Paddleboarding spots in Highland
186 launch spots across Highland
Every mapped spot in Highland
Zoom in to split a cluster; open a pin for the spotMap of every spot in Highland
The interactive map opens on any device with JavaScript. The full list of launch spots is below.
Launch spots
Showing 24 of 186
SeaShieldaig south slipway
Highland, ScotlandThis slipway lies about a kilometre south of Shieldaig village, on the single-track shore road that follows Loch Shieldaig toward its mouth into Loch Torridon.
SeaShieldaig pier slipway
Highland, ScotlandThis slipway is mapped with vehicle access as a service road close to Shieldaig's Corran pier, which the village describes as its boat-launch point on Loch Shieldaig.
SeaShieldaig village slipway
Highland, ScotlandThis concrete slipway is at Shieldaig village on Loch Shieldaig. Kayaks and canoes can be hired opposite the pier from the Wee Kayak Shack, and both Shieldaig Outdoor Adventure and The Torridon run guided sea-kayaking trips from the village.
SeaShieldaig north slipway
Highland, ScotlandThis concrete slipway sits on the shore of Loch Shieldaig a short distance north of Shieldaig village, on the single-track road toward Balgy and Torridon. Loch Shieldaig is a sea-loch arm of Loch Torridon, with the pine-covered Shieldaig Island, a National Trust for Scotland nature reserve, offshore of the village.
SeaSheigra put-in
Highland, ScotlandThis OSM way maps the same slipway structure as the neighbouring Droman Pier node, on Chaligaig Bay at Droman, close to Sheigra beach on the Sutherland coast. It is a Highland Council pier with a car park at the head of the jetty, in generally poor repair and used occasionally by local fishermen.
SeaIdrigill slipway, Uig Bay
Highland, ScotlandA concrete slipway on Lower Idrigill Road, on the south shore of Uig Bay near the village of Uig on Skye's Trotternish peninsula.
SeaUig Bay slipway (small craft facility)
Highland, ScotlandA slipway on the A87 at the head of Uig Bay, on Skye's Trotternish peninsula, tagged in OpenStreetMap as a small-craft facility reachable by car. It lies about 20 metres from another slipway record at the same junction and may be the same physical launch point mapped twice.
SeaScourie put-in
Highland, ScotlandThis slipway sits at the east end of Scourie Bay, by the village pier, on the Sutherland coast between Kylesku and Handa Island. The bay offers a sandy stretch on its southern side and a rocky beach in front of the pier as alternative places to get onto the water.
SeaSalen put-in
Highland, ScotlandSalen is a village on the Ardnamurchan shore of Loch Sunart, about 40 miles west of Fort William. The put-in lies close to Salen Jetty, whose sheltered, all-tides slipway serves day boats, with a shop, tearoom and toilet facilities nearby.
RiverRoy (Upper)
Highland, ScotlandThis is the upper put-in for the River Roy on Glenroy Road, further up the glen than the gorge section, above the village of Roy Bridge. The upper run is a mountainous grade of whitewater through bedrock features and boulder gardens before the river drops into the gorge downstream.
SeaRosemarkie put-in
Highland, ScotlandA slipway on the beach at Rosemarkie, a village on the south coast of the Black Isle facing the Moray Firth, about 30 metres from another mapped slipway feature at the same spot. The bay is one of the better beaches on this stretch of coast, close to Chanonry Point, a well-known dolphin-watching spot.
SeaRosemarkie put-in
Highland, ScotlandA slipway on the beach at Rosemarkie, a village on the south coast of the Black Isle facing the Moray Firth. Rosemarkie never grew into a working harbour, but its bay is one of the better beaches on this stretch of coast, and Chanonry Point, a well-known dolphin-watching spot, lies a short distance to the south.
SeaRhue put-in (Ullapool)
Highland, ScotlandRhue is a small hamlet on the coast about 3km north-west of Ullapool, where Rhue Lighthouse (Rubha Cadail) marks the entrance to Loch Broom. A rocky shore near the lighthouse is used as a sea-kayak launch, with a car park at the headland and a level, roughly three-quarter-mile path out to the light.
