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We think the whole set up is absolutely brilliant, the service and especially the food in the Restaurant we stumbled on this by accident - you should advertise more as this is a top rate destination
(Mr Patten, Salford - 8 October)


THE STORY SO FAR

A busy day at Loch Insh back in the early days

A busy day at Loch Insh back in the early days

Canoeing on the Loch

Canoeing on the Loch

Loch Insh before the new Boathouse was built

Loch Insh before the new Boathouse was built

The original boathouse

The original boathouse

Loch Insh

Loch Insh

The early days of Loch Insh

Some say Loch Insh isn’t the real thing. They like to argue it’s just the River Spey’s middle-aged spread, “and not actually a loch.” But there’s no argument about Loch Insh Watersports.

We’re the real thing. We have been for 40 years.

Countless thousands have made the most of our ever-increasing facilities. Holidaymakers, diners, sports enthusiasts both amateur and professional, schoolchildren at study and play, learners of every age group, trainee instructors, all manner of welcome guests have put the centre’s status beyond argument:

“The history of this place is an interesting story. So much has been done here” agreed the Princess Royal, giving her seal of approval to our £500,000 extension, shortly after we sailed into the new century as the Highlands and Islands’ “Small Business of the Year”.

But it was never plain sailing: Clive and Sally Freshwater’s dream of pioneering an outdoor centre in one of the most inspirational, unspoilt corners of the world would have drowned at birth if traditional critics and their vested interests had held sway.

In 1969 the Freshwaters launched the “Cairngorm Canoeing and Sailing School Ltd.” from a rented village hall and a derelict boathouse. They were promptly served with a writ by an estate claiming that canoeists could damage its salmon fishing.

Clive, against his lawyer’s advice, chose to fight: “I had no quarrel with the fishermen, but the estate’s reasoning was wrong. It was a matter of principle.”

The battle raged for four years and went all the way to the House of Lords. Eventually it saw Lord Salmon leaping to the Freshwater’s side: his judgment, shared with Lord Hailsham, cited a 1782 case which had established a public Right of Navigation on the Spey, where timber rafts had been steered by men with crude oars.

The historic battle was won. The war could now begin:

It’s always been an epic struggle at the centre. Bureaucratic obstruction, legal obfuscation, “health and safety”, protected species, the vagaries of market forces, the cut-and-thrust of competition, climate change, credit crunching...

Clive arrived at Kincraig a qualified physical education teacher, with a diploma from Carnegie College, Leeds and a grounding in mountain and water activities at Glenmore Lodge, but learned that a whole new raft of skills was going to be needed in his never-ending tussles with the red-tapers: “From the word go I was spending at least a third of my time dealing with restrictive legislation administered by various agencies...”

Initially we had only a three-year lease from the Forestry Commission, and safer tenure was vital if he was to receive any formal financial backing. Only after a concerted campaign did he and Sally win an extra decade, and only after a change of government were the family finally allowed to start buying the land. Rustic buildings were steadily transformed into elegant, sophisticated, permanent ones.

“The site is so perfect. Not only does it allow the canoeist to access the river and navigate all the way to the sea at Spey Bay, but our own bay here is so beautifully sheltered, enabling us to provide teaching facilities right on the doorstep. That’s why we fought so hard, and why we’re all still fighting.”

The potential is still being unlocked, but the family have come a very long way. The Boathouse Restaurant – more of a licensed “boasthouse” with a view reputedly among the best in Europe, certainly in Britain - was opened in 1977 and has been sensitively extended in phases over the years to provide an ever more versatile service.

The centre has developed into a high-grade tourist facility able to accommodate 130 guests in twelve chalets, two self-catering apartments and 20 B&B en suite rooms. There are family rooms for activity holidays, twin-bedded rooms with double bunks in most cases, with central heating, TV, tea and coffee making facilities, lounge, laundry and drying room.

Now one of the largest private watersports centres in the country, we have an armada which can put up to 200 people on the water in a variety of modern sailing craft including Optimists, Wayfarers, Seafarers, Omegas, Dart 16s, Picos, Oppies and Toppers. Kayaks are sit-on-top and decked versions, together with the open Canadian canoe. For the less energetic there are rowing boats. And of course the salmon fishing – still undamaged by canoeists – is popular in the Spring from April to July, when it’s at its best.

