Recommended ports of call

snowleopard

snowleopard

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I'm planning a trip up the Irish Sea, Outside the Mull of Kintyre, through the Caledonian, and along the East and South Coasts. I'm looking for sources of info on good places to visit (short of buying a stack of pilot books a yard high). I'm currently re-reading One Summer's Grace which is a start.


p.s. Last time I asked this question the thread was hijacked. Pedants can expect no quarter.
 
Call for a brew etc in Pwllheli, my berth is first deep water pile from the entrance. There most weekends. David Taylors pilot has good info. Barmouth is lovely, deep water moorings get "exciting" with the flow of the tide! Aberystwyth, I always enjoy but v expensive in the "marina" Bardsey Sound can be a bugger, follow Reeds for the best timing.
Stu
 
snowleopard said:
I'm planning a trip up the Irish Sea, Outside the Mull of Kintyre, through the Caledonian, and along the East and South Coasts. I'm looking for sources of info on good places to visit
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You could take a look at the link in my sig which might, or might not, give you some ideas.
 
snowleopard said:
I'm planning a trip up the Irish Sea, Outside the Mull of Kintyre, through the Caledonian, and along the East and South Coasts. I'm looking for sources of info on good places to visit ...
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On the way up I'd recommend Peel (IoM), Carnlough (NI), Portpatrick. Bangor (NI) has a useful marina - soulless as all these places are, but handy as a calling point. Once you're past the Mull of Kintyre everywhere, basically, is nice. The only place I never liked, in fifteen years' sailing from Crinan, was Tobermory, which always felt crowded, artificial and unfriendly. Other people love it, though, so my aversion may just show that I'm an antisocial, solitary sod.
 
castletown, port st mary, peel, portpatrick, glenarm, ballycastle, raithlin island, port ellen, gigha, craighouses, lochaline to name a few, how long do you have on your trip, a quick flirt round, or as much time as you want.....
 
Hi, I used to keep my cat on the East coast and can recommend, from the North, anchoring behind spurn head OK if desperate but better in Grimsby marina. Saltfleet, nice and secure anchorage, village about a mile walk. Dries. Wainfleet, not a lot there but you can walk to Skegness. Dries. Fosdyke, chandlery pub and lift out. Burnham Overy Staithe. Not alot there. Dries. Wells Next the sea, you must drop in here! It is a really nice place. This is the most difficult entrance that I have done, call the harbourmaster or follow a fishing boat in. Dries. Brancaster, worth a visit if you want to see the seal colony on the way in. You won't get to the town if your boat has any size, wait till the tide goes down and walk. Dries. There is a reasonable anchorage behind the sea defences at Sea Palling. Great Yarmouth, all tide. Lots there. Lowestoft, marina. Southwold, another must do, it's like going back in time. From here you can get two fair tides, one across the Thames and the next down to Dover (you need to get radio permission to enter here). Or you can cruise the rivers in between. From Dover to Brighton is a fairly easy run, beware of entering Brighton anywhere near LWS. Brighton to Solent, another easy run, possibilities here nearly endless, try Bembridge, dries. Ryde, dries. Chichester. Newtown river, great anchorage. Beaulieu River, nice anchorage. Lulworth cove, nice place for a walk round (in good weather, don't anchor overnight unless really sure of weather forecast). Weymouth, nice place, worth a visit.
Happy Sailing
 
Thanks for the replies so far. I have been around this route 2.5 times already though the last time was a bit rushed - Falmouth to Ft William in 3 days! Previous ports of call were

Dover
Boulogne
Ramsgate
Burnham
Grimsby
Bridlington
Port Edgar*
Peterhead
Burghead
Inverness
Caley canal
Craobh
Oban
Kerrera*
Tobermory
Carrickfergus
Douglas*
Preston
Menai straits
Milford
Padstow
Scillies
& most ports along the S coast.

(* are the ones definitely not on next year's itinerary)

Because of my beam and a liking for P&Q I tend to avoid marinas and am a bit wary of tiny harbours. I expect to make a few calls on the 'other side' of the Irish sea and channel rather than coast hop. SWMBO prefers to avoid too many overnight passages so we'll try to make more frequent stops this time round. The trip really justifies a whole season but other commitments mean it will probably be more like 2 months.

