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Profile of Dave Craig

by Peter Higgins PhD, Professor of Outdoor & Environmental Education, Edinburgh University.

Before I say anything about Dave Craig and ‘speydescent.com’ I should ‘come clean’ and explain that I have known Dave as a colleague and friend for over 20 years. We have taught and led groups together and shared journeys as friends during this period. In recent years he has worked with my colleagues and I on annual descents of the River Spey with our postgraduate Outdoor Education students and also provided their First Aid courses. I also share Dave’s passion for the Highlands in general and in particular the Cairngorms National Park and the River Spey. So, whilst this ‘profile’ is intended to be objective, it is also a passionate account of Dave’s skills and significant contribution to the enjoyment and learning of those who have spent time with him in the outdoors.

Rather than comment in general terms I believe I can give a better insight through one particular activity, a canoe journey on the River Spey. I must have paddled part or all of this river with Dave on a dozen occasions now, and since it has become an annual event for our postgraduate students, I always look forward to it keenly. Each new intake of students though has no idea what to expect when we make the journey north to Strathspey! A multi-day journey of this type offers many opportunities to get to know people and at the end of it the students have invariably developed great admiration, affection and respect for Dave. As a ‘teacher of teachers and outdoor instructors’ I have often pondered on the reasons for this and I have concluded that Dave embodies the key elements of a highly skilled professional educator and guide. First and foremost he has a love of 'people and the outdoors, and his passion for bringing the two together is plain for all to see. From the moment he meets a group he is respectful, friendly, reassuring and witty, immediately putting any who are anxious at their ease. On the river he is an impressive ‘presence’; a very strong paddler, consummately professional, always in the right place to guide and instruct, reassuringly and unobtrusively dealing with safety issues. But that is not the limit of his skills. He is keenly interested and deeply knowledgeable about the landscape he works in. So for example a journey on the Spey becomes an education into the history, culture and folklore of the area, all delivered with the skills of the story-teller.

Dave has been the BCU/SCA River Advisor for the Spey for as long as I can remember, and as such he has taken his responsibilities seriously, endeavouring to work with all the recreational and other local interests. He has been instrumental in crafting the best relationship between paddlers and fishermen of any river I know in the UK, and this is no small achievement in light of the significance of the river to both communities. This is of particular interest to me as I spent a good number of years as a freshwater and fisheries biologist specialising in Atlantic salmon, and so have an understanding of the interests of the fishermen and their guides (ghillies) on the river. In my view Dave has developed this respectful relationship by making a point of understanding the views of all parties and working with them in the best interests of the river. As a result of this effort and through making probably more journeys down the river than anyone alive, I can confidently say that he knows the whole river as well as anyone.

For me a journey on the Spey is a always a real treat, but with Dave it becomes a privilege, revealing new insights into the history and culture of the area and providing me with a reminder of the teaching and guiding skills I need to maintain my own high professional standards.

For the beginner or the highly skilled, a course with Dave on land or water promises an enjoyable, stimulating and complete experience which is rare even amongst the world-class standards set by the outdoor profession in Scotland.

Pete Higgins
Professor of Outdoor and Environmental Education
BCU Level 5 Coach, Mountain Instructor Certificate, etc.
University of Edinburgh
Scotland
www.education.ed.ac.uk/outdoored