Up the Great Glen
by paddle 

Ross and Keith relax before the start of their marathon kayak trip.

By Collin MacFarlane BORDERS brothers Keith and Ross Lawrie have always enjoyed the great outdoors and are using their love of healthy pursuits to raise funds for our campaign. When they can get a weekend together, Keith (30) and Ross (28), from Lauder, go hillwalking, climbing, or mountain biking. Then Keith moved to Inverness three years ago and discovered kayaking. Whilst enjoying the freedom of this newly-discovered sport, Keith dreamed up the challenge of paddling the length of the Great Glen. The route is already popular with walkers and the Great Glen Way is Scotland’s newest official long-distance path, running for 73 miles from Fort William to Inverness. It formally opened for business in April 2002. Painful “We’ll take three days to complete it,’’ said Ross. “Keith and I have been training over winter, as the sheer length of the paddle will be challenging.’’ The paddle is 108 kilometres (67 miles) in total and they will start at Corpach near Fort William on June 9, covering 39 km the first day, 35 km the next and finishing with 34 km to North Kessock. The brothers plan to camp for the two nights during their fundraiser, carrying all their equipment in the kayaks. “We’ll have back-up help from Keith’s wife, Helen,’’ adds Ross. “Keith works and is based in Inverness with a company called Lifescan Scotland Ltd. They have promised to match pound for pound whatever we raise. “We also have big sponsors in Molex GPD and Flextronics,’’ says Ross. “We’ve received great support from colleagues, friends and family. “This support is greatly appreciated as every penny raised makes a difference.’’ If you’d like to make a donation in support of the brothers’ paddle challenge, contact Ross Lawrie on 07769 704 103. Next

You can e-mail us at: hospice@sundaypost.com