Campbeltown Visit

[Tex]

Planning a first visit to Campbeltown next week.
Can I expect to get a spot alongside the pontoon?
Is there anything to be wary of, other than what's in the Clyde Cruising pilot ?

 

[Spyro]

Planning a first visit to Campbeltown next week.
Can I expect to get a spot alongside the pontoon?
Is there anything to be wary of, other than what's in the Clyde Cruising pilot ?

Just the locals

 

[iain789]

Is there anything to be wary of, other than what's in the Clyde Cruising pilot ?

Yes - the local yobs, especially at pub chucking out time. They've all got six fingers and love racing their hot hatches up and down the main road all night. Plus they get extra points for yachties.

At this time of year you should get on the pontoon no bother.

 

[iain789]

Just the locals

Snap!

 

[Forbsie]

Also be aware that around the loch, the price of the whisky is grim!

 

[BigJoe]

Just the locals

What’s wrong with the locals................................

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[saltwater_gypsy]

You should go there during the "Wild West Week". The locals then get dressed up to get drunk.

 

[Gwylan]

As opposed to just getting drunk?

 

[BigJoe]

Planning a first visit to Campbeltown next week.
Can I expect to get a spot alongside the pontoon?
Is there anything to be wary of, other than what's in the Clyde Cruising pilot ?

Campbeltown will be fairly quiet this early in the season, and you should bet a berth alongside the pontoon, without any problems.

The only thing I would be wary of is………… paranoid yachts men.

 

[thedoc]

depth

At low water there is only a small area of good depth to the starboard side of the pontoon (as approached form seaward), an attempted 360 turn had me on the mud (nice soft stuff). There seems to be better depth and more room on the port side.

 

[fmoran]

Best avoided - wash, noise, rafting, and pretty unpleasant. Anchor off the sailing club side in about 8m and enjoy the place if you need to go in at all. Alternatives are Carridale SOUTH bay, or the war memorial just after the enterance.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

enjoy the place if you need to go in at all.

That's a laugh which is more than Campbelltown is. One of the most depressing places I've ever sailed into. Gives you an insight into why people like Broon are what they are.

 

[Ludd]

Makes me wonder sometimes what kind of people go sailing!

Grumble about locals ,grumble because they can't stay off the putty,grumble about rafting up-------never had a problem in Campbeltown.

Yarmouth, Isle of WIGHT now,that's another story. Full o drunken yobs (off the Solent saily boats) ,grumbling about rafting up, grumbling about everything really.
You go and enjoy Campbeltown,might see you there.At least there shouldn't be any moaners this time of year---they're all ashore moaning about the weather!

 

[mattonthesea]

Planning a first visit to Campbeltown next week.
Can I expect to get a spot alongside the pontoon?
Is there anything to be wary of, other than what's in the Clyde Cruising pilot ?

Tex

are you getting the message

Of two weeks cruising around the Firth of Clyde, round and up the North Channel, Islay, Jura and Mull I would gladly visit all of them again - except one!!! Have to say tho' that the yotties and harbour master were very helpful.

If you want to highten your enjoyment of this truly delightful place then you must visit the memorial to Linda MCartney. It exudes the beauty of a Venetian reneasance sculpture with the light of the Scottish highlands and...no sorry I can't keep a straight face anymore!

 

[Quandary]

Lots of the usual snobby 'yachty' rubbish above, its surprising that they allow visiting yachts in at all. It an isolated town over 3hrs. from Glasgowand the locals are farmers or fishermen and the rest build wind turbines (hardly anyone distils there now) The local kids are into cars and tend to meet at the end of the pier in the evening. But if you try being pleasant even if you are dressed up as a yachty most everyone is friendly, drunk or sober.
There is a good swimming pool, a museum, a historic cinema and the Ardshiel has a great bar and does good food. You are discouraged from rafting up more than two deep on the pier side of the pontoon so as not to obstruct the lifeboat but there is always space even in July. The yellow buoys are private moorings, they all look the same because they were recently moved by Scottish Water.

 

[aslabend]

We had a great night out playing pool with the locals when we visited, Thought they were really friendly. That was a couple of years ago but I doubt it's changed that much?

 

[BigJoe]

Just hope that the Quintessential snobby yachtys don’t rely the local’s.......................................
Crewing the lifeboat to pull them off the rocks one night, if they did that would be unfortunate.

 

[SkerryMerry]

Lots of the usual snobby 'yachty' rubbish above, its surprising that they allow visiting yachts in at all. It an isolated town over 3hrs. from Glasgowand the locals are farmers or fishermen and the rest build wind turbines (hardly anyone distils there now) The local kids are into cars and tend to meet at the end of the pier in the evening. But if you try being pleasant even if you are dressed up as a yachty most everyone is friendly, drunk or sober.

Well said! It is a friendly and interesting town; the interest is there for those who seek it.

 

[Clyde_Wanderer]

We were holed up there for three nights 2 seasons ago due to storm.
The locals were friendlier than the englander who ran the music shop, mind you he dident like my joke that " the best Bodhran is made with the skin of an englishman and played with his shin bone"
The kareoke was full of tallant and the main street was patrolled constantly by the local sheriff. (in a squad car)
I almost got nicked for dropping a cigy end on the ground outside a pub, it was picked up on cctv.
Dont be fooled into thinking that you will be sheltered from a southerly once you turn up Ct loch, expect squalls, and use lee cloths while sleeping out a strong southerly, especially if along side the sb side of the pontoon.

 

[Ubergeekian]

Well said! It is a friendly and interesting town; the interest is there for those who seek it.

It's got an interesting history. It was built by the Duke of Argyll to house the workers for his new coal mines at Machrihanish, and to get suitably experienced workers he recruited them in Ayrshire. In appearance, accent and culture, Campbeltown is still effectively an Ayrshire town clinging on to the south of Kintyre.