So. West coast of Scotland

[Robert Wilson]

Congratulations. Fantastic Anniversary trip. Sounds like you've not only caught the bug, but are beyond recovery!!

See you up here sometime.

P.S. It IS even better by boat.............

 

[Saguday]

Congratulations. Fantastic Anniversary trip. Sounds like you've not only caught the bug, but are beyond recovery!!

See you up here sometime.

P.S. It IS even better by boat.............

It really was lovely. It’s too long since I got past the Glasgow-Edinburgh belt for the ‘real’ Scotland Didn’t really have time to get north of Craobh Haven, even just to Oban, but will have to do that when we have more time.

Have since found multiple building plots with foreshore and opportunity to built pontoon/jetty and put mooring down - a highly tempting alternative to a marina. Hmmm....

 

[adwuk]

You had a great week, and although the weather has turned a little cooler its still fine. The advantage is that the midges are now back in the soil

 

[Robert Wilson]

You had a great week, and although the weather has turned a little cooler its still fine. The advantage is that the midges are now back in the soil

Fine? Don't tell the OP but the last two/three days here have had high winds, hail, rain n snow squalls and temperatures just above freezing.........

 

[Robert Wilson]

It really was lovely. It’s too long since I got past the Glasgow-Edinburgh belt for the ‘real’ Scotland Didn’t really have time to get north of Craobh Haven, even just to Oban, but will have to do that when we have more time.

Have since found multiple building plots with foreshore and opportunity to built pontoon/jetty and put mooring down - a highly tempting alternative to a marina. Hmmm....

Go for it. You only live once :encouragement:
Private pontoon/jetty, free mooring, no water taxis, ten minutes from breakfast table to slipping mooring.

 

[Saguday]

Fine? Don't tell the OP but the last two/three days here have had high winds, hail, rain n snow squalls and temperatures just above freezing.........

He’s in balmy sub-tropical Tarbert - you’re inside the arctic circle in the frozen north...

 

[Saguday]

You had a great week, and although the weather has turned a little cooler its still fine. The advantage is that the midges are now back in the soil

Folks on Kintyre and Gigha said they have a very mild microclimate there.

I guess when the midges come out that’s the signal to go sailing?

 

[Saguday]

Go for it. You only live once :encouragement:
Private pontoon/jetty, free mooring, no water taxis, ten minutes from breakfast table to slipping mooring.

Ten minutes seems a bit long, was aiming for under 5... maybe build the jetty on the end of an infinity pool starting inside, so I could swim out to it

 

[Robert Wilson]

He’s in balmy sub-tropical Tarbert - you’re inside the arctic circle in the frozen north...

Only just

Ten minutes seems a bit long, was aiming for under 5... maybe build the jetty on the end of an infinity pool starting inside, so I could swim out to it

Deep infinity pool with lock gates - keep boat in pool n sail it out/in :encouragement:

 

[Minchsailor]

Well. We did it.

I can’t really describe how superb it was, not least because we had glorious sunny weather for about 90% of the time. One presumes it’s always like that up there??

Absolutely, in the last 20 years I've sailed N of Ardurmurchan I've never known a cloud in the sky.............................

 

[ctva]

...I guess when the midges come out that’s the signal to go sailing?

That’ll be between April and October.

...Deep infinity pool with lock gates - keep boat in pool n sail it out/in :encouragement:

That’s called the Crinan Canal.

 

[adwuk]

Absolutely, in the last 20 years I've sailed N of Ardurmurchan I've never known a cloud in the sky.............................

The only exception is the cloud above Rum that, from what I can tell, has never moved

 

[ProDave]

If you are looking at buying a plot and self building I can probably help a bit. I am near the end of our second self build, this one almost to passive house standards.

 

[Saguday]

If you are looking at buying a plot and self building I can probably help a bit. I am near the end of our second self build, this one almost to passive house standards.

Super. We’ve built once before and getting the itch to do it again. Three objectives ) Uber contemporary/efficient b) attractive location c) walk to the boat. I’ll PM you

 

[Robert Wilson]

Super. We’ve built once before and getting the itch to do it again. Three objectives ) Uber contemporary/efficient b) attractive location c) walk to the boat. I’ll PM you

Why not go ready built?
See my post#45 in Blowhard Blackford thread........:sorrow::sorrow:
Not uber contemporary but rather "nice" in the words of Sergeant Wilson of Dad's Army.

Ask Chris and Tracy (ctva of this parrish) for references - but be warned, they are regular if infrequent (sadly) visitors and like gin n pizzas.......

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Be careful with your enthusiasm. I have lots of pictures of sailing in the rain, mist and fog. My 2 week trip this year was mostly rain and it’s derivatives.

I also know more than one person who has returned home and then remembers why they left. There is a return happening now, mostly the young, who have got fed up with the high cost of living in the cities. Many starting family, affording houses, lower income but happier for it.

The sailing can be routine for the likes of myself who is still working. Like the Clyde, up and down the same bit of water. I am looking forward to retirement and exploring more but could not really see me living in remoter areas as I get older.

As they say, go in with your eyes wide open.

 

[NormanS]

It's a well known phenomenon that people who have their boats moored "at the bottom of the garden" hardly ever use them.

 

[Robert Wilson]

Certainly true of me this year, but hoping for much more next year.

No suffering from Lyme disease (I HOPE)
No intrusions from family wanting to come and stay (all doing their own things next year)
New labrador over a year old (already happy on the boat).
House painted (in the best three weeks of sailing weather all this year!).
And of course next year's weather will be perfect

And as an added benefit , hopefully all the above will dramatically reduce the "cost per hour" :encouragement:

 

[Saguday]

Why not go ready built?
See my post#45 in Blowhard Blackford thread........:sorrow::sorrow:
Not uber contemporary but rather "nice" in the words of Sergeant Wilson of Dad's Army.

Ask Chris and Tracy (ctva of this parrish) for references - but be warned, they are regular if infrequent (sadly) visitors and like gin n pizzas.......

This post is naught but a shameless advert! Alas you’re just a wee bit too far north we think.

We’ve seen a number of existing places some very nice and suitable but you can always build more than you can buy. We’ve not decided what we’re going to do yet and may be years away from any major change. It’s more about having the next 5 year Grand Plan and this is the formative stages.

 

[Saguday]

Be careful with your enthusiasm. I have lots of pictures of sailing in the rain, mist and fog. My 2 week trip this year was mostly rain and it’s derivatives.

I also know more than one person who has returned home and then remembers why they left. There is a return happening now, mostly the young, who have got fed up with the high cost of living in the cities. Many starting family, affording houses, lower income but happier for it.

The sailing can be routine for the likes of myself who is still working. Like the Clyde, up and down the same bit of water. I am looking forward to retirement and exploring more but could not really see me living in remoter areas as I get older.

As they say, go in with your eyes wide open.

All valid points and understood.

East Coast (where we started) 500mm rain per year
South West (where we are now) 900-1000mm per year
West Coast Scotland 1500-1600mm per year.

This does not meet SWMBO’s desire to move to warmer drier climes!

No place is without it’s downsides but we have the benefit of some experience, living all round England as well as Canada and the US (which were somewhat more extreme than Scotland). Remoteness and access to services, particularly as we age, is likely to be a significant consideration - all part of the research.

I’ve worked based mostly from home for the last 10 years and would not want to change this, probably looking at a semi-retirement first and/or setting up a second home-based business. Self contained holiday lets? Alpaca farming? Who knows. It would have to allow wandering off in the summer months on the boat though which rules out the alpaca.

Anyway highly likely we’ll move the boat up there first on a try-before-you-buy basis