Round Britain, how to divide the time available?

Fascadale

Fascadale

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I was asked my suggestions for how a Round Britain voyage might be divided, timewise.
So, assuming a keel boat, competent crew, and decent weather (!!!!????)

Based on my experiences of a couple plus of round trips I came up with...............

Solent to Wick, 7.5% of time available
Wick to Cape Wrath, (Including the Orkney Island) 20%
Cape Wrath to the Mull of Kintyre (Including Outer Hebrides) 60%
Mull of Kintyre to Scilly Isles, 5%
Scilly to Solent 7.5%

Its a shame to miss the Shetlands, fantastic sailing, if going there then Wick to Cape W 30%, Cape W to MoK 50%, the rest remain the same

It would be interesting to know how others who have sailed these waters might plan to divide the voyage

(All plans weather dependent)
 
keep it random until the last minute then decide to turn to port or starboard when you are on the water? i know that's not to everyone's taste but that is what i would do. if i ever get off my BFA to do it :-)
 
I think you need to ask 'why sail around Britain?'.
If the answer is mostly about 'achieving a big voyage', then your priorities will be quite different from someone who wants to visit lots of places in certain areas.

Personally, going anti-clockwise, I wouldn't stop before Moray. That would obviously mean a capable crew. Maybe just for that leg.
Then the rest of it takes as long as it takes and if the boat spends a winter in the North somewhere, so be it, or bribe some crew to get it back in one hit.

Do it your way.
 
V1701 said:
If you have any sort of itinerary you'll just end up getting frustrated when you can't stick to it, or get yourself in trouble by trying...
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And if you don't , it's hard for friends to join you for a leg or two?
 
I think it very much depends on whether it's one summer, or the rest of your life (which, hopefully, is a bit longer:). If one summer I suggest the point is to experience the genus loci of every coastal community in the British Isles. That you suspect you may not like it is exactly the reason you have to try it, otherwise you're just confirming your own prejudices. It's also sad fact that many of us Brits know more about France than we do about much of our own country: I've visited New York more often than York, Lyons more than Liverpool.

I suggest that it's not dividing the time which counts, but selecting must see places or at least regions. So (imho of course):

- South coast between Solent and Ramsgate, probably Dover.
- Digression into the tidal Thames? Pretty horrid but must do I think.
- East coast to get in touch with the ghost of Maurice Griffiths
- Somewhere in Yorkshire, maybe Humber maybe Whitby
- Geordie land. Harbour will probably be grim, and the industrial decay depressing but the warmth of welcome makes up
- E Scotland: somewhere characteristic, which is probably not the Forth but those lovely jewels of tiny harbours further north.
- N coast. probably lochs not towns (well there aren't many of those!).
- Outer Hebrides - take your pick! All lovely. Especially the W coast if you can
- Mainland, doesn't matter where, maybe Badachro or Sheildaig or Kyle or Loch Nevis. In fact the more the merrier
- Mull or Staffa or Iona or ...
- Rhins of Galloway - yes really! (I missed the Clyde - that's my prejudice maybe despite my Mum being born in Glasgow)
- NW England. Not v nice, but proximity to the lakes for a day trip makes up.
- Wales? Menai straights yes, then Barmouth perhaps? Less sure about Milford but Dale has a good atmosphere.
- S Wales and Bristol Channel? Probably rather fun to go all the way into Bristol. Penarth less so.
- Cornwall. Isles of Scilly a must. Doesn't matter after that if Penzance or Falmouth or Fowey I think.
- To South Hams somewhere: the Yealm or Salcombe or the Dart.
- Dorset coast (Durdle Door?), and home.

Once that's done, personally I would (and indeed do) go back to NW Scotland for a much longer look over several seasons.
 
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jdc's list makes sense in some ways, but personally, I would be 'glossing over' the East Coast and Cornwall on the grounds that these can be cruised some other year.
I know a good handful of people who have done a Round Britain, most would spend more time Western Isles to Shetland if they did it again, and many would go back to do a circuit of Ireland or a North Sea tour.
Many people going clockwise seem to find the shine wears off it between the Forth and Brighton. The weather's turning, days getting shorter and the ports are all disappointing and/or inconvenient for day sails.
 
lw395 said:
...Many people going clockwise seem to find the shine wears off it between the Forth and Brighton. The weather's turning, days getting shorter and the ports are all disappointing and/or inconvenient for day sails.
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Good point: clearly going clock-wise or anti-clockwise have different characters. I'd go anti-clockwise for that very reason whereas I've done NW Scotland to Falmouth in late Oct a couple of times and found it a pleasant passage provided you call in a Bangor or Dublin if (when) the weather turns..

PS: "One Summer's Grace" by Libby Purves is a good account of a cruise round Britain.
 
When I did my Round Britain I started and finished in Nieuwpoort, Belgium and spent 16 weeks going clockwise. My aim was to see as many interesting and new places as possible and spend a serious amount of time in the Hebrides. I had arranged to pick up crew along the way, on the clear understanding that they would come where the boat was, not vice versa, in order to retain maximum flexibility. I also sailed solo for three separate weeks. This is how it panned out:
- Nieuwpoort - Newlyn 3.5 weeks due mainly to a series of depressions
- Newlyn - Carrickfergus 1.5 weeks
- West coast of Scotland (without the Clyde) 6.5 weeks
- skipped the North coast due to a combination of unfavourable forecast and complicated crew logistics
- Caledonian Canal 2 days
- Inverness - Wick - Orkneys 1 week
- Wick - Nieuwpoort 3 weeks

If I did it again, I would decide to go clockwise or anti-clockwise on the basis of the forecast for the first week. I spent too much time battling headwinds and sheltering for bad weather along the south coast, while I could have made good progress along the east coast.
I am certainly going back to the Hebrides, the Orkneys and hopefully Shetland, most probably via the shortest route along the east coast and with a good crew so we can go to Scotland non-stop. Also on my list are the south and west coasts of Ireland, and while I’m there, I might as well hop across the North Channel and see some more of the Hebrides.
 
