VE x Glenmore Lodge

Posted on Tuesday 2nd May, 2023

Glenmore Lodge is a beacon of excellence among outdoor centres. Set in the Scottish Highlands with access to world class mountains, rivers and seas; their instructors and guides are regarded as some of the best in the business. We were honoured when they chose to partner with VE for their paddle needs. Instructor Matt Haydock gives us the low down into what works for Glenmore Lodge in the many different paddlesport courses they offer.

What sort of paddlers join you for courses?

Whether it’s heading out on a SUP trip on the local loch, charging down a steep creek in a whitewater kayak with pals, exploring the rugged west coast on a multi-day sea kayak expedition, or sailing an open canoe – we love it all. People often ask me to choose my favourite, and I often reply that’s like choosing my favourite family member!

Who is on the instruction team?

The paddle team at Glenmore Lodge is me (Matt Haydock), George Fell and Giles Trussell, with some local freelance guides joining us at different times.

Where are you doing these courses and is it all year round?

From our base in the Highlands we are lucky enough to operate all over Scotland and enjoy the wide variety of coastlines, rivers and lochs. Our courses mainly happen between March and December, before the winter season kicks in.

Do clients always have their own gear or do you provide it?

We occasionally have people coming with their own equipment, but one of the main selling points of our courses is that folk get to try a lot of high end, top quality equipment included in their course cost, which includes the full range of VE paddles.

As an instructor is it easy to switch paddling styles, how do you manage that?

Choosing the right paddle for the environment you’re paddling in, or the type of journey you are on is important. A paddle that suits your paddling style, the craft you’re in, your physiology (build, height etc) also means there is an element of personal preference to choosing a paddle well.

For example, within sea kayaking, there is often a choice between high angle and low angle paddles. If I am heading out for a day of tide race play at the Grey Dogs or Falls of Lora, I’ll take a high angle paddle like the Explorer with a reasonably large blade area to give me the acceleration I need to cross an eddy line or catch a wave to surf up tide. If I am heading out on a multi-day expedition in the northwest Highlands, where I might be doing in excess of thirty kilometres every day for a week, then a smaller low angle blade like the Voyager will help me sustain my energy for longer, with fewer aches and pains at the end of the trip. The beauty of sea kayaking is that I can take both with me and store the one I am not using on my deck as splits, to call upon if needed.

My whitewater paddles are straight shaft as I find they allow me to get those bursts of acceleration much better, whereas my favourite sea paddles are cranked shaft to avoid wrist tension over many kilometres of paddling.

What’s popular, anyone using anything unusual?

We have subtle differences, but there are elements that we all care about. All of us enjoy having lightweight but durable paddles. Lighter weight just puts so much less strain on your body – pretty important when you are on the water every day. Equally, it helps to have reliable paddles that can handle being put under a lot of stress on high volume powerful rivers, low water creeks and rocky coastlines.

We all enjoy having adjustable length and feather in a paddle, on the sea in particular. This can make a big difference for, say, downwind vs upwind paddling on the sea or playboating vs steep creeking whitewater. So, adjustability with a good ferrule is pretty high on the list. Having paddles you can split apart also allows for easy travelling and storage.

Then, between us our personal preferences are more about the feel/feedback from the blade, reflected in our preference of blade shape and shaft material. I think you could probably argue we already have too many paddles, but we are always thinking about getting another one!

What’s your advice to clients about choosing a paddle?

It’s important to not just prescribe what works for us, but encourage people to consider the type of paddling they enjoy doing, and find a paddle which suits their body type and the craft they’re paddling.

If for example they are a sea kayaker who enjoys long distance expeditioning and is smaller/shorter – then a small blade area, short shaft length with a lightweight construction would likely best suit their needs. A well-conditioned whitewater kayaker who enjoys high volume runs would prefer a large sized blade, with a stiff and tough paddle construction. It should be a balance between giving you the acceleration and power you need when you need it, but that won’t put stress on your body and tire you out too much.

Feel is really important, so it’s best to encourage people to try a paddle out on the water before buying. That’s why here at Glenmore Lodge, we enjoy being able to provide people with a range of options they can try throughout their course, in context, so they can then properly consider what might be right for them.

• Be sure to get a blade size which will suit your physiology and the type of paddling you’ll be doing.
• Look for a lightweight and durable construction.
• Try before you buy, if you can. Feel is really important.

How are the VEs working for you at the Lodge?

We’re really enjoying having VEs to use on the water on a daily basis. The lightweight constructions, choice of blade types and adjustability options just allow us to have the right tool for the right job. They seem to be able to stand up to a lot, which also helps! Scotland can be a pretty rocky place, on the coast and on the river – so having paddles that are tough enough to stand up to being scraped and knocked about, has been great.

Having a range of paddles in our store as well, allows clients to try a variety of different options so that they can get that all important feel of the blade on the water. This helps when they buy their own in the future, and demonstrates the different options that can be available.

We are loving the partnership, purely because we can help more people, and ourselves, fulfil paddling aspirations – because having the right kit is such an essential ingredient.