Who We Are

Our People

We are very proud of our people at Caledonian Discovery. We’re a small family-owned company with a great team all contributing to our ongoing success.

Martin set up the company back in the 90s with Fingal of Caledonia, starting our operations in 1996. With significant help from other team members he designed and managed the conversion of both our barges. He lives near the canal locally so you might well see him on board, even on weeks when he isn’t skippering. With a keen history of involvement in outdoor activities he is a qualified barge skipper and has RYA instructor qualifications for cruising yachts, dinghies and powerboats, as well as paddle sport and Mountain Leader certification. Martin and Carrie have a son and daughter who grew up on and around the barges. They have been ‘roped in’ to working on the barges at times and Josh was Bosun with us in 2024 and 2025. Martin enjoys a variety of outdoor activities and loves to be on the water. He enjoys travel with the family, both home and abroad, and loves to explore the Scottish Highlands.

Carrie has a varied role which, as she says, includes looking after anything on the boats that isn’t made of wood or metal! She’s responsible for merchandise, uniforms, soft furnishings, domestic equipment and purchasing. She also gets pulled in whenever we need extra help, including with minibus driving and guest support. Carrie has a history of working in Adventure Education, Dive Guiding and Yoga Teaching. She loves swimming, both in-pool training and open water.

Brought up on the River Thames, Adam has spent most of his life on boats. His work with us started in 2013 as one of our guides, gaining his Boatmaster Licence in 2016 and becoming one of our seasonal skippers. When the 2018 season finished Adam joined us full time as the Operations Manager. His role is to oversee the day to day running of the holidays and maintenance of the barges. He enjoys indoor sport climbing and also some outdoor ‘Trad’ climbing.

Tanya will generally be the first point of contact when you call or email us in the office.  She is extremely friendly and ready to help you through the booking process. She also helps with our financial administration.

Karena works part time in our office and manages everything financial - payments, wages and management accounts. She loves travel and is a keen Hyrox competitor.

Sarah is responsible for our digital marketing, e-mails and social media.

Previously an office full-timer, Neil is now freelance and specialises in our print media advertising, graphic design and working with our guest feedback. He also runs his own tour-guiding experiences and often drives our guest minibus.

Sam joined us in 2026 as our dedicated Marketing Co-ordinator. He is bringing his digital marketing experience to Caledonian Discovery, allowing us to continue to improve your experience. He may also be seen occasionally on the boats, helping the crew, and photographing your adventures. Growing up in Aberdeenshire, Sam has developed a keen interest in the outdoors and is a hobbyist climber and hill runner.

Testimonials