Sailing to Scotland

Findhorn bay, theres a small marina there, its where I originated from and the most wonderful and calming laid back place, small village but strong community
 
A good place to get stuck though, mind you the dreaded midge (or Cleg as Mr Hiscock called them) didn't seem particularly attracted to me.......they much preferred my wife..........which is why the tub is now based in Caernarfon!


Clegs and Midges are different animals. A cleg is a sort of horsefly, prevalent in bracken. If you get bitten by one, you will know ALL about it, and have a painful lump for days. Midges are mosquitos, and their bite is annoying and itches. Cleg bites HURT.

I spent a summer doing geology in Scotland, wandering around the Southern Uplands near Dunbar, and became far too familiar with both the scourges of the Highlands! Clegs are truly horrible things, but fortunately, unlikely to be encountered on a yacht - they are denizens of moorland, not coastlines.
 
Clegs and Midges are different animals. A cleg is a sort of horsefly, prevalent in bracken. If you get bitten by one, you will know ALL about it, and have a painful lump for days. Midges are mosquitos, and their bite is annoying and itches. Cleg bites HURT.

I spent a summer doing geology in Scotland, wandering around the Southern Uplands near Dunbar, and became far too familiar with both the scourges of the Highlands! Clegs are truly horrible things, but fortunately, unlikely to be encountered on a yacht - they are denizens of moorland, not coastlines.

You can also add ticks to the list of fauna that you might pick up if walking through bracken, especially areas where there are deer such as Jura. They aren't uncomfortable, but they are known to carry Lyme disease.
 
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You can also add ticks to the list of fauna that you mighty pick up if walking through bracken, especially areas where there are deer such as Jura. They aren't uncomfortable, but they are known to carry Lyme disease.
Yes. I'd be a lot more careful about that these days. I don't think it was a problem in 1973; the disease wasn't named until 1975, and although genetic evidence suggests it arose in the 19th century, it certainly wasn't prevalent until the late 70s or even 80s.
 
I must admit, I did'nt see a single midge in Scotland last year. I suspect they had all either been drowned or blown to Norway!
 
To get the most out of an east coast voyage you need to be happy about taking the ground. There is not much by way of wild anchorages suitable for an overnight stay, and to avoid marinas you can enjoy wee stone harbours at the centre of town life. From Northumberland northward I would recommend Holy Island, Eyemouth, Dunbar, Anstruther or Elie, St Andrews, Stonehaven, Fraserburgh (yes really, I spent a very pleasant couple of days there), Banff, Portsoy, Lossiemouth, Findhorn, Nairn. My boat has been sailing on the Firth of Forth for 75 years, and every year I usually manage to take her into a place on the Forth that she has not been to before.

Enjoy your trip.
 
Dylan the music you use with your videos is wonderful - I'm loving it and building a wish list of CDs!

bless you

music is always hard to choose

one bloke emailed me asking if I could use less dumper diddly

on youtube I can almost anything

but then the shots belong to youtube

on the videos I can only use what I have permission to use

so if you d buy any of it....

it would be great to email the bands and tell them where you heard it

Dylan
 
Having done the East Coast - from Thames to Inverness, twice, I can honestly report that there is not a lot there. Quite an exposed coastline, so need to be careful when passage planning as not many ports of refuge if the wind is onshore.

Recommend going through the Caledonian Canal to get to the west coast - a transit from Inverness to Corpach is easily possible in 2 days.
 
Gosh such a lot of places to visit...Thanks one and all for the suggestions and insight.

Can't wait to let the Skipper know what his navigator is planning :-) that's if he ever manages to return from the snowy north.
 
Recommend going through the Caledonian Canal to get to the west coast - a transit from Inverness to Corpach is easily possible in 2 days.

Not easy if strong wind blowing wrong way on for you Loch ness! and the other lochs!
Dont ask me how i know!
 

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