Paddleboarding Loch Maree

One of the things that drew me to Paddleboarding on Loch Maree was the promise of exploring the ancient remnant Calendonian forest which grows relatively untouched upon the many islands of Loch Maree. I had seen videos of kayakers exploring the loch and was conviced that Loch Maree would make a great paddleboarding location too.

The Main Points

• Location – Loch Maree Bay, North West, Scotland
• Cost – Access from car park/ lay bys on A832
• Conditions – Fresh Water Loch
• Other users – Campers, walkers & paddlers
• Entry Point – Pebbly Beach
• Surrounding amenities/Bathrooms- Kinlochewe at south eastern end of loch, Gairloch to the north west

Location

Weather

Paddleboarding on Loch Maree

It is worth noting that the islands are also some of the breeding grounds for black throated divers which are protected bird species.  We didn’t know of this at the time and even though it turned out our visit to the loch was within the guidelines I recommend paddlers becoming informed prior to their paddle to ensure they don’t head out onto the loch knowing which areas are ok to paddle and which are not.

We did see another paddleboarder on the loch who had just completed an over night camping trip and also some kayakers that were exploring the islands that we were aiming for and it didn’t occur to us that there may be restrictions in place. Having said that, upon doing a google search after our trip, it turned out that the recommendations were that visitors not land on the islands for more than 30 minutes which we were well within. These guidelines may change so we suggest you visit the Nature Scot website for details. Alternatively visit the formal car parks even if you don’t intend to park there as there will be information on the notice boards.

Loch Maree contains 5 large wooded islands and over 60 smaller ones and at 21.7km long there is plenty of room to paddle while keeping a safe distance from the birds if you know the areas to avoid.

We didn’t see these notice boards as we had been told of an informal spot to park right on the waters edge.
Loch Maree contains 5 large wooded islands and over 60 smaller ones and at 21.7km long there is plenty of room to paddle while keeping a safe distance from the birds.

Loch Maree is one of the memorable paddleboarding sessions of our 5 month SUP Safari Scotland trip where we explored many of the best pacaes Scotland has to stand up paddle. We had some nice sunny spells and some lovely calm water towards the end of our paddle which are our favorite conditions.

Watch our video of Paddleboarding on Loch Maree here

This paddleboarding session was part of our SUP Safari Scoltand Series where we spend 5 months travelling Sotland in our Campervan Harmony the Happy Camper exploring all of the best places to Stand Up Paddleboard in Scotland. If you would like to watch this 23 part series you can check out Epsiode 1 below. While we are still very much learning about the video filming and editing process (they do get better over time!) it is the most comprehensive video guide to stand up paddleboarding in Scotland ever made. We’d love it if you would subscribe to our channel, and share with your paddleboaring mates to help us grow the paddleboarding community!

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If you haven’t yet watched part one of our SUP Safari Scotland Travel Video Series  check it out here.