A few i've always wanted to get to are Islay, Gigha, Iona, Staffa and Lindisfarne. Other suggestions welcome. BTW we're too wide for Crinan so Arran and the Clyde will sadly be bypassed.
 
Let me suggest Canna Harbour. It's a marine crossroads, used by seafarers over several thousand years. Look out for the sea eagles. Compare the tiny wee Reformed church closest to the anchorage with the great Catholic edifice a mile away. Muse on the Viking and Celtic burial chambers at the SW end of the island, looking towards the west, and wonder if this is where Tolkien got some of his elven ideas.

I recommend firmly that you don't go into Loch Scavaig in your boat.

:)
 
skipper_stu said:
Aberystwyth, I always enjoy but v expensive in the "marina" Bardsey Sound can be a bugger, follow Reeds for the best timing.
Stu
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Aberystwyth, agreed, aside from being overpriced - needs dredging and some maintenance to the weir on the east side - we'll see if that work is an excuse to put prices up, they I'm sure said there will be no price rise in the coming year but the operator has, I understand, just built a large house in Capel Bangor - which is unlikey to appear on Grand Designs according to some, also the building and garage businesses are I expect feeling the effects of the downturn and drawing levels, so we'll see.......

Bardsey best going N Dover +5 and going S Dover -1 IIRC and worked for us earlier this year - it's a doddle. HOWEVER don't do what we did coming south and get too close (went pretty much over the top!) to the Tripods - it is bumpy!! when going, some days before, N we remarked on how broken the sea was inshore from us, well we is blokes remembering is not our stongest point.....
 
West Coast passage

Don't go into Carnlough,mentioned above, it is tight and rowdy, if you do find space there, hide your red (or blue) ensign. Glenarm in the same bay is fine but you do have to pay.
The Irish coast has more shelter and better(deeper) harbours than NW England so you can make more progress in strong weather.I have kept all my old CCC harbour pilots (I never throw anything away) the information has not changed (except I. O. M.) but there is no colour on chartlets: I have lent them to passing Norwegians and Danes in the summer but they find their way home in the winter, if you want to borrow them for a season you will be welcome.
 
For passing the Forth there is Anstruther though if your draft is more than 1m you will have to take the ground, Dunbar can be OK is you like scary entrances and sea gulls. Eyemouth is good to though it is still a working fishing harbour, good showers and according to the last report still free. For Edinburgh itself Granton is good as is Port Edgar.
 
Port Ramsay, North West corner of Lismore.

Interesting but reasonably straightforward pilotage to enter, sheltered, anchor only, good holding, quiet, no facilities.

Very attractive small settlement of cottages for the workers of the long disused but very complete limekilns adjacent to the shore. Very pleasant island to explore.

It would make a very suitable "night before" the approach to Corpach and a place to wait the tide through Corran,(c.12.5nms).

Beware if you use Nauticpath software in your chartplotter: for some reason Nauticpath shows no detail for that end of Lismore and other areas nearby.



Stonehaven, east coast, south of Aberdeen

Fairly straightforward entrance

A traditional stone built harbour, accessible at all states of the tide. There can be some surge in the outer harbour: not so much water in the inner harbours.

Water on the piers but no electricity, very good pub. Attractive little place, Dunnottar Castle well worth a visit and very handy for Aberdeen.

Perhaps an attractive alternative to P'head.


PS ........Glad to see you are no longer describing this voyage as a "Round Britain" but I would still urge you, despite your fears of xenophobia, to visit the Northern Isles.
 
In your "definitely not" list I would concur with the inclusion of Port Edgar but it may be some time since you've been at Kerrera which has lifted its game considerably over the last few years - how many marinas can offer you a scheduled air service almost to your pontoon?
 
I second Ballycastle. Nice little town, sheltered moorings and a lovely beach. You even get sunshine occasionally :)

Ireland128.jpg


Rathlin Island is just a short hop and skip away as well.
 
I would recommend Lossiemouth, good marina and loads of pubs. Next along is Portsoy - lovely old harbour but it dries out, then Whitehills or Banff. Nothing else till Peterhead but while the marina is good the area is very pub free. Next is Stonehaven, nice pub.
 
We were weatherbound in Peterhead for a few days. We quite liked the place. As unexpected a pleasure as a forced stay in Grimsby turned out to be!
 
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