We went round last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. The only planning decision was clockwise or anti-clockwise. We were fairly unlucky with the weather and that dictated our movements
 
White_Belle said:
We went round last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. The only planning decision was clockwise or anti-clockwise. We were fairly unlucky with the weather and that dictated our movements
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Everyone who's rounded Britain says they were unlucky with the weather.
I think people are mostly hopelessly optimistic about reaching from pub to pub with the tides meshing nicely with opening hours and sea breezes.
 
The Op refers to having already done a couple of round UK trips so must have an idea of places to visit. He mentions %ages It would be interesting to know the total time he expects to do in actual weeks.
Both my trips ( single handed)took 12 weeks & one included the Channel islands for a 2 week holiday with the wife the other a 3 week stop in Inverness for a new rudder.
But I cheated & went through the Cally canal. The OP, starting in the Solent, would not do the CI's. If not starting in the Solent then I recomend sailing along the French side for economic reasons, plus it gives a better holiday feel & the CIs are great. Then cross over to Falmouth, or pick a shorter destination on the S coast.

So he could do the trip in less than 10 weeks. That has a bearing on how one might allocate the time. Alternatively, If one had, say 30 weeks, would one waste 7.5% on Scillies to the Solent, if Solent based.

Weather did not cause me any problems , but then I sailed a number of times knowing F6-7 was in the offing & an F8 was on its way once. I was only holed up for 5 days, more than intended, once. Both trips involved 5 legs of over 100 miles so I had to push it a bit.
 
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lw395 said:
Everyone who's rounded Britain says they were unlucky with the weather.
I think people are mostly hopelessly optimistic about reaching from pub to pub with the tides meshing nicely with opening hours and sea breezes.
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And if I'd gone round the previous year I would have said that I was lucky with the weather. Presumably you must have been round several times?
 
White_Belle said:
And if I'd gone round the previous year I would have said that I was lucky with the weather. Presumably you must have been round several times?
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No I haven't, I have come close to making the time for it and talked to loads of people who've done it, ranging from the 2 handed racers in the early 80s through various cruiser acquaintances to Geoff Holt.
Personally I wouldn't mind racing around, but for a long summer cruise I'd go up the west coast and back every time, maybe including a circuit of Ireland.

I just don't understand the fascination of Round Britain as a cruising goal, particularly via the Caly Canal.

Up the west coast to Shetland and back via the canal is an interesting alternative IMHO.
 
lw395 said:
I just don't understand the fascination of Round Britain as a cruising goal, particularly via the Caly Canal.
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From my point of view I always find the CI's worth a visit so did them first. Having never done Falmouth & Newlyn they were well worth a visit. Milford haven is a dump so crossing to Dun Loaghaire is a welcome. Plus i wanted to go & look. A bit more time on the Irish coast might have been fun.I should have crossed over sooner & missed Milford. However Ardglass & particularly Glenarm are well worth seeing. I have a fond memory of the friendly nature of the Irish in Ballycastle on both visits.
Port Ellen is not worth the time so I went straight to Croabh Haven second time & once one is in this area the sailing is scenic & interesting. Although the marina on Kerra is rubbish Oban is a good touristy place to visit. Then up to the Cally canal.
Up to there the whole trip- apart from Milford Haven - is really good, even the second time round. So as a cruise it is well worth doing
If I had a crew I would have gone round the top but I did not want to risk anchoring, or the irritation of a crew.

The canal is relatively relaxed and stress free for a single hander. I had fun & it is quite social with other boaters one meets on the way.
from Inverness to Eyemouth is different. Whitehills etc are well worth a short stay. I went to school in Berwick so stopping at Eyemouth meant that i could get a memoriable bus trip.
After that the only place down the east coast of merit could be Scarborough but one has to do Blyth, Hartlepool & sail via the Farnes to say they did it.
Even Grimsby has to be visited if only to understand how bad things can actually get for some.

So as a cruise I think round via the canal is great fun. It does not have to be long term to get a flavour - just do it more than once. I want to do it a third time as I think that if I was younger it could get addictive.
I have done all the EU coast from la Rochelle to Ijmuiden & the Dutch canals so this was a different cruising ground that could be done in a short time
So i reckon it is a good " bucket list" cruise for a typical coastal sailor with a few weeks to spare
Try it before you knock it. But do it SH so you can do your own thing as & when you want & not be tied down with crew
 
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I'm not really meaning to knock it, more saying that a trip up the west coast and back can be just as good, particularly for a south coast based sailor.
Starting from the North Sea wold change one's view of Cornwall and Scilly, ( it's the obvious destination for a 3 week cruise for us.), and also avoid the last leg being the least enjoyable (collating other people's opinions here).
I think 'bucket list' is the problem.
 
As with all these things it's all about what the individual is seeking to get out of the trip. We wanted a long summer away and couldn't go abroad so it was the obvious option. We also wanted to explore this fantastic country of ours which we are very pleased to have done even if we might not do it again. I agree with those that say West coast twice now but only because I've seen the East coast
 
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