Our New Rafting Base, The Tully Cafe’ Bar has been transformed by the addition of a number of Amazing Rafting Images that form a collection reflecting the best of the past few seasons activities.

Our resident Freelance Photographer (Lee James Kelly of K Factor Productions) has selected images that reflect the thrills that we at SPLASH live for. We want you to see what we see and get the same great feelings from the activities. Pop in for a drink and have a gander at the best of what we (and indeed you) have been up to!!

A Big compliment to our expertise and reputation was received from Crew Manager Chris McGready of Tayside Fire and Rescue Training Centre.

Crew Manager McGready got in contact with SPLASH today to ask for a hand in identifying some good locations for the Fire and Rescue crews to conduct essential swiftwater training in the region. The Guide Crew at SPLASH have a vast combined knowledge of the Rivers and Mountains of Scotland, compounded by their daily work but mainly owing to the fact that all of them are recognised outdoor enthusiasts in a vast range of disciplines, ranging from Emergency Outdoor First-Aid Response to Extreme Kayaking. A means to an end some would say!!

We look forward to being able to assist Tayside Fire and Rescue with any other advice, incident assistance and training they may require. The Fire and Rescue Crews are very committed folk and any help we can offer is gladly given to continue the reputation of Tayside and Highland Perthshire as a safe place to play outdoors.

For those aspiring to gain this level of knowledge, be it for personal training or with light to getting work in the Whitewater industry worldwide SPLASH have a number of comprehensive guide training courses to offer,both here in Scotland and overseas.

Cheers THE SPLASH TEAM.

Saturday the 10th of May 2008. 18 degrees C’, brilliant sunshine and not a cloud in the smooth azure sky! It sounds more like a Mediterranean Holiday brochure than Highland Perthshire. The good weather must bring all the thrill seekers out of the woodwork! 101 smiling faces greeted the guides for the afternoon rafting session at 13:00 hrs. The staff at the Tully Cafe Bar had their work cut out but rose to the occasion! Churning out endless Bacon sandwiches, full breakfasts, home-made soup and rolls, Chilli, Lattes, Cappuchinos, Double-Mocha-Frappa-Choco-Espressiaatos!!! phew! And of course lashings and lashings of cold beer or chilled white wine (after the rafting, you understand!).

Once everyone had signed on the dotted line and changed into lots of swanky rubber kit everyone was transported by our new bus contractor Bankfoot Busses, to our put-in point on the River Tay by General Wades Bridge. Floating past the historic Black Watch regimental monument, looking back upstream at the stunning backdrop vista provided by Ben Lawers, Meall Garbh and An Stuc it is very easy to see why people decided to ’set up camp’ here originally.

The promise of being able to warm up after a dip in the still ‘refreshing’ water prompted much frivolity and saw plenty of folk jumping in to cool themselves off before heading downstream to take on the grade 2 and 3 rapids. (One of the Gents on a stag weekend was sporting a ‘Mankini’, he got out of the water a little quicker) With names like The Graveyard and The Widowmaker it all sounds a bit scary! Our guides took it all in their stride, however and showed once again that it’s not half as intimidating as the names would suggest, with everyone coming off the river with huge smiles on their faces and a hunger for more adventure with SPLASH.

Here’s what you had to say!

“The best thing about the trip was going down the ‘fast bits’”.

“Thanks Rod!…for an excellent experience and a great time”!

What was the best thing about your trip?

                                    “It was all absolutely Awesome”.

What was the worst thing about your trip?

                                                                            “It ended”!

What could we have done better?

“Nothing, even the sun was shining”! thanx.

“Everyone got wet and enjoyed it!! I never thought it would be this good, we would definitely come again”.

All glowing reports then! lets hope the weather holds for next weekend ‘coz it looks like a busy one. The more the merrier we say! the guides refer to the good vibe on these days as “The Big Boat Buzz”.

Remember……….Tummel Season is coming! only 3 weeks now and the first weekend is looking like a good one! hope to see you there!

THE SPLASH TEAM.

The May Bank Holiday weekend is typically a time for lounging in the garden sipping the first of the summer Pimms and scoffing cucumber sandwiches. ‘Not So’ say all the folk who headed out with us on Saturday and Sunday! Water levels on the River Tay are holding nicely due to the snow steadily melting off the numerous Munros (a peak over 3000ft) of the Lawers range. The Sun even made an appearance too, boosting the temperature into balmy double figures! in Scotland………..imagine !!?*

The Keltney Burn Canyon is proving as popular as ever! More and more people seem to be returning to have a go at ‘that cliff jump’ they perhaps didn’t pluck up the courage for last time around!!

Here’s what you had to say about your time Rafting and Canyoning with SPLASH over the past weekend.

What was the Best thing about the trip?

“The Big jumps and then the pub!!”

“Our Guide Toby had charming banter that added to our rafting experience”.

“I highly enjoyed the whole experience, the staff are a nice bunch and the new pub/cafe is ideal. Good fun Thanks.”

“The staff have a Bad Attitude, Bad as in good! Gnarly Dude!!!!”

“I didn’t know what Canyoning was. It was Awesome.”

Romance is evidently in the air (must be the sunshine). Some of the handsome chaps on the Saturday Stag Party seemed to take a fancy to the best looking of our Guides.

“Great Staff! maybe consider topless Laura and post-rafting ……” We will leave that one to your imagination!

When asked what we could have done better one chap simply proclaimed.

