Back when we were working class, in the child rearing years when it wasn't really practical to own a sailboat, we got into sea kayaking.

As eager new enthusiasts, we joined the Scottish Canoe Association and signed up for our first, "paddle in company' down Loch Craignish

Escaping from work early on the Friday we loaded the boats onto the roof, the camping gear into the back and set off for Ardfern.

Two hours later, the tent was up and we were, or at least I was, choking down my first beer of the weekend. As we sat in the pub, newcomers to the sea kayaking scene, we scanned the lounge looking for our fellow kayakers.

"Nah. None of this lot are kayakers, they must all be back at the campsite. These folk are all too old".

Next morning, guess what. These old biddies were the kayakers, many quite accomplished with serious sea miles and exposed passages, if you'll excuse the expression, under their slim hulls, and I'm sure they had a good giggle at us in our, "all the gear and no idea' mode.

So, as we sit in our hotel in Pretoria where we are starting our 22 day Victoria Falls tour on Sunday I'm thinking that tomorrow when the other bikers arrive, they will no doubt also be scanning the room and dismissing us old farts in the corner of the bar, sat in our slippers, sipping our cups of tea. No way are we their biker mates for the next three weeks, "especially that old guy over there with the man bag".

How time flies.