Karen Darke | Athlete | Speaker | Author

Any kind of adventure would have seemed great after a week in bed with swine flu - good to have some antibodies now though in case of a more vicious winter version. We chose the Caledonian Canal. There were three in a boat (Andy and his kids, Ella, 10 and Ewen, 7) and me in a sea kayak. It was four days of wind and rain, singing, cajoling, midge-biting, wet-tent antics, fearing for the safety of Andy, the kids and my wheelchair as they bobbed merrily on the rolling swell of Loch Ness. No monsters. Two-thirds of the route from Fort William to Inverness is along lochs, the waves quite bouncy at times, and only one-third on canals, where you hope the lock-keepers will let you through in the kayaks. We only got lucky once. I thought the Caledonian Canal would be a dull paddle compared to the mountains and lochs of the west coast, but its a fantastic journey, with free camping and good facilities offered by British Waterways - who market the canals as ‘your outdoor gym’. There’s a map and info about it on the Scottish Canoe Association website.

On the hand-bike front, the National Disability Cycling Championships, a colossal sixteen hours drive to sunny Kent, saw a big field of handcyclists turn up (well, big for the UK at around 20, but apparently they get hundreds in mainland Europe races). Rachel Morris, gold medallist from Beijing, and in the same category as myself (though she is a double amputee), made an appearance after months in hospital, and some intimidating competition for everyone. After a promising start, I couldn’t stay on her wheel, and she pulled away, cranking up an increasing lead to win the race. She’s either a natural or has been pumping iron in the hospital gym, or both. Well done Rachel. Next race in Warwick town centre, 6th September, then the final round of the UK paracycling series in London on the 26th.