Water has featured alot at work over the last week on Mull and in Oban.

Sea kayaking, open water swimming, climbing, coasteering and canyoning, it has been brilliant to be back in, on and above the water this last few days. The conditions have just been mediterranean and continue to be favorable out on the west coast with really warm water and balmy winds. It never ceases to amaze me just how shocked folk are when they see the west coast of Scotland in its finest cloak of beauty.

Rock Climbing in the sunshine on Erraid, Mull.

Yesterday I was guiding on the wonderfully beautiful island of Erraid just off the Ross of Mull. It was a warm, sunny day and the rough pink granite was hot to touch. Climbing above emerald seas and white shell beaches is always a pleasure. We made a tour of some of the crags that abound the island. The photos say it all. I was working for www.hebrideanpursuits.co.uk

Canyoning on a very sunny and warm Mull today.

Another warm day on Mull today and even warmer in the water. It's always excellent to explore the off beaten tracks and being in water courses and seeing the micro world of water courses and the sunlight streaming through the tree cover is wonderful. Dragon flies, eagles and small brown trout all were spotted whilst descending a gorge on the Ardmeanach Peninsula. Climbing on Erraid tomorrow.

Hebridean Pursuit's Staff Training. Navigation and Scrambling on Ben More 966m, Mull today.

Today I was running Hebridean Pursuit's staff training in hill walking and group leadership on scrambling terrain. So we headed to Ben More Mull's fine Munro. Easy walking led to A'Chioch's fine ridge and so to Ben More's summit. A claggy day so detailed navigation was required by the trainees. A great day out for all and another splendid ascent of this wonderful mountain.

Back to work in Scotland after a fantastic trip to the Vendee, France.

After a much required few weeks break with the family on the west coast of France, I have returned to work with Hebridean Pursuits for the summer. I head out out to Mull to run staff training and a weeks residential at Tavool House Outdoor Centre on Saturday. The weather sounds as though it has been amazing in the Hebrides whilst I have been away. The Vendee Coast was warm and windy,similar to a good summer in the Hebrides. We did get some good surfing in on the backs of each small low that came through. Today I was sea kayaking with Will, he has paddled some big British rivers but never sat in a sea kayak. He did so well. Even in the shelter of Oban Bay it was blowing hard from the NE. We paddled down Kererra, concentrating on transferable skills as we went. We also saw an otter! Fantastic to be back in the sea kayaks. I am really looking forward to a very varied and challenging summer and Autumn season in Scotland and abroad.