Cruising South West Scotland

[CPD]

I am planning for next year an extended cruising holiday (as yet undetermined length - 4/6 weeks ?) which will involve cruising south west Scotland. For those who have been - what are the do/don't destinations ?. Furthest north possibly Rum .......

 

[AngusMcDoon]

The wooded estuaries of Galloway are good. You can stay afloat in Kirkcudbright & it's a pretty river & town. Easy day sail from IoM.

Luce Bay you will have to yourself. No-one goes there & no useful harbours. Good anchorage just inside Mull of Galloway though sheltered from many directions.

Stranraer always gets run down but it's ok. Good access to a supermarket in town.

Not much on Ayrshire coast until you get near the Clyde.

Clyde all good, especially if the weather is poor. You can get right up into Glasgow, or spend 2 weeks exploring all the long lochs. Arran is scenic & there are many moorings around its coast.

Islay & Jura great. Get to the west of Jura if you can. The raised beaches are spectacular. West of Islay scary. There be dragons.

From the top of Jura up to Oban it's all great but can get busy (Scottish busy, not Solent busy). Top end of Lismore is beautiful. You can carry on up to Glencoe if you fit under the bridge. Carrying on up towards Fort William a bit dull though.

Sound of Mull is a sheltered motorway. The other side of Mull is beautiful if the weather is good. Up one side & down the other is a good plan.

If the weather is pants in Tobermorey there are inland locks to explore.

Ardnamurchan Point isn't as bad as it's made out to be & then you have the Small Isles of which Rum is the most interesting.

You can't really go wrong anywhere in this area. It's where both God & Princess Anne go sailing. I met one of those 2 a few years back in Lochaline.

The best time of year weather wise here is mid May to the end of June. It all goes downhill after that & August is usually dismal & windy.

 

[jamie N]

Level with Rum, but further West of course is Canna, which either appeals or doesn't, as well as the South end of the Western Isles, where God does go, judging by the scenery.
From Castlebay on Barra, it's a days easy run up the Hebs from decent marina to marina, all of the way up to Stornoway.
The risk is that it's all very (very) weather dependent, I'd say more so than most other areas.

 

[steveeasy]

Avoid white sand bay north of Ardnarmuckan point. Not one of my fav Anchorages now.

Steveeasy

 

[Mataji]

McDoon knows what he’s talking about. Take his advice.

 

[NormanS]

Avoid white sand bay north of Ardnarmuckan point. Not one of my fav Anchorages now.

Steveeasy

If you spell it like that, I'm not surprised that it bit you in the bum.

 

[steveeasy]

Oh it did, all part of the fun.
Steveeasy

 

[QBhoy]

I am planning for next year an extended cruising holiday (as yet undetermined length - 4/6 weeks ?) which will involve cruising south west Scotland. For those who have been - what are the do/don't destinations ?. Furthest north possibly Rum .......

Do check the weather and expect the worse, going around the mull of kintyre. Couldn’t believe how things can change from perfectly calm to rather nasty going around there. Plan journeys with the tides I’d say too. Some sailing or displacement cruisers can end up at or near a stand still in a number of places otherwise. A couple of places, you’ll be losing ground even. But there just isn’t anywhere nicer on the planet, should the weather play ball. Best of luck !

 

[dunedin]

Buy the superb Clyde Cruising Club directions now - or make an essential for Christmas presents - and download Antares Charts. Then study these over the winter to make a shortlist of places you really want to go to.

BUT then be flexible and go with the weather. For example, you mention Rum which is very impressive scenery, and good anchorage in a Westerly - but entirely open to the East. Canna further west very different in character, and good wave shelter except in NE. Nearby Mallaig a useful stopover for supplies, but not in a Northerly gale. So have a longer list and visit those that suit on the day. Enjoy.

 

[Alicatt]

Have a check of Donny Wilcox's videos on youtube, while not a sailboat he does go round the islands with a small RIB, some very interesting places the wife and I want to visit once we get a boat.
https://www.youtube.com/@donnywilcox

 

[Kelpie]

Buy the superb Clyde Cruising Club directions now - or make an essential for Christmas presents - and download Antares Charts. Then study these over the winter to make a shortlist of places you really want to go to.

BUT then be flexible and go with the weather. For example, you mention Rum which is very impressive scenery, and good anchorage in a Westerly - but entirely open to the East. Canna further west very different in character, and good wave shelter except in NE. Nearby Mallaig a useful stopover for supplies, but not in a Northerly gale. So have a longer list and visit those that suit on the day. Enjoy.

