So another weekend brought me to another search of what Orkney has to offer. This weekend started with an early morning try out of rowing! I had such a fun time, and the Orkney rowing club amazing offers a free trial session. Being out on the sea passing the visiting cruise ships was an amazing experience, although I wasn’t sure this was the definite sea activity for me.
So I moved in to a very similar activity which I instantly loved! Kayaking! Again the Kayak club offers pay as you go session but only for a short period before a membership is needed (for insurance purposes) they offer all the kit needed to get out on the sea. The independence and control with this was a big hit for what I enjoy, whilst still feeling like part of a team and group, all my sessions were filled with laughter from the beginning to the end. Even if things got tough (things being the waves and current) it was still flanked with laughter. It is also one of the best places to see the sunsets. The location of the launch would change weekly, taking in weather and tide times. We were lucky enough to be joined by curious seals on multiple occasions, some of which would follow the entire paddle. As cute as they are it made me more careful to not capsize! This was the best decision I made (separate from coming to Orkney in the first place!) as it was a great way to see the island from a different view point, I made friends outside of work, felt part of the community, and gained a new hobby/addiction for life! The first session I went on was a little anxiety inducing at the start, as a complete beginner I had no idea what to expect or what I needed. I’d also cycled to the meeting point (as that was my way around town!) to find we change launch locations weekly so I had to quickly try and find someone with a space in their car! Luckily everyone was very accommodating and I found an amazing friend from the get go (who happily offered to give me a lift every week so I could continue to cycle) this created a fantastic friendship and as it was only her second session too we could learn and share our experiences and struggles together. The first session was at Houghton Pier, I was buddied up with one of the instructors and after an hour or so of paddling I had already made great progress and got the knack of staying stable. Luckily no unexpected/unplanned capsizes to date.
