Circumnavigation of Britain: Clockwise or counter clockwise?

[sailingjoy]

hi sailingjoy,ive been around 6 times the long way in sailing boat 5times rib 1time.in april/may and sept/oct anti clocks wise 5 times.the wind will b what it will b,b flexible. thou most of the advise you are getting is good.the south west coast of uk and the scilles are as good as anywhere in uk as is ireland and rathlin island.my sailing trips have allways been within 6 weeks my best with 33 stops my worst 19(thou i must admit to not giving the east coast much of my time)2000 miles iish the long way 50 miles aday get some long legs in to build in some storm bound days then slow down(i use between 3 to 5 days in reserve.then you can decide where is best and return for another trip!!

Hi Karl (rib), you've got experience!
We've been to the Scillies this year and I have done the West and South coast of Ireland a couple of years ago. Both are beautiful and I will certainly go there again! Just like you I like to do a few long legs in the beginning and then do the second part as slowly as time allows

 

[sailingjoy]

Loch Scavaig in itself justfies the voyage, even if there was no other point of interest between it and our Low Countries. Ever since I stood on its shore for the first time, now over 30 years ago, I have dreamt of anchoring there under the Cuillins. The practicalities of life have not made it possible yet, but I'm confident I'll get there eventually.

I will make sure that's on the list!

 

[sailingjoy]

Some (more) pics to whet your appetite:

See much more fun than a circumnavigation of Britain, a circumnavigation of the top half of Scotland

There are 10 pages of hints and tips about cruising Scotland in the May 2011 issue of Yachting Monthly - on zinio

You have to stop sending this photo's! I can't handle it that I have to wait another 6 month ;-)

No, just kidding, keep them coming...

 

[sailingjoy]

Some (more) pics to whet your appetite:

Orkney:
Stromness
(.....)
See much more fun than a circumnavigation of Britain, a circumnavigation of the top half of Scotland

There are 10 pages of hints and tips about cruising Scotland in the May 2011 issue of Yachting Monthly - on zinio

Hi Snooks,
Only now I took the time to look up the article, wow, that's exactly what I need! I had already read it in May, and the title had made us very jealous (“How to stop work and go cruising”) but by then we had not planned to go to Scotland yet. And I didn’t know you wrote it.
It turns out we are going to make the same loop you made around Scotland, only you came from the West and we will be coming from the East, which happens to be a bit shorter.
A question about the pilot books I will need:
I already have Sam Steele’s book, I recently bought The Scottish Islands by Hamish Haswell-Smith (not really a pilot book), I ordered Cruising Scotland - The Clyde To Cape Wrath – A companion to the Clyde Cruising Club Sailing Directions, and I will buy the Imray Pilots. Do I then still need the CCC pilots?

 

[ukmctc]

I live in The Netherlands and I am planning to do a small circumnavigation of Britain (through the Irish Sea and the Caledonian Canal) in june/july/august 2012. There will be two of us, and I’ve got 8 or 9 weeks. That should be long enough, shouldn’t it?
One thing I haven’t decided yet: Do I go clockwise or counter clockwise? I would like to hear from practice: What are your experiences, what are the advantages of the one or the other?
Jan Jaap

makes no difference really except the east coast is sparce and nothing much to see. I have just done the east side to shetland and down the west, I'm stopping in NI for the winter. lots more to see on the west coast. for you short holiday, I'd do east to west so you can enjoy the west more and take the time to enjoy it.
You have the time to do it all the way round, including a visit to the caley canal, miss the crinan as its not worth the price unless the weather is bad.

 

[snooks]

Do I then still need the CCC pilots?

We bought both sets of guides, the further north you are the more the CCC guides come into their own. The Imray guides have more photographs and proper charts, but the CCC cover all the nooks and crannies with what look to to be hand drawn charts.

If you can afford both, get both and sell them on EBay afterwards (or buy them on EBay to start with) if you can only get one, then the CCC guides have the edge on the information of not the presentation.

 

[sailingjoy]

makes no difference really except the east coast is sparce and nothing much to see. I have just done the east side to shetland and down the west, I'm stopping in NI for the winter. lots more to see on the west coast. for you short holiday, I'd do east to west so you can enjoy the west more and take the time to enjoy it.
You have the time to do it all the way round, including a visit to the caley canal, miss the crinan as its not worth the price unless the weather is bad.

Hi ukmctc, in the meantime I have changed my mind, we will only make a clockwise circumnavigation of the northern part of Scotland: from Holland to Inverness, through the Caley, then the Hebrides, Orkney and back home along the East coast. We plan to spend the most time in the Northwest, with a visit to St. Kilda if at all possible.
I know the East coast is spance, but you have just done it, what would be your recommended anchorages there (North of Lowestoft)?

BTW: I see you have a lot of “green power” on your boat (a Moody?): 2 wind generators and 3 solar panels! You say you are a free spirit, I guess that makes you free from shore power and from the need to run your engine to generate power. I've got one Air Breeze for the same reason but not with as much output as you will probably have.

 

[sailingjoy]

We bought both sets of guides, the further north you are the more the CCC guides come into their own. The Imray guides have more photographs and proper charts, but the CCC cover all the nooks and crannies with what look to to be hand drawn charts.

If you can afford both, get both and sell them on EBay afterwards (or buy them on EBay to start with) if you can only get one, then the CCC guides have the edge on the information of not the presentation.

