Back from their Scottish trek in the Western Highlands, 5 members share their encounters and discovery of new seatrekking chapters across the Channel.
Happy to have connected with the founding members of SeatrekScotland who joined them on the trek, this newly-formed Franco-Scottish clan, united for 4 days at sea, experienced a human adventure rich in emotions and memories.
Weather conditions lived up to the reputation of the area, with a series of squalls (rain + wind) interspersed with clear spells at the foot of which were born magnificent rainbows.
A low-pressure system from the Atlantic came to tickle the team towards the end of the trek, causing a few pairs of flippers to fly off in the evening at the bivouac and closing the last crawl movements in the Arisaig reefs.
From a participatory science point of view, the team carried out on-the-spot observations of underwater biodiversity and transmitted the location of species to competent research organizations such as Scottish Association For Marine Science (@SAMS) and NatureScot.
A collective garbage collection also took place on day 3, during which several dozen kilos of plastic were extracted from the top of a beach. Transporting this material to a roadside collection point was epic for the group, as the pairs made their way through brambles, swamps and hills.
Initial observations revealed that almost 100% of the waste originated from the maritime world and local fishing activities. A categorization and weighing of the waste is planned for the coming weeks, and will be carried out by students from UHI University.
From a partnership point of view, Watch The Sea France's visit to Scotland was an opportunity to meet part of the teaching team at the SOAS (School Of Adventure Studies) adventure school in Fort William, which trains adventure guides in various expedition formats (sea, land, desert, jungle, polar, etc.).
The aim of this meeting was firstly to present seatrekking and how we plan and organize our excursions. Secondly, the foundations of the Watch The Sea association and the eco-citizen and social vision it has been trying to instill since its creation. 💙
A busy week, rich in encounters and shared experiences, to round off a fine 2023 season of associative treks. Now it's time to debrief the year and prepare the next 2024 excursions!
Many thanks to Patrick Balch, Philippe Balch, Thomas Leclerc, Arnaud Terrisse, Philippe Dauvier, Lyndsay and Huw MacBride for all your hard work and pleasure.
Text: Patrick Balch
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