Beth was a new friend I'd met at a cave leader training course. We both had a romanticised idea of canoeing across Scotland and so in the first week of my year long sabbatical we set off on the long drive from Bristol to our starting point in Fort William.

My post university gap year culminated in a role as an adventure leader on the British Schools Exploring Society's Pacaya-Samiria expedition. Over the course of 6 weeks I helped set up the logistics for the expedition before leading groups in the canoe phase, spotting river dolphins, caiman and plenty of pyranha along the way.My post university gap year culminated in a role as an adventure leader on the British Schools Exploring Society's Pacaya-Samiria expedition. Over the course of 6 weeks I helped set up the logistics for the expedition before leading groups in the canoe phase, spotting river dolphins, caiman and plenty of pyranha along the way.