Commuting to work can be a stressful affair.
For Robert Phillips, however, it is a stroll in the park – or, more accurately, a row down the river.
The estate agent has taken his love for water a step further than most, by paddling his way to work in a kayak.
Mr Phillips travels the three miles from his Inverness home at Holm Mills down the river to Ness Bridge in the city centre, and enjoys a jolly jaunt along the Caledonian Canal at the end of his working day before paddling home.
The 35-year-old, who hopes to encourage others to reduce their carbon footprint by ditching their car, said: “I think the river is a really underused resource.
“If you think of Amsterdam or Venice and other water cities, people just go round by boat and its normal.
“So I don’t think what I am doing is too out there and too out of the ordinary. I would encourage anyone who lives on the canal or near the canal to do it.
“It certainly is good fun and it’s a great way of getting about.”
The former British number five kayaker and 2010 Great Britain athlete takes just 15 minutes to get to work, while he has a leisurely 35-minute paddle back home.
He added: “I have always enjoyed every type of kayaking. The first time I started kayaking was eight years-old, but I started paddling on the under 16’s Great Britain team for canoe slalom when I was 14 or 15.
“I don’t suppose it needs more organisation than cycling, which is what I used to do, and it certainly takes the same time. You also get free parking.
“I bring my bike padlock and attach it onto the jetty. I have saved a fortune on petrol.”
Beginning his commute just after 8am each morning, Mr Phillips, who works for 360 Inventories, makes the three-miles most days of the week, before taking a round trip along the canal at the end of the working day.
He said the benefits were not only making a financial saving, but also on his state of mind.
He added: “It’s great how much of a brain clear it is. If you have a brain fog it clears your mind and it freshens my brain up for the day and again when I am finishing.
“Hopefully I can keep it up for another month or so before it gets too dark.”
