Kirstie is truly one of life’s wonderful, caring & inspirational people & who I’m honoured to admire & know with being one of my fellow 2020/21 British Canoeing #ShePaddles Ambassadors. Kirstie’s interview is one I present with utter glee as a paddler with so much passion, enthusiasm, knowledge, skill & experience but who is so humble with it. Kirstie gives so much to paddling; sharing it with others & taking care of our blue spaces that I believe she deserves a little bit of celebrating & a showing of appreciation for her wonderful self! Kirstie gives us a wonderful insight into northern (& very northern!) paddling, sharing with us her day to day adventures, her expeditioning, her paddling hopes & dreams, wildlife spotting and her environmental appreciation & clean ups & all this that you’ll soon discover after having a slighly disastrous start to paddling in her youth!
So who is Kirstie Macmillan and what’s your paddling backstory?
Hello, I’m Kirstie and I currently live, work and paddle in the North-East of England. My first experience of paddlesport was in 2003 on day one of a five day outdoor education residential with school. We went canoeing on Ullswater in the Lake District and I absolutely hated it! Freezing cold, uncomfortable in a wetsuit, carrying heavy boats and finding it difficult to communicate with a bossy team mate did not make me want to do canoeing ever again. I’m now an outdoor education instructor and could not imagine a life without canoeing and kayaking! What changed? I’m not sure what or when but it goes with the cliché of giving things a second try. I joined the canoe club at the University of St. Andrews in 2009 and the kayaking obsession escalated from there – I’m addicted to the water! I love the juxtaposition of calm, crystal water and powerful, crashing waves which keeps me endlessly fascinated and humbled. I’ve worked through various British Canoeing Awards and explored many paddlesport disciplines from canoe polo to freestyle kayaking, but it’s the sea which has been the biggest draw for me over the past few years.
What’s your contribution to or stamp on paddlesport? How or why do (or should!) we know you? If you were nominated by a previous guest or invited by myself, why do you think they or I nominated you?
I’m absolutely honoured to be asked to do this and to have been selected as a British Canoeing #ShePaddles Ambassador with you in 2020/2021. It was quite a difficult time to promote paddlesport during a pandemic but it was also a time when I really started to value access to my local blue spaces, paddling when restrictions allowed and beach cleaning otherwise!
Your chosen craft/s and brand/s?
I’m a Jack (or Jill!?) of all trades and have had anywhere between two and five boats at any one time. For white water kayaking, I have an original Pyranha 9R in custom colours. It’s battered and bruised but I love the huge rocker and edge feedback; it doesn’t allow for any sloppy paddling! For canoeing, I have a trusty Venture Prospector 155 which completed multiple expeditions on the Tweed, Tay and Spey in addition to day trips on my favourite local sections on the South Tyne, Tees and Wear. Again, I love the rocker on this boat and the rounded hull allows me to use as much edge as the gunnels allow! On the theme of rocker, my sea boat also has a lot of it too! I love surfing and the Zegul Arrow Play MV is an absolute joy in the waves! I was worried that it would not handle as well when laden for expeditions but it’s a gift that just keeps on giving!
Your worst habit?
If I was a Roger Hargreaves character, I’d be Little Miss Messy! Seriously, I am so untidy! You’ll find my trip planning notes amongst my floor-drobe, my office desk at work is Loki-level chaos and let’s not mention the inside of my van. It doesn’t bother me much at all, but I’m aware that it may affect other people and try my best to keep the peace where I can. Organising kit for sea kayak leading has taught me a thing or two about strict organisation including managing towlines, labelling or colour-coding drybags and having everything secure. There are quite a few pairs of sunglasses at the bottom of the Tyne Harbour!
Tell us about your favourite blue spaces anywhere and what you love about them
In the North-East of England, we have a spectacular coastline steeped in incredible industrial and natural history. The Tees Estuary has historically been a polluted and toxic habitat, indeed, the flaring towers of the chemical works inspired the backdrop to the film Blade Runner. Decades of environmental projects to clean up the environment and reverse the effects of heavy industry make this an interesting place to paddle. There is a thriving seal colony, wader birds including avocets and you can spot bottlenose dolphins feeding in the estuary if you’re lucky! Further north, off the coast of Northumberland lies the Farne Islands, an archipelago of volcanic outcrops offering exciting tide races and the chance to see thousands of puffins! A paddle out to Longstone Lighthouse, former home of Grace Darling, is one of my favourite days out in a kayak; navigating the races and tidal islands, coming face-to-face with curious seals and dodging angry arctic terns! With 5,000 seals and over 100,000 seabirds, these tiny islands are a wildlife spectacle and I hope that they are protected and preserved for future generations of paddlers to enjoy. Midway between the wild Farne Islands and the developing Tees is my local stretch of coastline between the Tyne and Wear. It has a little bit of everything from sandy surf beaches to secret caves, busy seabird colonies to silent remnants from the heyday of shipbuilding – and I love it.
What’s your favourite song?
I’ve often been caught off-guard singing along to the soundtracks of Moana or Pocahontas whilst paddling. Both characters being excellent canoeists of course! I don’t really have a favourite song and will listen to almost anything but my favourite artist is Sam Fender, a local lad from North Shields. The lyrics in his songs reflect the resilience of people from the North-East of England and the trouble of growing up under the “dark grey vistas of this weathered place”. Indeed, I often kayak past the places which inspired songs like Leave Fast or Stay Forever, Seventeen Going Under and the heart-breaking duo of Dead Boys and The Dying Light. The later are a raw examination of the mental health crisis, especially amongst young men. It is not all doom and gloom up North though, we are a resilient, “canny” and proud people, not afraid of hard work or the bitter cold, grey winters by the North Sea.
