No ordinary canoeist: new book tells of Clive Freshwater’s legal fight to gain access to River Spey

It’s just over 15 years since the passing into law of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act – the wonderful piece of legislation which, among other things, gives us all the right to stravaig freely around the countryside – regardless of who owns it – as long as we behave ourselves while doing so. The “right to roam,” as it has become known, is usually spoken about in the context of land-based activities, particularly hillwalking, but the act also makes provision for those hardy souls looking to enjoy Scotland’s rivers and lochs – and, as a new book reminds us, one of the key events that helped pave the way for the act was a legal battle to gain access to the River Spey for recreational water users, fought in the late 1960s and early 1970s.