Wildlife-watching holiday on Scottish coast could have ended in tragedy for Boris Johnson

The remote cottage with view to Skye (pic: cottagescom)

FORMER prime minister Boris Johnson came close to losing his life during what should have been a stress-free holiday in a remote location on the north-west coast of Scotland.

Leaving wife Carrie, five-month-old son Wilfred and pet Jack Russell terrier Dilyn  on land, he took to a borrowed inflatable kayak and paddled out to sea in a quest to catch sight of seals, White tailed Eagles and Red-throated Divers.

But the offshore wind and outgoing tide took him further and further away from land.

After 500 yards of unsuccessful paddling to get back to shore, he decided to quit the kayak and swim.

                                           

Boris Johnson is believed to have been paddling in a Kayak loaned to him by a Downing Street staffer who had purchased it for just over £100 from Argos 

It was later reported that he had to be rescued by a security officer, but this was denied by Mr Johnson who  insisted that no assistance had been required.

The alarming incident brought an end to a mid-August holiday at Lonbain-by-Applecross that proved less enjoyable than the family had wanted.

One of the reasons the former PM took to the kayak was to get away from the famed Scottish midges -  millions of them - that had been nibbling away at him remorselessly from the moment the family arrived.

In addition, their getaway from Downing Street location had been leaked to the media, prompting concerns about safety and security.

The episode is recounted by Mr Johnson in Unleashed, his memoirs about his time at Number 10.

                                     

The former PM describes the incident in his latest  book

What happened to the kayak? 

Possibly it was washed up on  the island of Skye, but it was never recovered and may have ended up deep out in the Atlantic.

Did the family ever get a close-up encounter with a White-tailed Eagle? Alas no.                                       

But maybe that was just as well. Given their luck on that holiday, maybe a eagle might snatched their pet dog as prey!

Unleashed is published by HarperCollins.

Bedroom at the Scottish hideaway (pic: cottagescom)

Sitting room in the cottage - with a bird book on the coffee table

 (pic: cottagescom)

Carrie Johnson posted this snap, believed to have been taken by one of the security team, on her Instagram account

The Johnsons did not even get a distant glimpse of a White-tailed Eagle