If you have come to the West Highlands seeking an escape, there can be no sound more welcome than the gentle swish of your own oar cutting through the water, the only disturbance on an otherwise empty horizon – empty apart from fellow explorers paddling behind you, at least.

Sea kayaking is growing in popularity, as travellers increasingly value an activity that combines nature and exercise in a setting that you can move through without leaving even a footprint behind.

On a grey day in late spring, Holiday West Highland decided to give it a try.

“You’re learning to kayak at the perfect time,” our guide told us, as we huffed and puffed, dragging our kayaks over slippery rocks to the Loch Linnhe shore: “there are plenty of places to explore, but the sport is still catching on here, so the best spots haven’t got too crowded.”

Our experience began with a safety briefing, including the all-important capsize drill, when we were assured that we would not be forced to roll our vessels if we did not want to.

While this claim was true, I still managed to tip over within minutes, and though the chill of contact with the water took my breath away, the dry suit kept everything but hands and head warm, and I was rescued so quickly and calmly that the incident was quickly forgotten.

I have passed Castle Stalker from the road many times, but rounding the coastline to approach and then circle it by sea, the fortress took on a new mystique. We stopped for lunch on a bluebell-covered island just a few feet away from it, and felt like adventurers encountering an undiscovered treasure for the first time – even the resident Canada goose seemed unconcerned by our presence.

The sense of being at one with wildlife continued throughout our trip – at one point a seal popped its head out of the water and bobbed up and down on the waves, watching us pass. There was no doubt he had seen us, but our presence didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest.

Physically, paddling was fairly demanding, and our arms and legs were slightly stiff the next morning, but I was assured that there would be far less impact as my technique improved. I struggled with technical basics like steering and turning at the start of the day, but it only took a few hours – and gentle pointers – to build my confidence to the extent that as we lugged our kayaks back to the trailer, I was already planning the next expedition.