And add Hamish Haswell Smith to that reading list.

 

[stearman65]

Avoid Craobh marina, charges are astronomical, Visit the Victorian toilets at Rothesay, you will be amazed.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Avoid Craobh marina, charges are astronomical, Visit the Victorian toilets at Rothesay, you will be amazed.

About the same as Ardfern, less than Largs, a lot less than Oban, and a whole bunch less than what unfortunate punters darn sarf in the busy bit of the country have to pay.

 

[dunedin]

Avoid Craobh marina, charges are astronomical, Visit the Victorian toilets at Rothesay, you will be amazed.

Your priorities are somewhat different from mine - though I personally prefer Ardfern, Craobh is a great marina in a stunning cruising location.
I prefer that to visiting an old ####house - particularly as Rothesay is/was a nice location but badly spoiled by noise of people driving round and round in their cars incessantly, and ferry wash. Also some works on the shoreline just E of the entrance 10-12 years ago resulted in much worse waves coming into the outer harbour in any wind with a northerly to it.

 

[earlybird]

For p&q on Bute, Port Bannatyne is better than the fleshpots of Rothesay, just a 'bus ride apart, or a good walk.
The inner basin at Rothesay is very sheltered, but cramped. Last time I was in the outer harbour, the pontoons were quite decrepit, hope they've renovated them.
On a separate note, cruising the SW of Scotland along the Solway coast is very different from the west coast proper. Harbour access is very restricted by tides and they mostly dry. As a cruising ground, this area seems to have fallen out of favour in the last few years.

 

[steveeasy]

ARDNAMURCHAN!! ill try harder next time. Really dont mind a bit of leg pulling about my Grammer. never been a strong point of mine. In my defense, At 40 I still managed to get a Degree in Geography and Environmental science at Stirling Uni 25 years ago.

Ive been on the west Coast all this year, at first paining to return to the Solent. With some trepidation on a new boat, ive had a great season and and been to some wonderful places Id dreamt of sailing too when I spent several weeks on the small Islands many years ago. Craobh is stunning and makes a good port of refuge!!.
In hindsight id probably not recommend going around Ardnamurchan in 30-35 knts of wind. However the sailing was utterly fabulous, Twas a bit like riding a horse when everything comes together. The best sailing ive ever had. Shame those rocks got in the way!!. Ill not be returning to Lake Solent for a couple of years yet, if indeed ever, as the west coast is utterly breathtaking and far to much to explore.

Steveeasy

 

[CPD]

Thanks all - great information …..

 

[ctva]

As mentioned above, use Antares charts and the CCC pilots then just go with the wind, tides and weather each day.
We’re still finding places and have been in the area for 20 odd years.

 

[mattonthesea]

And add Hamish Haswell Smith to that reading list.

But don't read Martin Lawrence; he'll make you scared to venture to the cockpit!

 

[ylop]

The best time of year weather wise here is mid May to the end of June. It all goes downhill after that & August is usually dismal & windy.

McDoom’s advice is probably correct from a climatology perspective but you need to be flexible enough to change your plans with 24 hrs notice whilst looking 10 days ahead to have best guess what will happen. Certainly July and august will be busier that May and June too which may affect your plans. If becalmed ashore you need to consider the midges, especially if you want to go wandering up hills, or in forests etc. they are worst from early June to end aug. Putting all those factors together exploring the NW then the Clyde is probably better (more shelter, fewer midges) BUT whilst the Clyde is amazing compared to most places, it might feel a little anticlimactic after W side of Jura, south side of mull etc!

Avoid Craobh marina, charges are astronomical, Visit the Victorian toilets at Rothesay, you will be amazed.

My recollection was that Rothesay berthing fee was roughly comparable to Croabh, but came with some ornate public toilets which whilst interesting for 30secs were in need of a good clean, and im told the ladies were nothing special - just looked like -1970s toilets. In contrast Croabh was the Formica finish you would expect on a marina and clearly clean and looked after. Rothesay itself was once a jewel in the clyde - a place people flocked to on holiday, it’s now a bit of a carbuncle.

The inner basin at Rothesay is very sheltered, but cramped. Last time I was in the outer harbour, the pontoons were quite decrepit, hope they've renovated them.

They have been replaced. Reopened in spring this year.