimeter Challenge 2020. A mission to stand-up paddle around the perimeters of all 12 lakes (actually, there are 16 large lakes in the area, but we are only allowed to SUP on 12 of them).
Ambleside Waterhead
There were many highlights on this quest, but one of the most memorable was surely the epic 42 km trip Joe Kibble and I took around the edge of Windermere, the longest lake in England. It was a full-day effort, and we were blessed with the most glorious sunset on our return to Ambleside Waterfront.
Bassenthwaite
On 27 September 2020, I paddled the perimeter of Bassenthwaite Lake, the final lake in my challenge. By the time I completed my goal, I realised that I was actually the first person to SUP the perimeter of all 12 SUP-able lakes. I allowed myself a proud moment as I watched the sun setting in the distance, just as I was getting off the water.
[Strictly speaking, you can’t SUP the entire perimeter of Bassenthwaite Lake because, as it is a nature reserve, it contains two small ‘no boating’ zones. But I did the rest.]
The Great Glen Canoe Trail, Inverness
My final big adventure of 2020 was an attempt to SUP the Great Glen Canoe Trail, 96 km from Inverness to Fort William, in the Scottish Highlands. Solo and unsupported. Just me, my SUP board and tent (and some other bits and pieces of course - you can see my full kit list here).
Caledonian Canal
Although my journey ultimately ended in failure, defeated by the ferocious wind on Loch Lochy, less than 20 km from my destination, it was nevertheless a very special few days for me. Paddling all day in the most beautiful part of the world and then wild camping every night in the middle of nowhere. When the time is right, I’m looking forward to returning to complete the final section. Maybe I’ll do the whole route again.
Looking down towards Loch Ness from the top of the flight of locks at Fort Augustus
So 2020?
Maybe it wasn’t such a bad year after all!
