We've just got back from a two day activity trip to Aberfeldy, where we went white water rafting on the Saturday then river bugging on the Sunday. We did white water rafting before in October, so we thought we knew what to expect but it was a much larger group and the water was flowing much faster. We had a great time and it was really exciting to go down the rapids even faster than last time. We had a bit of a incident due to the high water levels at one point, with a few people being swept off at one set of rapids, (which is very rare, but must be prepared for!) but the instructors dealt with it calmly and efficiently, and no one was hurt. It is a great sign that the staff were able to deal with it so well. I'm under no doubts that they obviously practice that sort of thing regularly from the way they behaved. A potentially serious incident ended with everyone safe and happy and we were all in high spirits again at the end due to the great staff we were out with.
The river bugging was something else entirely! The rafts were a lot smaller than we had anticipated, and we were a bit apprehensive at the start since so many of the rivers had flooded or burst their banks overnight, but our instructor assured us it was perfectly safe and that he'd rescue us if we got swept away! It was an amazing experience, although very physical. I would not recommend this activity if you're not very fit, by the end we were knackered and a bit knock-kneed coming out of the water. Once again our instructor was fabulous and put our every fear to rest. The water was very high and before we went out he made sure we were confident and strong swimmers. The rapids were great to go down and it was an exhilarating experience which I would definitely repeat!
The gear we were given on both days was very high quality - super thick wetsuits, neoprene jacket and a windbreaker, along with helmets; and gloves for the bugging. We were warm and cosy for the most part (with the exception of hands and feet, which can't be helped!) and our instructors asked us how we were doing after every main part of the activities to judge what we were up for, and whether we were ok.
If anyone is going in the winter time or when it's colder I would thoroughly recommend that they take with them a beanie hat, which can be worn under the safety helmet provided and will give them a little more warmth on their head.
Overall we had a fabulous weekend and will definitely be going back soon.
