Clyde with kids

[roblpm]

My Parker 275 is at Port Edgar in Edinburgh. Contrary to all expectations my wife came sailing at the weekend, and has given us the all clear for a summer sailing holiday on the Clyde in 2015. So having thought it would never happen I am now over excited about taking the boat across the canal and parking in am incredibly expensive marina for about 6 weeks in July / Aug next year.

I have 2 kids who will be 12 and 13 next year.

The key to success will be passages under 10 miles, great weather and an objective most days. Oh and a nice marina shower at the end of the day!

Hiring bikes on cumbrae looks good. Need some suggestions for castles, swimming pools etc?

Needs to be a holiday with a bit of sailing rather than a sailing holiday!!!!

Cheers

Rob

 

[roblpm]

Didn't quite make that clear, obviously the holiday is not going to be 6 weeks. Plan is to leave the boat over there and go for weekends with family or mates but hopefully do a whole week with the family.

Quickest from Edinburgh with decent access to the Clyde are Kip and Largs. Unbelievably expensive for 6 weeks but worth it if it works out!!

 

[JumbleDuck]

If your plan is to do six or seven weekends, it'll possibly get a bit boring to use the same marina for the whole time ... ten mile sails from either Kip or Largs don't leave you many destinations open. There are public transport links back to Edinburgh from, well, just about everywhere, so you could leave the boat successively in, say Largs, Port Bannatyne, Portavadie, Tarbert and then with a decent westerly straight back to Largs again.

If you do want a fixed base, I'd suggest thinking about Port Bannatyne too. £42 per metre per month compared to £55 at Largs, though of course the ferry fares have to be factored in. Wemyss Bay is an hour and a half by car from Edinburgh. Port Bannatyne gives you a lot more interesting short-haul destinations than the mainland marinas.

 

[roblpm]

Yes good thinking, sounds like fun! A week in each place! A logistical challenge but I do like public transport challenges! For the week with the family we need a short drive, the most luxurious marina to start and finish in and plenty of things to do!

 

[roblpm]

Ps, without the kids and wife the range increases to 30-40 miles! Me and my mates can handle a bit more!!!!

 

[JumbleDuck]

Yes good thinking, sounds like fun! A week in each place! A logistical challenge but I do like public transport challenges! For the week with the family we need a short drive, the most luxurious marina to start and finish in and plenty of things to do!

Things for kids: Carrick Castle (castle), Lochgoilhead (swimming pool), Millport (everything), Rothesay (castle and swimming pool), Port Bannatyne (open top bus to beaches at Ettrick Bay and Scalpsie), Lochranza (yet another castle), Brodick (outdoor museum), Inverary (jail, oh god it's another castle, maritime museum if it hasn't closed, Auchendrain township museum by bus), Ardrishaig (swimming pool at Lochgilphead). Plus lots I don't know about and lots of places to explore.

 

[ionbard]

Don't discount Rhu, either - possibly the easiest by public transport as theres a direct train Edinburgh - Helensburgh (or drive via Stirling-Balloch-H'burgh is often faster than M8, especially at rush hour). Equally there's the James Watt Dock (Greenock). Both are (I'm fairly certain) cheaper than Kip/ Largs etc. And lots of short sails/ interesting objectives around the estuary and up Loch Long. Having said that I'd think seriously about using either Rhu or JWD for the whole 6 weeks if I could help it; OK if you live there for convenience, but the Toward-Cloch-Gareloch legs can become repetitive after a while (although often some great flat water sailing to compensate, once you're back upriver of Cloch).

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Things for kids: Carrick Castle (castle), Lochgoilhead (swimming pool), Millport (everything), Rothesay (castle and swimming pool), Port Bannatyne (open top bus to beaches at Ettrick Bay and Scalpsie), Lochranza (yet another castle), Brodick (outdoor museum), Inverary (jail, oh god it's another castle, maritime museum if it hasn't closed, Auchendrain township museum by bus), Ardrishaig (swimming pool at Lochgilphead). Plus lots I don't know about and lots of places to explore.