School groups have become a substantial repeat business from April until June. July and August are family months. September brings more school parties for the summer activities. In winter there’s skiing on Cairngorm, which is half an hour’s drive away, and the Lecht and Aonoch Mhor within 75 minutes.

The centre’s well situated for access to all three main Scottish resorts and skiing courses have been run by the family for years. For some time now we’ve boasted our own 65m dry ski slope, complete with rope tow, for basic training of all ages in all weathers. Ski hire is extensive and very competitively priced.

There is instruction for everyone. Clive, formerly chairman of the British Association of Ski Instructors, was a trainer and examiner of ski instructors and a mountain leader (summer and winter). His son Andrew, now Principal and Manager of the centre, is – like his brothers Duncan and Jonathan – qualified at governing body levels in skiing, sailing, windsurfing, canoeing and kayaking.

A former member of the British Alpine Ski Team for ten years, Andrew  is responsible for instructor training, giving a very stable base for the training of staff and the provision of courses, both for holidaymakers and school parties.

Duncan is also a member of staff and spends his time between being a BASI trainer and the Youth Development Officer for Snowsport GB. He holds qualifications for all our activities. Jonathan holds all the relevant qualifications, is a BASI skier and snowboarder, but specialises in his beloved windsurfing, having represented GB in the Celtic Nations competitions in Wales and Spain.

All three men trained and honed their teaching skills with Bill McGuinness, latterly of Jordan Hill, who worked at Loch Insh for many years as a sailing instructor and mentor of all staff in their teaching technique.

There is a local group of instructors who work either summer or winter and have qualifications and background in the activities of Loch Insh. Some are teachers and some are simply enthusiasts who have taken up a sport and wish to impart it to others. All are chosen for their expertise in their particular activity. All have first aid certificates and, critically, they are people with a sense of fun and humour which – along with safety - are the main ingredients for an enjoyable stay here.

Nestling in the foothills of Glenfeshie and the western Cairngorms, Loch Insh Watersports is an ideal base for walking both low-level and high plateau. With the abundance of wildlife adjoining the RSPB Insh Marshes the accommodation is popular with walkers, cyclists and birdwatchers alike. As with the ski equipment, bike hire is quite extensive and not expensive, with all ages catered for.

Because of the unrivalled location, with its exquisitely romantic backdrop, there is an increasing demand for marriage celebrations here. Insh Church is within walking distance and the centre has a civil wedding licence.

There’s a licence to thrill for the youngsters in Kids’ Kingdom, a play area which is a huge attraction in the summer, and all-year-round we present an interpretative trail along the shore and in the trees, spelling out the history of the timber floating – the backbone of the pioneering court case – together with a detailed description of the local flora and fauna. It’s a fascinating, educational 20-minute stroll and the audio-visual room offers a meeting place for lectures and the showing of an instructional video.

In 2005 we were honoured with the Tourism in the Environment Award, sponsored by Scottish National Heritage, after introducing our wildlife boat tours, where family or club parties can enjoy a guided trip around the loch for a closer look at the wonderful diversity of birds and vegetation – plus another camera angle on those awesome mountain views.

The Freshwaters have moved mountains to make Loch Insh Watersports the success it is, and when the time came to expand their retail enterprise they even took the top off Cairngorm...

Its famous Ptarmigan restaurant, which had adorned the summit for 32 years, was dismantled to make way for the construction of the funicular railway in 2000. It was soon making its way to Kincraig for a new life as The Bosun’s Locker, home of an expansive range of gifts (books, crafts, souvenirs) and sporting equipment.

Some of the old chairlifts adorn the outer shell of the shop, remembering the Ptarmigan’s integral role in the evolution of Cairngorm winter sports, and tourists can pose for photos in them.

“That’s always been especially popular with the older generations, some of whom will have used those very seats in the glory days on the hill” smiled Clive.

The Ptarmigan is much more than a shop. It stands as a monument to the sensitive development of the Cairngorms and Loch Insh, fondly recalling the past, loving the present and optimistically looking forward to the future...

No salmon interests were damaged by canoeists in the making of this website.