“FREE CIDER”………………..We are working on Simon at the Tully Cafe Bar!

Cheers. Enjoy the Sun. (from the water, its the best place to be).

THE SPLASH TEAM.

After a few months away the biggest, hairiest, most bearded, most dread locked of our guides is back! Toby Saxton.

After a winter of throwing himself off snow-clad slopes and getting pulled around on skis by a huge dog!, he’s back and raring to immerse himself and our clients in the sparkling Scottish Whitewater! Tobys local knowledge and personal expertise make him a valuable asset to any team.

You are likely to bump into him if you are heading to the River Tummel for a raft trip or into the depths of the Keltney Burn for one of our Canyon Adventures! See You There.

Sunday 27th April saw SPLASH play host to a Charity Raft Race organised by The Round Table.

Tim Dew did a fantastic job getting all the teams in the right place at the right time and handing over responsibility to the SPLASH TEAM.

Brilliant sunny weather, a health dose of “Friendly Rivalry” and a ‘Le Mans’ style start saw mayhem and madness prevail off the line! As the field strung out and began to tire, the cracks started to show and the Gaps started to open! Leading ‘from the off’ and never looking like being caught was the team guided by ‘Nelly. Second and third places respectively were whipped all the way to the finish by ‘Sticky’ and the ‘modern-day celt’ Davey Campbell.

A well earned feed at The Inn on the Tay was followed by Refreshing drinks in the Scottish sun at our New Rafting Venue, the Tully Cafe Bar! Awards were received by the fastest teams and the teams who managed to raise the most money.

Big Fun had by all. Thousands of pounds raised and we look forward to welcoming the group back next year!

Here at Splash we have always strived to work with the environment with minimal impact. After all the environment is our office and place of work. We have always had an environmental policy which is dynamic and we are always looking for ways we can reduce our impact.

A major progression in 2008 is a massive reduction in our bus transport requirements. By moving our client meeting point to our new location at the Tully Cafe/Bar we are able to reduce our bus journeys by half. This has been further enhanced by working with a proactive transport provider who will supply larger buses on busy days again reducing the impact of our transport requirements. This has been further enhanced again by working in partnership with another activity company to share bus transport.

The net result of all of the proactive measures above has seen a massive reduction in car and small bus journeys. We are now exploring how we can reduce the amount of cars and small buses that come to visit us from Edinburgh and Glasgow by innovative use of larger bus transport.

If having been with us on a Splash Adventure and you have noticed how we may be able to reduce our environmental footprint please let us know your suggestions

When you come Rafting at SPLASH we will give each member of your group an Interactive Disc to take home for FREE. As well as the images of your trip that have been shot by our PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER there are films and information on all of our other activities. This means you can whet you appetite for more adventure and see how much fun others had doing things like Canyoning or taking on the rapids of the Tummel River in our one-man River Bugs!

Here at SPLASH we are always trying to stay on top of our game. Now that we are operating all River Tay Rafting from our new base at the stunningly refurbished ‘Tully’ Cafe-Bar, we are keen to see what YOU THINK.

We asked… Any Highlights? This is what we got back from you last weekend……………………..

“Fantastic watching my ten year old really get into it! He loved it, and will be back”.

“Getting stuck on the rock, but not flipping over!”

“Again, Again!”

“A pleasant guide with a sense of humour”.

“Great Leadership”.

“ALL OF IT! I never thought I would do it”.

“Very casual and friendly, but with a STRONG EMPHASIS ON THE SAFETY of everyone”.

“The look on my eight year olds face said it all.”

It looks like we are onto a winning formula with our new location. Situated only 100m from the take out point on the River Tay. Gone are the days of getting off the water to jump on our transport wet (and sometimes a bit chilly). Now, it’s straight back to our heated changing rooms, into your nice dry clothes and into the Tully Cafe-Bar for a well earned feed and beverage or one of Simon and Bernie’s legendary Hot Chocolates while you have a laugh at yourselves on our big screen. Our Professional Cameraman will display all the antics from your river journey, then provide you with a FREE COPY OF YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS TO TAKE HOME!

Grand Canyon White Water Rafting Trips Technorati Profile

Whether you are looking for a smooth rafting trip with your family and loved ones or, are looking forward to a more adventurous whitewater rafting experience, the Grand Canyon in Colorado River can offer you some of the best rafting experiences of your life. Just as John W. Powell enjoyed exploring the river back in 1869, similarly, today also, a large population of tourists and rafting lovers enjoy exploring the 277 mile trip down the Colorado River. Traveling by rubber rafts, viewing the scenic beauties of unseen waterfalls, white water rafting in the Grand canyon can prove to be the experience of a lifetime. Attracting thousands of tourists from all over the world, the Grand Canyon offers a variety of rafting options to rafters having different preferences. Those traveling with families and young children can opt for the smooth rafting trips that will enable them to enjoy the scenic view all around without having to travel through any rapids. On the other hand, for the more adventurous, the numerous Class IV and V rapids of the Grand Canyon can provide the thrill and excitement the rafters are looking for.

Most whitewater rafting trips along the Grand Canyon are scheduled during the months of April to November and range from a few days to 18 days depending on the amount of time rafters have on hand and the places they want to visit. Many rafters prefer to combine hiking with rafting while exploring the Grand Canyon. For those on shorter trips and looking for more compact rafting experiences, there is also the option of rafting just the upper or lower half of the Grand Canyon