Essex to Cumbria best way

[RMA]

If you get the tide right you should be able to get from the Crouch to Lowestoft in one day – its about 70 miles and usually takes me about 10 hours.

The next bit is the longest. I didn’t want to go out of my way into the Wash and didn’t fancy Grimsby so went direct from Lowestoft to Whitby. I logged 158 miles in 25 hours. Alternatives are Bridlington or Scarborough but they are tidal. After that there are plenty of places to stop. I did Blythe, Eyemouth, Anstruther, Stonehaaven, Whitehills, Lossiemouth and Inverness. The longest leg was Stonehaven to Whitehills which was 78 miles but other than that it was less than 60 miles a day.

Which way is best is I think really down to the weather. I have been held up in the West Country before by strong south westerlies so tend to prefer the east coast route, but then I suppose it depends how intrepid you are.

 

[icepatrol]

east coast passage

clarkey,
we did troon to the orwell via north sea last summer, would of preferred to go the west coast as the north sea is ..............yuk. seemed to me some long legs and some very uninteresting scenery. if you choose the scotish route check on price for the caledonian canal and if poss go round the mull instead of through the crinnan canal. some fab sailing along the mull if weather good.

 

[Mudisox]

Without stating the obvious, if you have plenty of time, don't think of it as a delivery trip but a chance to go to places you wish to cruise to. In years to come you'll remember the journey. You can go round Britain in approx 6 hour tidal passages and enjoy the 18hrs at anchor recovering/waiting for the next window. Colour of the water would be a factor for me.

 

[webcraft]

Grimsby

If you get the tide right you should be able to get from the Crouch to Lowestoft in one day – its about 70 miles and usually takes me about 10 hours.

The next bit is the longest. I didn’t want to go out of my way into the Wash and didn’t fancy Grimsby so went direct from Lowestoft to Whitby. I logged 158 miles in 25 hours. Alternatives are Bridlington or Scarborough but they are tidal. After that there are plenty of places to stop. I did Blythe, Eyemouth, Anstruther, Stonehaaven, Whitehills, Lossiemouth and Inverness. The longest leg was Stonehaven to Whitehills which was 78 miles but other than that it was less than 60 miles a day.

Which way is best is I think really down to the weather. I have been held up in the West Country before by strong south westerlies so tend to prefer the east coast route, but then I suppose it depends how intrepid you are.

I did this trip about ten years ago delivering a 23ft Colvic Watson (bathtub) from the Medway to Stonehaven. We went into Grimsby after midnight and got a fantastic welcome. The harbourmaster (or night bloke) came and shone a torch to help us see the entrance when we called up, we had drinks bought for us in the club, a lift to the supermarket next day etc - would highly recommend it.

- W

 

[Clarky]

Thanks for all the replies, most helpful to hear others experience,one reason to go up the east coast is that I have family in Edinburgh and can probably leave the boat near there for a couple of weeks.Also going through the Great Glen lochs as opposed to the Caledonian canal part interests me,and I would probably not do it otherwise than on this trip.

Regarding the suggestion re the Mull I would prefer to do that as I am not really into canals.

Thanks for the tip for Lowestoft in a day from the Crouch,seems like a good idea.

Re the crew enquiry,various have expresed interest,but if I am short for any legs will post nearer the time.Edinburgh to Inverness could be one with a bit less interest.

Regards,
Clarky

 

[smeaks]

check out the forth clyde cannal... will knock a good part of the journey out de mast at port edgar (chargable) but the Bowling end re step is free and passage all together is much cheaper!

 

[Clarky]

check out the forth clyde cannal... will knock a good part of the journey out de mast at port edgar (chargable) but the Bowling end re step is free and passage all together is much cheaper!

Cheers for that ,I had considered but wasnt so keen on mast stepping,the mast is 38.5 feet ,any idea re cost of that.The boat weighs 10 tons will the Falkirk wheel cope with that ?

 

[Fascadale]

You do not go on the Falkirk Wheel to get from the Forth to the Clyde. The Wheel connects the Forth and Clyde Canal to the Union Canal. The Union Canal runs from Falkirk into central Edinburgh. The Wheel is spectacular.

 

[Clarky]

Thanks for that Fascadale.

 

[Ubergeekian]

The boat weighs 10 tons will the Falkirk wheel cope with that ?

Apart from the fact that you don;t need to use the wheel - as Fascadale pointed out - it takes exactly the same power to move it with a pram dinghy or a loaded barge. Archimedes and all that!

 

[Fascadale]

Here are the skippers notes for the Forth Clyde Canal.

The notes give these dimensions

Forth & Clyde:

Lock Length: 19.2m (63ft

Width / Beam: 6.00m (19ft 8in)

Channel Depth: 1.83m (6ft)

Maximum Headroom)* 3.00m (9ft 10in)

I am told that the depth of 6 ft is a bit optimistic.

 

[smeaks]

Cheers for that ,I had considered but wasnt so keen on mast stepping,the mast is 38.5 feet ,any idea re cost of that.The boat weighs 10 tons will the Falkirk wheel cope with that ?

I took a 22 footer through a three of years ago and it was about £40 plus £50 restep at pot edgar... but those guys are the bees knees just let them go and then tweak afterwards!

 

[Clarky]

Smeaks and Fascadale ,thanks for that ,will have to give that option some serious consideration ,certainly a big time saver.
Cheers,
Clarky

 

[Bodach na mara]

"Also going through the Great Glen lochs as opposed to the Caledonian canal part interests me"

They interested me too before I went through the canal a few years ago. Unfortunately there are few places to moor up or safe places to anchor in the lochs so you tend to end up berthing at the warfes at either end of a loch. The exception was Loch Oich, where we had a memorable evening at the Well of the Seven Heads jetty. I think it was memorable anyway judging by the headache next morning!

The Forth and Clyde is one I have also thought of, but there is an issue with depth and air draft. I see Fascadale quotes six feet for the draft as possibly optimistic and when I added the requirement to stow the mast on deck above the fixed doghouse on Wight Dawn (which you can just make out in my avatar photo) and then added the depth, I got a total from bottom of keel to clearing the mast of nearly 15 feet. There are "drop locks" to get under some roads and when I watched them being built I wondered what the total clearance fron bottom to bridge was. I still wonder, but the canal authorities can probably advise. I do know that it was reported that one boat had a problem at a bridge in Kirkintilloce and they lowered tha level of the water in the reach to get it through. That solution may give a problem with the odd shopping trolley however.

Finally Workington? I did not think anyone berthed there on a permanent basis. I did see a Westerly 31 like mine there one day, but I later saw it in Maryport, so I think he had been caught out by the tide or something.

 

[earlybird]

[QUOTE Finally Workington? I did not think anyone berthed there on a permanent basis. I did see a Westerly 31 like mine there one day, but I later saw it in Maryport, so I think he had been caught out by the tide or something.[/QUOTE]

Vanguard SC have long had permament drying moorings in Workingkton. Another feature of this harbour is that it offers the only all-tide access, with some shelter, on the Cumbrian coast N. of Walney Is. The Westerly that you saw may well have been waiting for access to Maryport