Cruising Holidays with activities on the Caledonian Canal

The Crew

The Crew

Each barge has a minimum crew of four looking after you during your holiday. The Skipper will be at the helm, both literally and figuratively! The Cook will be in charge of our wonderful meals. The Guide is in charge of the walking and other activities off the barge. The Bosun is the deckhand when we are underway, looking after maintenance and driving our powerboat, running guests ashore and covering safety for water sports.


We are joined by a specialist on our Wildlife and Music Cruises, and sometimes we’ll have a General Assistant who helps wherever they can on a temporary basis.

Man in red jacket gives thumbs up from doorway of colorful canal boat.

Chris Absolom

Skipper

Chris is a dedicated outdoor professional with years of experience as an outdoor activity instructor all over the UK and beyond! Joining us in 2013 as one of our guides, he quickly developed the skills to drive the barge, and gained his Boatmaster License in 2023. Chris has been one of our regular skippers ever since.

Man with curly hair smiles, wearing an orange life vest on a boat, with water and mountains in the background.

Ruari ‘Ru’ Edmond

Skipper, Guide, Bosun

The multi-talented Ru has been working with us for a few years now and progressed to skippering in 2024. He grew up locally, right on the shores of Loch Lochy at one of our favourite anchorages, so has a wealth of local knowledge. He is a keen outdoorsman and recently fitted out his own van to head off on adventures near and far.

Man with a long beard and a black cat perched on his shoulder, against a red boat.

Dave ‘Swampy’ Roberts

Skipper, Guide, Bosun

Dave, better known as Swampy, takes the helm for certain weeks over the course of the season. Dave started with Caledonian Discovery in 2000 and progressed to skippering the barge in 2005. Having lived on the Caledonian Canal for the past 20 years, Dave has a wealth of experience and knowledge that he loves to share with everyone on board.

Chef in a kitchen, wearing a white shirt and black apron, smiling while working at a countertop.

Darren ‘Daz’ Prideaux

Chef

Darren joined us in 2025, and we’re delighted to have him back as Fingal chef for 2026. With years of experience in restaurants all over the world, Darren has found a fondness for boat life, and when he’s not whipping up exquisite food in the galley, he can often be seen helping out on deck or even on occasion driving our powerboat.

Silhouette of a person, consisting of a circle for the head above a rounded rectangle for the body.

Mike Edgar

Chef

Mike worked a great season for us as Fingal chef in 2024. For 2026 we are happy to have him back as our chef on Ros Crana. With a diverse range of skills that have seen him excel as a professional musician and a corporate trainer, he has most recently turned his abilities to cooking. You will never be lacking in delicious food while Mike is on board, as he makes it a point of pride that no one leaves the dining table anything less than full and satisfied.

Woman with sunglasses smiles, outdoors with trees and a hillside in background.

Sophie Zych-Watson

Guide

Sophie grew up on the banks of Loch Lomond, and joined us in 2024 as one of our guides. A keen outdoor professional and environmentalist, she now travels all over Scotland sharing her knowledge and often returns to the barges to enhance the experience of everyone on board.

Woman in teal sweater smiles, hair in a bun, outdoors near water.

Bryony Lewis

Guide

Bryony joined the team in 2023 and her happy, upbeat attitude has been a welcome addition to our holidays ever since. A nature lover and outdoor professional, she took a brief step back from guiding to focus on environmental work, but is back again for 2026.

People on a boat deck, one wearing red jacket and beanie smiles, others sit on a bench. Water and mountains in the background.

Chris Fitzsimons

Guide

A career walking and biking guide, Chris guides tours all over Scotland and has been joining us a few times each year since 2023. Always a pleasure to have on board, he has a wealth of knowledge about Scotland’s culture, history and ecology that makes every day on the trail enjoyable and engaging.

Man with beard and sunglasses wearing a blue and gold medal, outdoors.

Steve Sim

Bosun

Originally from Aberdeen-shire, Steve loves the outdoors, and first joined us on Fingal in 2005. He then spent some time away from Scotland, settling in New Zealand for several years, before returning for our 2015 season. He has been our Bosun on Fingal ever since and lives on the barges year-round. A keen cyclist and canoeist, you may see Steve heading into the wild in the evening to explore any corners of the Great Glen he hasn’t yet found.

Woman on the

Lucy McGhee

Bosun

Growing up near the Clyde, Lucy has had a lifelong interest in boats. She joined the team as the Bosun on Ros Crana in 2012 and now plies her trade all over Scotland, returning to the barges a few times each year. A Caledonian Canal local, Lucy has a great deal of local and nautical knowledge that makes her a joy to have on board.

Silhouette of a person, consisting of a circle for the head above a rounded rectangle for the body.

Trevor Smart

Wildlife Guide

From an early age, Trevor has been fascinated by wildlife, spending his life walking, birdwatching, and contributing to conservation on nature reserves. In 1997, Trevor and his wife bought and began to manage 50 acres of semi‑natural ancient woodland. For around ten years, he also kept bees, serving in several committee roles - including chairman - of a local beekeeping club until an allergic reaction forced a stop to his hobby. For more than 25 years, Trevor has proudly served as one of the wildlife leaders on Fingal and Ros Crana.

Silhouette of a person, consisting of a circle for the head above a rounded rectangle for the body.

Doug Gilbert

Wildlife Guide

With 40 years’ experience in wildlife conservation, Doug knows his birds and bees and delights in showing others the wonders of Scotland's nature. He has a long association with us, crewing on Fingal on our very first season, way back in 1996. He lives in Royal Deeside and enjoys cycling, walking and marmite.

Silhouette of a person, consisting of a circle for the head above a rounded rectangle for the body.

Rick Scott-Willings

Musician

Testimonials

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WOW WOW WOW What a wonderful way to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and get back to nature. Far exceeded our expectations.
Dean Gump Paula Selstead 2023
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This vacation “cruise” met our needs activity levels perfectly. Dan likes to relax I like to be busy, active – we were able to do both. Still enjoy this experience together.”
Maura and Drew Pare Dean 2023
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Wasn’t sure what to expect, but all experiences were way beyond what we’d thought from looking at pictures and blurb
Stuart and Sheila Johnson 2023
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We had such a wonderful time! We made new friends, ate good food and saw Denali often! The weather was amazing! Tom did a great job offering a variety of things to see and do to get a good taste of Alaska. We are so glad we went on this trip! Thank you so much! God bless!
Marjorie S
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This holiday was outstanding throughout. The local knowledge the crew have was always given, in an entertaining and interesting way and this was just a smidge of the whole experience. Fun – entertaining – thrilling – exciting – tranquil – friendly.
Julie Watts 2022
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I had an excellent holiday. It exceeded my expectations and I would recommend a Caledonian Discovery holiday to my friends and family and anyone who enjoys gorgeous scenery, a mix of outdoor activities, delicious food and lots of laughter and fun.
Rebecca Parker 2022