Advice on rounding cape wrath and places to leave boat on north coast?

[steve yates]

18footer, lifting keel, so can take the ground if required.
Need to head back to car on sat, sun latest so if I rounded cape wrath on Thursday or fri, where would be a good place to leave the boat for a week or two till I can come back and carry on?. Is Thurso ok? As its on the the train route? Any other suggestions? Car is in plockton, me and boat in gairloch, thinking I've come this far may as well go and have a look at the top.

Any advice on timings? And good (cheap) harbours? I think highland council do a months cruising deal for around £80 for a boat my size, and I'm probably going to be mainly using their harbours from here on in it seems?
Thanks.

 

[dylanwinter]

no advice I am afraid

but bloodygoodonya

zero to hero in one season

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Not many places on the north coast. Kinlochbervie is excellent though - the last stop before the north coast. The season is coming to an end soon and there's an increasing chance of some very grumpy weather, so you want to be somewhere safe. The harbours don't get any safer in that part of the world than KLB as it's known. They will find you room. Plenty of places to explore from there as well - Laxford, Badcall, Handa, Lochs Coul/Dubh.

Highland harbours do a good deal, but there are not many places to use the roving ticket at. Basically it's Gairloch (including moorings), Lochinver and KLB.

 

[steve yates]

no advice I am afraid

but bloodygoodonya

zero to hero in one season

Ha I very much doubt that's, managed to lose most of a front tooth by holding the furling line in my teeth sorting out a jam in a squall yesterday, nearly went in the drink retrieving a main sheet block that came free and ended up on the end of the boom, on a run, and lost my Horseshoe bout from the attentions of an overly amorous dinghy!
Didn't really feel like I was in control yesterday

On a brighter note Angus, I got the months pass, £66, and it can be used round the northern harbours too, Thurso, wick, Helmsdale etc, so that could end up really good value, specially if I leave it somewhere for a week or so.

 

[EdWingfield]

Altho not North coast, Wick is close enough, and connected to public transport.

 

[Even Chance]

Im local. Theres nowhere really on the North Coast to leave a boat.
Scrabster (Thurso) has a new marina with links to the South. If you carry on through the Pentland Firth, Wick also has a fine marina and excellent links. These are your best bets. Any questions, just ask.

Wick and Scrabster arent owned by Highland Council, so the pass is useless for here. Helmsdale is Council owned though.

 

[jamie N]

Scrabster was fairly pricey for my Folkboat at £20 for a night. They're very much a commercial port aren't they, and 'Yotties' a tolerable nuisance to them, was the impression I gained. KLB is terrific though, and couldn't have been more welcoming, nor safe. Reasonable transport to Inverness also. Wick's great also, good social stuff and links from it to the world!

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Wick and Scrabster arent owned by Highland Council, so the pass is useless for here. Helmsdale is Council owned though.

That's my understanding too. Linda, who takes the money & does the admin in the office in Lochinver, is lovely & will stick a couple more days on a month's pass if you look bedraggled & all sorry for yourself because of bad weather

 

[Even Chance]

Scrabster was fairly pricey for my Folkboat at £20 for a night. They're very much a commercial port aren't they, and 'Yotties' a tolerable nuisance to them, was the impression I gained. KLB is terrific though, and couldn't have been more welcoming, nor safe. Reasonable transport to Inverness also. Wick's great also, good social stuff and links from it to the world!

Thats pretty much right aye. The new marina is a lot better that the quay wall yachts had to use before, but its still very much a commercial harbour alright.
Wick is now a proper leisure marina, with full facilities and friendly helpful service. Folk regularly leave boats there and head back South for a few weeks. Theres an airport, train and bus links to everywhere thats needed, all within walking distance. (And we have the Old Pulteney Distillery!) ;-)

 

[Even Chance]

That's my understanding too. Linda, who takes the money & does the admin in the office in Lochinver, is lovely & will stick a couple more days on a month's pass if you look bedraggled & all sorry for yourself because of bad weather

Ive never used the pass myself, as I mainly day-sail or stay on the hook for free if possible. Its a great idea though. Things up here arent all regimental, theres always a bit of leeway on everything, as youve seen with the extra days if needed.