Last time I was there, Carrick Castle wasn't open to the public; it appears to be in private ownership. But it's a very nice anchorage right next to the castle.

Mount Stewart on Bute (bus ride from Rothesay), or the Benmore Botanic Gardens (bus ride from Holy Loch Marina) would be good. I first visited the latter when I was a child, and I still remember being awe-struck by the avenue of giant redwoods! They've got a metre or two higher since then...

I haven't been there but what about the maritime museum at Irvine?

 

[YachtAllegro]

Just a thought. If you're trying to get the family keen on the idea of holidaying on the boat then I quite understand your attempts to make it a "holiday with a bit of sailing rather than a sailing holiday". But there is a risk, it seems to me, of trying to do things that are too much the same as you'd do on a land-based holiday, which is that you leave everyone wondering what the point of doing it by boat was! Worse, the boat could actually be perceived as an obstacle, so you end up doing what you'd do on any other holiday but with the downside of accomodation which wobbles about, is quite cramped and needs a wet dinghy ride to get to and from.

Everyone sailing with kids needs the odd swimming pool / castle / museum up their sleeve, particularly for when it rains. But can I add a plea to make sure you do some of those things which can only be done by boat - anchoring somewhere quiet for lunch and letting the kids mess around in the dinghy, visiting empty beaches which you can't easily get to by land, going ashore and exploring deserted islands, fishing for mackerel, etc etc... We've been sailing with our kids since they were tiny. They're now 12, 10 and 6 and the things they remember and that, so far, have kept them asking "when can we go to the boat again?" are the sort of things I've listed above, not the visits to attractions that, frankly, would have been easier to visit by car.

Oh, though having said that, I'm afraid I don't have any specific recommendations for where to go for those things in the Firth of Clyde. But feel free to give me a shout if you ever come to the other end of the Crinan Canal!

Cheers
Patrick

 

[MM5AHO]

+1 for doing more sailing, and marine activity.
There are a few places to stop in Kyles of Bute, Loch Long, Loch Goil, Loch Fyne, with small beaches that you can stop at, swim (Brrr), fish, explore the sand etc.
Playing cat and mouse with the Police Launches in Loch Long and Gairloch can be fun, but kids like seeing huge submarines. (but they might not be there in 2015???)

Some of the smaller marinas can be fun. For example Girvan. Though these are not "luxurious".
Enjoy.

 

[Searush]

Go to Caladh harbour & let them loose in the dinghy. Use the boat as you might a car to go to interesting places & the journey becomes part of the fun. Get them involved in spotting landmarks & relating them to the chart. Show them how the sails work & get them to trim them for you. Get them wetsuits from Aldi (20 quid this week) and let them swim.

 

[DannyB]

Don't forget the wildlife, loads of porpoise, occasional basking shark, etc.etc

 

[JumbleDuck]

Last time I was there, Carrick Castle wasn't open to the public; it appears to be in private ownership. But it's a very nice anchorage right next to the castle.

Indeed. I should have said that it's a castle for looking at, not visiting.

Mount Stewart on Bute (bus ride from Rothesay), or the Benmore Botanic Gardens (bus ride from Holy Loch Marina) would be good.

I'm not sure that many teenagers would go for vastly overblown and ostentatious places like Mount Stewart, though it's certainly fun as a horrifying laugh for adults. There is a good playground there, though, and the new people in the café have a good reputation so yes, overall, it goes on the list. The open top bus stops there too.

I haven't been there but what about the maritime museum at Irvine?

Good one - I should have remembered. I think Irvine is a bit tricky by sea, but the bus there stops outside the entrance to Largs Marina and it's a great rainy day trip. Been there, done that!

 

[roblpm]

Thanks guys, all great suggestions. I think there will be plenty of time for fishing, dinghies, beaches, wildlife as well.

It's the wife that really needs all the stuff I mentioned in the op, not the kids!!!

 

[rhumlady]

Meeting other kids on boats. My two had a number of pals that they would cross paths with at different times during the summer. We often ended up with other kids on board for a leg or on our own because they were away on a bigger boat

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I'm not sure that many teenagers would go for vastly overblown and ostentatious places like Mount Stewart, though it's certainly fun as a horrifying laugh for adults. There is a good playground there, though, and the new people in the café have a good reputation so yes, overall, it goes on the list. The open top bus stops there too.

