Peaks & Paddles

I’m currently finishing up the editing of a hiking and camping video in the island Kerrera, and starting the first cut of a kayaking video of a solo overnight trip to the island of Lismore.

Which one should I upload first? 🤔

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3 weeks ago | [YT] | 30

Peaks & Paddles

A break in the recent poor weather in Argyll yesterday had me out for a quick little overnight adventure back to the island of Lismore. I paddled out in fine conditions with a great forecast, although the weather didn’t quite pan out as expected… video coming soon!

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1 month ago | [YT] | 35

Peaks & Paddles

Last weekend I laced up my shoes and took an evening walk around the island of Kerrera, near Oban in western Scotland. Steeped in fascinating history, the island whose name means “copse island” is incredibly green and full of wildlife, including the largest population of wild rabbits I’ve ever encountered. I shot some video as I haven’t done a hiking film in ages! It’ll be finished at some point in the next few weeks…

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1 month ago | [YT] | 38

Peaks & Paddles

Hi everyone! As the weather has been warming here in the UK, I've been easing into the season down on the south coast of England, getting out and about on the water as much as I can, whilst also taking a small break from filming, to recharge my brain a bit.

I'll be heading back to Scotland shortly though, with the intention of filming some more kayaking, and possibly more hiking too. I have no solid plan yet, as I am waiting to see what the weather holds.

Thanks for watching my little films about a middle aged woman having gentle adventures. I know there are lots of different ways to grow a channel, but I’ve always preferred to keep my focus on the adventures themselves, talking about the places and the journeys, and the pleasure of simply being out in nature. 

Whilst I am incredibly fortunate to have built relationships with a few kayaking gear manufacturers that I personally use and trust, I don't want my films to be gear-focused, as that's just not my style. You'll also never see any clickbait here. I have my contact information on my website (www.peakandpaddle.co.uk) if people want to contact me with questions about gear I use or anything else. I am always happy to answer questions!

Here's to a (hopefully) wonderful summer ahead for those of us in the northern hemisphere, and an equally wonderful winter for those down south. Go out and enjoy some of the wild world around you :)

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1 month ago | [YT] | 66

Peaks & Paddles

Earlier this week I spotted a small break in the rather stormy weather to get out for a solo jaunt up Loch Etive again. It was still quite windy but manageable, and I enjoyed some peace and quiet in the upper reaches of the loch. Video coming soon.

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3 months ago | [YT] | 45

Peaks & Paddles

Well, I fulfilled my promise to myself, made at the end of my Being Here video, to return to Rubha Barr on Loch Etive yesterday. A very small weather window necessitated a bit of a rushed trip, so this one wasn’t filmed but it was yet another chapter in the “Scotland Really Is The Most Amazing Place” book.

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3 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 45

Peaks & Paddles

I get quite a lot of people asking me about the camera gear that I use. I don't really like talking too much about this stuff because I don't like getting too bogged down in the idea that your camera really matters all that much; my motto is generally "the best camera is the one you have with you at the time".

You can take great photos and shoot great videos with any camera. This is because photos and video are about so much more than pixels and whatnot, they're about great moments, beautiful lighting, strong composition, and how these things come together.

But I do recognise that in the world of outdoor videos, we're often out in unforgiving environments which take a toll on our gear, and we also have weight and bulk considerations. Coming from years of professional photography with heavy full frame cameras and lenses, I didn't want to carry that stuff around with me on hikes and certainly not out on kayaks either. 

So I've written up a fairly detailed post about my cameras and other bits and pieces that I use for kayaking and hiking trips here:

peakandpaddle.co.uk/camera-gear

While I come from a background in photography and have worked as an artist in the film industry for 25 years, I consider myself a beginner in the world of shooting video, so by no means am I writing this to appear as some kind of expert! It's just sharing what I have learned so far about video gear and explaining a bit about why I use the gear I do :)

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3 months ago | [YT] | 25

Peaks & Paddles

I want to express my enormous gratitude to everyone who has watched my Loch Lomond video! Somehow it’s had over 10,000 views in four days, despite me worrying that nobody would watch it! It’s been so wonderful reading the many comments from viewers who shared their own stories of paddling trips and the loch, and hearing from people who felt the sense of calm I was wanting to share. Thank you everyone! 🥰

I’m currently editing my next kayaking film, a slightly more upbeat one, exploring Loch Awe and its castles and islands, with ‪@donnywilcox‬ ! It’s a lovely trip full of local history and four seasons of weather crammed into 24 hours, and I’m looking forward to sharing it with everyone ☺️

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4 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 70

Peaks & Paddles

I’m currently editing some videos from a couple of paddling trips over the past two weeks in bonnie Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

An ongoing issue with my hip means I can’t really hike much at the moment, so I’m not totally sure when my next hiking video will be! In the meantime, I hope folks are alright with a few kayaking trips ☺️ Hopefully I’ll be on the mend soon and back out in the hills again…

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4 months ago | [YT] | 32

Peaks & Paddles

Back up in Scotland filming another wee adventure!

4 months ago | [YT] | 41