SeaRhives put-in (Golspie)
Highland, ScotlandThis slipway sits on Shore Street in Golspie, by the hamlet of Rhives, on the Moray Firth coast of Sutherland. Golspie has only ever had a modest harbour here, and an early pier was built mainly to land boats serving nearby Dunrobin Castle.
SeaReraig put-in (Balmacara)
Highland, ScotlandThis point sits around seven metres from the other mapped Reraig slipway node and appears to record the same physical launch point on Loch Alsh at Reraig, near Balmacara.
SeaReraig put-in (Balmacara)
Highland, ScotlandThis slipway, named Reraig slipway on OpenStreetMap, launches onto Loch Alsh at Reraig on the National Trust for Scotland's Balmacara Estate, near Kyle of Lochalsh. Reraig Caravan and Camping sits on the same shore, and waymarked trails from Balmacara reach Reraig with views over Loch Alsh to Skye.
SeaScarfskerry Harbour slipway
Highland, ScotlandScarfskerry is the most northerly settlement in Great Britain, overlooking a small inlet of the Pentland Firth about seven miles west of John o' Groats. Its roughly 140m pier and small harbour are no longer used commercially, though boats still work the area for small-scale fishing and wildlife trips to see dolphins, minke whales and porpoises.
SeaRatagan put-in
Highland, ScotlandA slipway on the southwest shore of Loch Duich at Ratagan, a small Kintail hamlet below the Bealach Ratagain pass road to Glenelg and near the SYHA Ratagan youth hostel. Loch Duich is a sheltered sea loch used for sea-kayak trips linking Shiel Bridge to Eilean Donan Castle further down the loch.
SeaRaasay Ferry Slip
Highland, ScotlandThe concrete ferry slipway at Sconser on Loch Sligachan, used by the CalMac car ferry MV Hallaig on its 25-minute crossing to Raasay. A new slipway, marshalling area, car park and waiting room were built here in 2013.
RiverWater of Nevis put-in, Boulderblast rapid (Steall Gorge)
Highland, ScotlandThis is a canoe put-in on the Water of Nevis in Steall Gorge, upper Glen Nevis, above a rapid called Boulderblast. The UK Rivers Guidebook grades this rapid 5 as part of a boulder-strewn gorge section reached on foot near the ruined township of Tigh an Steill.
SeaMeikle Ferry slipway
Highland, ScotlandThis slipway is at Ferrytown, on the south shore of the Dornoch Firth near Tain, at the site of the historic Meikle Ferry crossing. The ferry once carried passengers over the firth here before the road network and later the Dornoch Firth Bridge replaced it, and it was the scene of a disaster in 1809 when an overloaded boat sank with the loss of 99 lives.
SeaPortskerra put-in
Highland, ScotlandA slipway at Portskerra harbour, a small natural haven with a rock in its centre overlooking Melvich Bay on Sutherland's north coast. The slipway was resurfaced in concrete by the Portskerra Harbour Association, giving access at most states of the tide, and is used by local boat owners, Caithness Diving Club and Pentland Canoe Club. The harbour itself is sheltered, but tidal streams run outside its entrance.
SeaPortnalong put-in
Highland, ScotlandThis concrete slipway serves Portnalong harbour on Loch Harport, about 170 metres from the Struanmore slipway on the same shore. It gives access to the loch's sheltered upper reaches, with the more open water of Loch Bracadale beyond Ardtreck Point to the north.
SeaPlockton put-in (Cooper Street)
Highland, ScotlandThis slipway is on Cooper Street on Plockton's harbour front, on Loch Carron. Plockton's sheltered bays are commonly used for beginner paddling, with the more open loch and the crossing towards Skye used for longer trips.
Save your own spots
Keep the places you launch, check the wind and shelter before you go, and log every paddle. Add a spot to the directory too, and other paddlers will find it. Free to start.
Some launch spots in this directory are seeded from open data. © OpenStreetMap contributors · Open Database Licence (ODbL)