Canoe Heritage Scotland

Canoe Heritage work in Scotland

This is a temporary website for canoe heritage work in Scotland.

The site initially focuses on sea kayaking, and can add other disciplines .

The aim of the site is to –

showcase what material we have,
- ie photos, video, audio, documents on trips and with detail eg. of past events, boat plans and details of building boats
to show how the material can be used in telling the stories of the past
and to develop ideas in how to present this material in the future, with the aim of engaging others in the heritage of canoeing.

In 2024, we will pursue funding for a fully developed website; and expand our work on the heritage of canoeing (see ‘about us’).

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We can go back over millennia to look at the story of portable craft used in sea, lochs and rivers. Coracles would be a good example, and certainly important for our national heritage. Other regions have had their own craft

This site starts with the type of craft developed from the mid 1800’s. The most well known example is John McGregor’s ‘Rob Roy’ canoes, which he had built in London, and paddled all over Europe and the Middle East.

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There are many branches of portable craft like canoes and kayaks nowadays. This pilot website uses Scottish Sea Kayaking to show the people, boats, gear and their stories through images, video, audio and text.

‘Canoeing’ , including kayaking, has many other branches including recreational white water, competitive disciplines like Olympic Slalom and Sprint; also whitewater racing and marathon; and shorter boats of polo and play boating,

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A direct link to today’s paddlers comes from the family of the late Duncan Winning, who in his younger days made kayaks from his own accurate drawings, built them from what ever material was available, including driftwood, and launched one canoe from the only available workshop – his bedroom.

Also pioneer Ken Taylor who, in 1958, had a kayak made in Greenland, and brought it home.

This craft’s design was developed by Duncan and friends, and the lines of this craft influenced sea kayaks that are built today.