I suppose you get them to think of Hogwarts; the hall wouldn't look out of place on the set of the Harry Potter movies!

And the parents can have a bit of amusement from the marital affairs of the Victorian residents; it seemed to be perm any 2 out of 4. along with some VERY strange beliefs!

Benmore is still good, though.

 

[Spyro]

I wouldn't consider Girvan it's miles from anywhere. Have you considered Ardrossan (Clyde Marina) cheaper than largs or Kip. Train station right at the marina it's close to Brodick and Lamlash on Arran I would definitely go there for a few days if the forecast is good. Spend a day climbing Goatfel. Visit the Castle and gardens. There are pools at the Auchrannie hotel which are open to the public. Tennis courts, putting, crazy golf, nice beach, there is a distillery and brewery on Arran with visitor centres. Brodick has free moorings.
Take a trip up loch Fyne visit Tarbert, your wife will love Portavadie Marina.

 

[ShinyShoe]

Dolphin at ardlamont point...

He's pretty reliable to pop up... Gotta be a winner with the family.

 

[LadyJ]

Just a thought. If you're trying to get the family keen on the idea of holidaying on the boat then I quite understand your attempts to make it a "holiday with a bit of sailing rather than a sailing holiday". But there is a risk, it seems to me, of trying to do things that are too much the same as you'd do on a land-based holiday, which is that you leave everyone wondering what the point of doing it by boat was! Worse, the boat could actually be perceived as an obstacle, so you end up doing what you'd do on any other holiday but with the downside of accomodation which wobbles about, is quite cramped and needs a wet dinghy ride to get to and from.

Everyone sailing with kids needs the odd swimming pool / castle / museum up their sleeve, particularly for when it rains. But can I add a plea to make sure you do some of those things which can only be done by boat - anchoring somewhere quiet for lunch and letting the kids mess around in the dinghy, visiting empty beaches which you can't easily get to by land, going ashore and exploring deserted islands, fishing for mackerel, etc etc... We've been sailing with our kids since they were tiny. They're now 12, 10 and 6 and the things they remember and that, so far, have kept them asking "when can we go to the boat again?" are the sort of things I've listed above, not the visits to attractions that, frankly, would have been easier to visit by car.

Oh, though having said that, I'm afraid I don't have any specific recommendations for where to go for those things in the Firth of Clyde. But feel free to give me a shout if you ever come to the other end of the Crinan Canal!

Cheers
Patrick

Older thread I know and imagine you are well on with planning. I can't agree more with the comments re making the boating the unique part. The best we have had is when the boating activities are the exciting ones rather than just the vehicle. Exploring on the dingy and swimming in the sea is great with a wet suit on. I also put down the odd lobster pot (cheap folding ones off ebay) when I'm overnighting and the kids (and adults) love the Christmas feeling of pulling the pot back up the next morning to see what you've got. Getting a cheap GoPro for underwater filming keeps the kids happy for hours and the post filming video making great fun too.
I'm based in Largs (albeit a small cruiser rather than yacht) but feel free to look me up when you come if you fancy a coffee and some fish for supper.

 

[roblpm]

Older thread I know and imagine you are well on with planning. I can't agree more with the comments re making the boating the unique part. The best we have had is when the boating activities are the exciting ones rather than just the vehicle. Exploring on the dingy and swimming in the sea is great with a wet suit on. I also put down the odd lobster pot (cheap folding ones off ebay) when I'm overnighting and the kids (and adults) love the Christmas feeling of pulling the pot back up the next morning to see what you've got. Getting a cheap GoPro for underwater filming keeps the kids happy for hours and the post filming video making great fun too.
I'm based in Largs (albeit a small cruiser rather than yacht) but feel free to look me up when you come if you fancy a coffee and some fish for supper.

Well thanks for the offer but its not happening this year!! Life has intervened. Too many other things on. So racing on a Wednesday night will be the dominant sailing activity this summer i fear!!