10 best anchorages in Outer Hebrides

[Albert Ross]

Great blog.

You should see the size of the midgies in Troon. We are so disillusioned that we're off the OHs anyway.

 

[Kelpie]

"A" tourist boat? There are at least four of them. However, we found them very friendly indeed, and extremely happy to share their landing stage with tenders - they'd happily let you cross their decks when tied up. Sure, it's a bit busy when they are running, but the operators couldn't be nicer neighbours and when they left it was just us, the red dear and a French couple showering in the buff under a waterfall. And the midgies.

I'm glad you had a pleasant time sharing the landing steps with the tourist boats, but the general advice is not to do this. There are now potentially nine tourist boats operating in that area with timetables to adhere to, and they do not have time to be relocating tenders that are blocking the steps.

By Hebridean standards it's a busy anchorage, but there's a reason for that, and as you say once the tourists go home you may have it all to yourself.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I'm glad you had a pleasant time sharing the landing steps with the tourist boats, but the general advice is not to do this.

You misunderstand me. Neither I nor anyone else that I saw left a tender at the steps while the trip boats were operating. By "share" I meant that they were happy, and clearly happy, for tenders to nip in and out between trip boats to set down or pick up and, as I wrote, they regularly invited people in tenders to come alongside the trip boat and cross for access to the steps.

Am I right in thinking, by the way, that the steps were built with EU funding for all users and not just for or by the trip boats?

 

[Kelpie]

Ah ok I did misunderstand. Essentially I think the important thing is not to leave boats unattended at the steps. The trip boats don't do this and so neither should leisure boats.

Not sure about funding, interesting question.

I just wanted to raise the point since there are more boats than ever down there, and the schedules have little room for manoeuvre, so it seems courteous to bear that in mind.