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Adventurer’s poignant Afghanistan kayak trip features in Inverness talk





Callum Strong.
Callum Strong.

Adventurer Callum Strong will be speaking about Kayaking through Afghanistan in Inverness next week.

His talk will take place at the city’s Craigmonie Hotel on Monday, from 7.30pm.

The talk, which is part of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society Inspiring People programme, will feature The Panjshir River in Afghanistan.

Callum’s journey began on a sunny morning in 2016 while excited children, as well as a bemused policeman, lined the banks of the fast-flowing river to watch a group of Europeans in multicoloured plastic kayaks navigate the whitewater.

No kayakers had ever before come to the Panjshir Valley, which lies 140km north of Kabul, and Mr Strong will tell of his ambitious expedition to paddle the length of the river – 100km of phenomenal whitewater that cuts through one of the most stunning, geographically hostile but hospitable parts of the world, and the people he met along the way who touched his heart.

Reflecting on his time there he said: “Sometimes it is only with hindsight we realise the true significance of our actions. As the wheels of history have turned my Afghan holiday has now taken on more poignance than I ever envisioned it would.

“Was our expedition the first and last descent of the Panjshir river? I hope not. And I hope you will join me as I share my stories and experiences of kayaking in Afghanistan.”

He said he watched in horror at events in summer 2021 as desperate, terrified civilians clung onto the last few British and American military planes to leave Afghanistan as the Taliban returned to power there.

Tickets are available to book online in advance at rsgs.org/events

Further talks are planned – on February 13 Alex Moran will present The Island Munros Triathlon and on March 13 Sue Stockdale will present A Life of Adventure.


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