See what I did there with the title? I’m not a massive fan of Facebook or organised meetups but I’ll try most things once so I found myself rocking up at Auchinstarry Marina one dry but fairly clammy Friday evening in May for a “Sup Social”.
I grew up in Torrance and have very fond memories of the place and surrounding area so a wee post-work Strathkelvin jaunt to hook up with the Sup Social seemed like a great chance to try paddling somewhere new and meet lots of other paddlers.
I’d read about the Sup Social on the excellent Glasgow Paddleboarders Facebook page. If you haven’t joined, you should. It’s a great, very encouraging community that’s always on hand to offer very useful advice and tips. It’s also where you’ll find out about group paddleboarding meetups that are usually free to attend (you can also hire equipment if you are new to it or bringing a pal along).
The format is simple. Turn up around 7pm, get your kit ready and then get down to the waterside for a 7.30 departure. There was a good mix of first-timers (the board hire is really handy) and regulars and by the time we departed I think there was maybe 25/30 of us.
At first it seemed a bit crowded and I was having to be fairly careful with how I manoeuvred but once we’d departed everyone started to spread out a bit and it was easy to find a bit of space for a peaceful paddle, if that is your thing. Had a few decent chats along the way and everyone was really friendly.
We paddled quite a long stretch from Auchinstarry to Twechar, approximately 3km there and 3km back. Really peaceful stretch of the canal and compared to the Bowling to the Bridge stretch I did a while ago, very, very quiet (the BTB bit goes quite close to the A82).
Not sure canal paddles are for me though. I think I prefer having an objective to aim for and varying my route. Unless you’ve got a pal that can pick you up at the other end, you’ve got to paddle back along the canal the way you came so it can get a wee bit tedious.
On the way back though, a cure for the tedium did come in the form of litter collection. I’d noticed another boarder pull all sorts of rubbish out of the canal (including a rug!) so I thought I’d have a go too. It became quite addictive and it also gave me good practice at balancing and steering. Loads of plastic, glass and cans in the canal sadly but slightly less than at the start of the paddle.
