Slow round-Britain plan advice....

[ylop]

Have you sailed these waters? I doubt it.

I have sailed some of them - I could choose to keep my boat 20 minutes from home and sail as much of them as I wanted, but I choose to keep me boat 2.5hrs from home and sail somewhere else. I am sharing the distilled common theme from a couple of dozen people who I have met in real life who had either completed or were in the process of sailing round Britain. Admittedly most of them were doing it in a single season so perhaps didn’t have time to get intimate with the east coast landscape the way you have - they tended to cut the corners offshore rather than hug the coast. Not one of them told me they wished they had been able to spend more time on the Humber to Peterhead part and all of them said there were bits of the Hebrides and Clyde they wished they had more time to explore. I’m not sure what it is in human nature that means we like to tick off accomplishments like “circumnavigating” something - I am just challenging the OP to consider if setting himself that specific objective doesn’t become a rod for his own back. It is perfectly possible to make a circular loop from the Scillies to Shetland where you never stay in the same place twice but MIGHT have more time doing the stuff you like. Of course if does depend what he wants from his sailing experience and even to some extend his boat - a boat that takes the ground in a drying harbour might make plodding slowly on the east more interesting; and even who (if anyone) is joining him and what they want from the trip.

 

[Sea Change]

River Ness, where it meets up with the Beaulieu/Inverness Firth,

Just nit picking but I think you mean the river Beauly.

 

[lustyd]

I’m not sure what it is in human nature that means we like to tick off accomplishments like “circumnavigating” something - I am just challenging the OP to consider if setting himself that specific objective doesn’t become a rod for his own back.

Completely agree with this. Everyone we met "doing a circumnavigation" could have been sailing literally anywhere, they were just trying to get around and ended up seeing nothing at all. It took us a couple of months to do south and east Ireland and we missed quite a few bits of that. We spent three weeks on the Isle of Man and that was just about right, but included watching the TT Race. Solent to Scillies was a month and we absolutely raced through that because we'd previously done it, but to properly cruise the south coast would take a whole season.
And that's before you get to Scotland where the Clyde to Kintyre would easily eat up two months before you even hit the islands.

 

[jamie N]

Just nit picking but I think you mean the river Beauly.

Ha! Absolutely right, and I drive past any number of signs giving me directions to Beauly every day!

 

[Captain Crisp]

OP is starting from Essex so it may be useful to use more words to describe “Tarbert” which could be pretty much anywhere
Although I think I know where you mean, even “East loch Tarbert” feels a but ambiguous to a southerner.

OP was born in Inverness, and knows his East Loch Tarbets from his Inner Loch Tarbets, thank you very much!

 

[Captain Crisp]

This is a common point amongst almost everyone I’ve spoken to who goes round - they tend to split the country up into equal sections rather than working out where the fun bits are a lingering there. The OP is sensibly taking his time and planning ahead. He might want to ask himself if the east coast is worth it at all - if it’s Y1 you do lots of long legs without the pretty bits. If it’s Y4 you’ve just spent the last 3 yrs in sailing “heaven” so it will seem mediocre simple to tick an “all the way round” box.

Most people who do the canal enjoy it - same with Crinan. On a leisurely sail they don’t preclude doing both.


But as others have said transport links make many locations limited anyway.

It’s popular but it is by no means the only option. Within the Clyde there’s about a dozen options. On the “Oban side” there’s at least 8. Further north fewer but still some options.

Costs do vary but any bargain place probably is less ideal travel connections or provisioning when you come back. Although I’ve done a little of this one way trip stuff and getting public transport back and it’s a fun adventure it would be a PITA if you were trying to do it in a hurry to get to work.

I'm starting in Essex, I love the East Coast and I want to go anti-clockwise. So not a problem!

 

[Captain Crisp]

Sorry I have to disagree, sailing up the east coast is worth doing. The OP is used to the Essex and Suffolk coast, which is generally very flat and featureless. From the Humber northwards there are cliffs, woodlands, fields, castles, majestic buildings galore, sandy beaches, islands, bird sanctuaries, towns and villages - all of which you can sail close by or stop and visit. You are sailing in a fairly straight line along the coast, but in the lee of the prevailing wind in smooth water. Have you sailed these waters? I doubt it. Before I did my round Britain, I had a similar opinion to that you have expressed, but can say there is far more to see and a lot more varied that most of the UK coastline. I even considered berthing in Hartlepool for a season to explore this coast more. This coast is not as spectacular as the western isles, but should not be passed by quickly unless you have a tight schedule, which the OP does not have. These 2 videos will show how different this part of the UK is.

As you are currently exploring the western isles, might I suggest in the coming season you head further north to Orkney, Fair Isle and Shetland. They are delightful and I shall definitely be returning there in the future.

Many thanks for the advice, Concerto, totally agree about the East Coast - and looking forward to watching these!