Many people paddle to aid their mental health and wellbeing, what does paddling do for you and what does it mean to you?
Mental health is still something that I find difficult to talk about. It took me too long to recognise that I was having difficulties with my mental health and it continues to be a challenging journey. I’ve found that paddling and generally being outdoors gives me a sense of purpose, of belonging and of connection to people and nature. There are moments on the water where you are so engrossed and present in the moment; navigating a canoe through a technical rapid on the River Tweed, kayaking off Low Force on the Tees or surfing with seals on the Farne Islands are just some examples. Sometimes I use paddling as a distraction, but it’s also a leveller which grounds you and makes you feel humble. The friends I have made through paddling are some of the kindest, most patient and the most generous people you’ll ever meet. I struggle to express how much their love and support means to me. They help me celebrate and appreciate my self-worth and are always on hand to get me through a bad day on or off the water. I wrote an article on the parallels of mental health and paddling for Unsponsored a while back. You can find my full reflection here: The River Of Life: Parallels Of Paddling And Mental Health – Unsponsored
Most memorable paddle?
I think the most memorable ones are the “firsts”: First white water kayak trip on the River Spean with university friends, first paddle with dolphins with my old boss Crispin, first experience of the River Moriston, first sea kayak re-entry roll… Paddling is so diverse and progressive and there will be so many more memories to make! If I had to choose, a standout moment on the journey so far is definitely the final day of a Raasay and Rona expedition when huge basking sharks appeared from beneath our boats and sea eagles soared above our heads, all with the backdrop of the Trotternish Ridge! It felt like we’d paddled straight into Jurassic Park!
I’m always dreaming about my next #clarerutterwherenextadventures, if you could paddle anywhere in the world, where would your #wherenextadventures be and why?
I’m obsessed with the possibilities of short expeditions around the west coast of Scotland. Scotland has 790 islands and 11,800km of coastline to explore, so I’m really spoilt for choice! For the last two summers, I have journeyed with fellow #ShePaddles Ambassador Jess Philip and good friend Cat Ince around Raasay, Rona and Southern Skye and can’t wait to meet up again next summer with the hope of visiting the Ascrib Islands. The wild Atlantic seaboard offers plenty of challenges and a dream Scottish adventure would be to cross The Minch from Skye to Harris via a camp on the uninhabited Shiant Islands. I need to work on my fitness, confidence in advanced conditions and refine tidal planning skills first! I have a saying that “Scotland always surprises you”. Whether it’s appreciating the intricate colours of the machair, encountering huge basking sharks or watching a fiery Hebridean sunset from a remote camp, it is an endlessly beautiful place.
Looking after the environment and playing our part as paddlers towards clean, healthy, thriving and beautiful blue spaces is really important to me, would you say that this is high on your agenda and, if so, why and how do you play a part yourself?
When I’m going paddling, I feel like I’m a visitor to a blue space. You think of landowners, other water users and local people but I’d like to think that I am visiting the home of the wildlife too. In that sense, their home should be respected and protected. I’m often doing beach cleans or picking up plastics as I go as a way of saying “thankyou” and if it prevents one seabird or seal becoming ill or entrapped then it’s all worthwhile. Whilst exploring the white sandy coves of Skye this summer, I was shocked at the amount of plastic and fishing gear washed up. Some of it was old and intertwined with the fabric of the machair. Some of it was new, with more washed up on every tide. Despite having a loaded boat with camping kit, I packed in a small bag of rope from each camp. Why “leave no trace” when we can leave it better than how we found it?
When paddling, what makes you laugh and what makes you sad?
Paddling is just pure joy. There is always lots of laughter between friends and also those cheeky giggles from those exciting “challenge-zone” moments! Sometimes I just catch myself smiling completely engrossed in a moment of calm or beauty. This includes breathtaking autumn colours on a river or observing animals go about their daily lives. The environmental issues facing our waterways and oceans don’t just make me sad, they make me mad! I’ve had multiple gastrointestinal infections caused by polluted water throughout the UK, I regularly see sewerage-related items washed up on my local beaches and generally find that rivers are treated as a dumping ground for plastic. It is a huge problem and it is a problem for all of us to solve. I think education is the best way to connect people and find solutions. The more I paddle and the more experiences I have, the more I want to learn about the natural world and develop a greater appreciation for it. I hope that I can encourage and support others to do so too!
And finally, where can we follow you? What’s your social media and weblinks etc?
I share my adventures, beach cleans and wildlife photographs on Instagram @kmacventures. DM if you would like to ask more about how to get into paddling or if you’d like to meet up to get out on the water! (Howay, but I can’t always promise dolphins or sharks!)
Thank you for a wonderful insight into northern paddling Kirstie! It sounds like an absolute dream with a plethora of views and wildlife and so good for the soul too! Will be sure to head your way soon!!
If you are or know someone who would be ideal to be interviewed for Clare Rutter’s Paddle People: An Interview with… please send a brief and the best way of getting in touch to email@clarerutter.com.