 

[Quandary]

That's my understanding too. Linda, who takes the money & does the admin in the office in Lochinver, is lovely & will stick a couple more days on a month's pass if you look bedraggled & all sorry for yourself because of bad weather

I was so impressed with Linda and her customer service skills that I sent an email to Highland Council commending her, and the people she works with, they sent a reply saying 'We know'. but that is not to suggest that it is not worth doing if your experience is similar.

 

[steve yates]

Ok, had no wind at all today so only got as far aultbea, so won't be going round this trip as I need to head back to car sat. Needed to be in lochinver tonight to have any chance, but I can't spend that long with an outboard roaring in my ears.
Quite happy with the decision, as I have neither charts not pilot book for cape wrath onward, I would have winged it with my iPhone, but happier with paper stuff to hand. I'm going to get full use of my highland pass now , the landscape up here from the sea is just utterly phenomenal, I have no issues taking a bit longer, and then in Sep, if the weather gods will it, I have a full week to cross round, make a visit to Orkney, and end up in wick, and if they don't, then who cares, I can work back south and explore more as there is just soooo much up here, or just cruise around here and leave her in lochinver for a bit.
I am back from the 9th Sep or so for a week, then again a couple of days after my pass runs out.
The wind and weather will dictate what happens tween now and end of sep, but I will order the charts and Orkney pilot soon as I get home from this trip
Thx all, ( and yes your right about Thurso, it's not in the pass)
Dylan, I don't think you will ever get to finish your ktl

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Ok, had no wind at all today so only got as far aultbea, so won't be going round this trip as I need to head back to car sat. Needed to be in lochinver tonight to have any chance, but I can't spend that long with an outboard roaring in my ears.
Quite happy with the decision, as I have neither charts not pilot book for cape wrath onward, I would have winged it with my iPhone, but happier with paper stuff to hand. I'm going to get full use of my highland pass now , the landscape up here from the sea is just utterly phenomenal, I have no issues taking a bit longer, and then in Sep, if the weather gods will it, I have a full week to cross round, make a visit to Orkney, and end up in wick, and if they don't, then who cares, I can work back south and explore more as there is just soooo much up here, or just cruise around here and leave her in lochinver for a bit.
I am back from the 9th Sep or so for a week, then again a couple of days after my pass runs out.
The wind and weather will dictate what happens tween now and end of sep, but I will order the charts and Orkney pilot soon as I get home from this trip
Thx all, ( and yes your right about Thurso, it's not in the pass)
Dylan, I don't think you will ever get to finish your ktl

If you leave your boat in Lochinver see if you can wangle a berth on the landward side of the pontoon that's parallel to the shore. That's the most sheltered bit. Some of the others can get a bit of a battering in a northerly gale.

 

[dylanwinter]

)
Dylan, I don't think you will ever get to finish your ktl

only ill health or ill wealth will stop me

I have actually completed the loop in various different boats

the idea is really to see the UK rather than merely sail around it

D

 

[steve yates]

aye, thats what i meant, your poking into every crevice and cranny, and properly exploring. Its a fab idea, but its one thing on the south and east coasts, i just don't think you can possibly live long enough to do the nw and w coast of scotland the same way. It's bloody vast! But what a way to spend your life!

 

[steve yates]

Thx all, I've left her in klb,
It's seems almost impossible to find a list of harbours managed by highland council, they do list the bigger six, but just mention numerous other smaller ports, piers and jetties
Though thinking about it, once I get a pilot guide, it will probably mention who runs each one.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Thx all, I've left her in klb,
It's seems almost impossible to find a list of harbours managed by highland council, they do list the bigger six, but just mention numerous other smaller ports, piers and jetties
Though thinking about it, once I get a pilot guide, it will probably mention who runs each one.

If you are in Lochinver again you could visit the Highland harbours HQ and ask directly. It's in the building opposite the HM's office attached to the Culag hotel. Although there are numerous small harbours only the main ones have a HM, meaning there will be noone to pay at any of the others, like Kylesku for example.

 

[steve yates]

Thx angus, I should have thought of that when I went in last week, I might rinf em after the long weekend.

 

[MM5AHO]

Don't rely on a phone for navigation up there. There's long distance between any signal let alone one with bandwidth.