Red on the Road Part 4: A Dublin Encounter with Becky Gilmour

We are almost back in Dublin, nearing our original starting point, but there’s one last crucial stop before returning to England and our headquarters in south Devon. We have a meeting scheduled with the lively Becky Gilmour, who is currently on an incredible 1000 km solo paddleboard journey across Ireland’s four provinces. Her route takes her from Loch Erne in Northern Ireland to Dublin, then along the historic canals and the winding waters of the River Shannon to Limerick.

To help Becky tackle the Irish weather, we equipped her with our new Elements Collection and our latest waterproof kit bags, ensuring she and her gear, from sleeping bags to camera equipment, stayed bone-dry on her Voyager board. While the rest of the team set up along the banks to capture her in action, I quickly inflated a Compact Board and joined her on the River Liffey at Leixlip for the final push into Dublin.

Becky first captured international attention in 2025 when she undertook an extraordinary physical feat: skateboarding the entire length of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, a punishing 2,600 km journey. After spending a few minutes paddling alongside her, I quickly realise that her motivation runs far deeper than personal triumph. She is paddling to raise funds and awareness for a mental health charity in Uganda, a cause rooted in her life experiences and a deeply personal bond with the local psychiatrist, Derek.

A Purpose Beyond the Horizon

Becky has never shied away from speaking openly about her mental health struggles. For her, getting outdoors and onto the water has been nothing short of life-changing. "It’s so hard to navigate all those big feelings, and I think it’s important to be in the right environment to do so," Becky shares. "Being outside on the water, moving and doing something with repetitive motion, like paddleboarding, where you can get into a zone and work through things with endorphins flowing, is really the best way to heal."

Her desire to turn her personal sanctuary into a source of support for others led her back to Uganda. Becky first travelled there at 18 to volunteer at Kiwoko Hospital, and later returned as an artist to run art therapy programmes for patients. During her time there, she befriended Derek, one of only 70 psychiatrists serving a national population of 45 million.

When Becky learned over Christmas that Derek had lost his entire mental health support team due to a complete lack of funding, she knew she had to act. In many rural communities, mental illness remains heavily stigmatised and widely misunderstood, often viewed through the lens of local superstition. Just £10 can provide a patient with a month of life-changing therapy and medication.

With a paddleboard and thousands of kilometres of interconnected waterways right in her backyard, Becky asked herself a simple question: Why not paddle across Ireland and bring Derek’s team back?

Finding Freedom on the Water

Becky’s passion for paddleboarding grew out of necessity and a yearning to explore inaccessible places. While skateboarding along the rugged Irish coastline, she felt drawn to the remote islands just off the mainland. Traditional ferry schedules were restrictive, and because she had recently broken her tailbone, sitting in a conventional kayak or boat was out of the question.

Stand-up paddleboarding was the perfect solution. Teaming up with a local instructor, Adam, Becky learned to read coastal weather patterns, understand complex tidal flows, and navigate open-ocean waters safely. Stand-up paddling didn't just give her a way to travel without pain; it unlocked entire landscapes that had previously been out of reach.

That freedom to explore remote corners of the world, combined with the warmth of the paddling community, cemented a fundamental truth for Becky: life is better by the water. Whether sharing stories with locals on canal barges or getting navigation tips from curious onlookers along the riverbanks, the water serves as a universal bridge between people.

The Gear That Makes Solo Expeditions Possible

Embarking on a multi-day solo expedition through unpredictable weather and challenging river currents requires meticulous preparation, strict safety protocols, and, above all, gear that will not fail.

Pushing through more than 100 canal locks, navigating wide river stretches with strong currents, and camping along populated riverbanks mean Becky must be completely self-sufficient. Safety is non-negotiable: a personal flotation device (PFD) is worn at all times, local knowledge is gathered from residents along the route, and a live GPS location is shared with a search and rescue contact.

Equally vital to survival and success is having gear built specifically for the demands of long-distance expedition touring. 

Becky has only good things to say about the Red 12’0” Voyager inflatable paddleboard’s durability and gear-carrying capacity. Engineered for multi-day trips and heavy gear loads, the board features innovative V-hull technology that cuts through choppy waters, keeping its line effortlessly steady even when fully loaded. “I must’ve hauled this board in and out of over 100 canal locks without any damage or dramas. I have full faith that it will get me to the finish of this expedition.”

After the film crew finished capturing all the footage, we paused our work at a cozy Irish pub that offered hearty Sunday roasts and freshly poured Guinness. We invited Becky to join us, providing a welcome break, we thought, from a string of dehydrated trail meals. As she regaled the team with lively stories from her travels along Ireland’s rivers, it felt like a fitting farewell. We wrapped up our Red on the Road trip with good food, great company, and tales of water, marking a perfect end to an unforgettable Irish adventure. Slainte.