Your CCC set wouldn't be for sale then...? ;-)

 

[Fascadale]

I know the East coast is spance, but you have just done it, what would be your recommended anchorages there (North of Lowestoft)?

I came up the East Coast of England this summer.

I did Southwold (just south of Lowestoft) to Grimsby, about 100nms, then Grimsby to Hartlepool, another 100nms, then Eyemouth, 76nms. After that I turned east into the Forth. You would keep going north to Stonehaven, then Peterhead and on to Inverness.

Unfortunately these are all harbours or marinas. There are very few anchorages on the east coast.

You can anchor just inside Spurn Head at the mouth of the Humber, in by Holy Isle, even in the lee of the Isle of May in the mouth of the Forth. I'm not aware of any anchorages between the Forth and Inverness.(other than in the Tay).

Although Peterhead is a very big harbour I have only heard of one yacht anchoring there. Their engine was broken so they sailed in and anchored through the night until they got a tow into the marina.

 

[snooks]

Your CCC set wouldn't be for sale then...? ;-)

Nope, sold them at the start of the season

All the money went on engine bits though

 

[Romeo]

Orkney

Any suggestions for anchorages in the Orkneys?

I was in Orkney over the summer, but by ferry and bike rather than by sea. What I can say is if you are looking for a town and marina night, Stromness is a much more picturesque place to be than Kirkwall, but has slightly less by way of facilities.

My experience, based on one week in July, is that the summer weather can be challenging, and is often the opposite of the weather being enjoyed everywhere else in UK.

No shortage of lovely places to drop an anchor.... just look at the chart... and unlikely that you will be disturbed in your anchorage by other yachts.

ps call the archipelago "Orkney" rather than "the Orkneys" if you want to stay in with the locals.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

If you are starting from Holland, then I'd avoid a flog against the prevailing wind down channel to the Scillies, so it looks as if anti-clockwise may be more convenient.

May and the beginning of JUne often bring easterlies down channel.

 

[sailingjoy]

I was in Orkney over the summer, but by ferry and bike rather than by sea. What I can say is if you are looking for a town and marina night, Stromness is a much more picturesque place to be than Kirkwall, but has slightly less by way of facilities.

My experience, based on one week in July, is that the summer weather can be challenging, and is often the opposite of the weather being enjoyed everywhere else in UK.

No shortage of lovely places to drop an anchor.... just look at the chart... and unlikely that you will be disturbed in your anchorage by other yachts.

ps call the archipelago "Orkney" rather than "the Orkneys" if you want to stay in with the locals.

Thanks for that last tip, thats exactly what a foreigner needs.
And we will certainly try to visit Stromness, sounds good. We don't need facilities, this summer we sailed for weeks on end without a shower and it was no problem at all. Never got complaints from neigbours in the anchorages... ;-)

 

[sailingjoy]

May and the beginning of JUne often bring easterlies down channel.

Thanks for the hint but we deceided to skip the channel altogether this time and go straight to Inverness. With stops on the way if nessesary, depending on weather and fatigue.

 

[Gwylan]

+1 for West Coast of Scotland
The rest can be a bit of a slog if the weather goes off or the wind settles against you for a while.

 

[ukmctc]

Thanks for the hint but we deceided to skip the channel altogether this time and go straight to Inverness. With stops on the way if nessesary, depending on weather and fatigue.

The marinas are extremely cheap and you can buy a rover type ticket for Orkney to use any harbour, marina or mooring in the islands. westry is fantastic, castles, brochs, ancient bit n bobs.
Fair Isle is free and well worth thee 6 hour sail from westry, papa westry has fantastic anchorages and free moorings.
Shetland is fantastic, rover for moorings, harbours and marinas, loads of free anchorages.
its fair to say you can use any mooring you find for free, if anyone owns it and objects you move. We sailed there this year and had a fantastic time.
May to June is the best time for Orkney and Shetland, heading back around Cape Wrath in July and down the west coast.

 

[sailingjoy]

The marinas are extremely cheap and you can buy a rover type ticket for Orkney to use any harbour, marina or mooring in the islands. westry is fantastic, castles, brochs, ancient bit n bobs.
Fair Isle is free and well worth thee 6 hour sail from westry, papa westry has fantastic anchorages and free moorings.
Shetland is fantastic, rover for moorings, harbours and marinas, loads of free anchorages.
its fair to say you can use any mooring you find for free, if anyone owns it and objects you move. We sailed there this year and had a fantastic time.
May to June is the best time for Orkney and Shetland, heading back around Cape Wrath in July and down the west coast.

Sounds fantastic, I already feel welcome!
This rover type of ticket, do you have to buy that in advance or can you get it in the first harbout you vist?

And euhhh... what is a broch?

 

[sailingjoy]

+1 for West Coast of Scotland
The rest can be a bit of a slog if the weather goes off or the wind settles against you for a while.

Then we'll just be realists, like you motto suggests, and adjust the sails...

 

[snooks]

And euhhh... what is a broch?

Broch of Gurness

A broch is an Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure of a type found only in Scotland

 

[Scotty_Tradewind]

The Broch shown reminds me of the deserted monestry on the Skellig islands off SW Eire.

We went out by small fishing boat when swmbo was v.seasick (pre Scopoderm patches)
It was a beautiful day following a stormy week when the Atlantic swell was still coming in strong.
Well worth a trip out if you are in that area. There are many of the buildings still in tact due to the fact that they are so remote some 6-8 miles offshore.