Welcome to the wonderful world of Scottish white water, and the 2nd edition of the white water guide. One of the most notable achievements of the first edition is that it inspired many people to get out there, get off the beaten track and paddle something new. In an age where park and play is becoming ever more popular, it's been great to see paddlers once again seeking out the wilderness experience that for me is such an important part of what makes paddling special. Published in 2001, we had no idea that the 1st edition would sell out so quickly. So many thanks to everyone who bought a copy and helped raise money for the access fund, and also to everyone who wrote in with corrections, comments, suggestions and new descriptions for the 2nd edition. Once again, all proceeds from this guide will go towards the SCA access fund, and if you bought direct from the SCA, even more of your money will go towards promoting and improving access in Scotland. In this edition, we have tried to give more information on all those tantalising runs just mentioned last time round. We have also included 2 completely new sections and a total of 42 new rivers.
So why not push the boundaries, go somewhere new and discover what those less well-known runs have to offer. For those who like the unknown, there's still more out there waiting to be explored, so it's not too late to make your mark and see your name in print next time around! The 2nd edition has also given us a chance to update paddlers on the access legislation that came into force in Scotland in the autumn of 2004, to tell you more about the threat that our wonderful rivers face from new hydro-electric developments and to let you know about the Water Levels Website developed by the SCA to help paddlers find out which rivers are at a good level. I hope you enjoy this guidebook and that, like its predecessor, it will inspire you to try new things, go new places and come back full of the wonder of Scottish white water.