Suggestions for a Western Isles cruise

[JumbleDuck]

Did they not have half a dozen stinking polypropylene ropes tied to and across the ladder on the pier.

We didn't use the pier, as there was a fishing boat unloading when we arrived. We just ran the dinghy up the beach and walked the half-mile into "town". Did you use that pier or the one in the village?

Last year we were on a mooring in Gigha and it started to blow a bit from the east, I persuaded myself that Craighouse might be more comfortable, well it is better to learn the hard way.

My rather battered CCC book has "UNTENABLE IN AN EASTERLY" written on the page for Ardminish after a rotten time on an HIDB buoy there in the days when HIDB buoys were a thing. I can't now remember how we escaped. Scarpered back to Crinan, probably.

 

[davidej]

Many of the harbours are just opening with continuing restrictions, for instance Tobermory is only opening 10 moorings and a limited number of pontoon berths, Mallaig is using one side of the fingers only but it is one of the few offering showers, takeaway food only but widely available.
Our favourite basic route Oban, Tobermory, Canna, Dunvegan or Stein, then Gairloch, Loch Torridon, Kyle or Kylakin, Loch Hourn or Loch Nevis back to Tobermory . If the weather is good go round Skye anti clockwise if it is poor use Sleat and the Inner Sound and forget about going west of Skye. Lots of options on that route Rum, Eigg, Loch Coruisk under the Cuillin, Loch Harport, Rona, ,Portree, Raasay , Plockton. Loch Moidart, Loch Sunart if the winds are strong.
An less adventurous alternative is round Mull, Loch Spelve, Ardmaleish, Iona (Tinkers hole or Bull hole if overnight) avoid Bunessan, Staffa, Ulva/Gometra, (to late for the puffins on The Treshnish Isles). Tobermory, Loch Sunart, Loch Aline, Lismore, Oban.
We generally wait to judge the weather and base a route on how benign it is, plenty of choices.

A set of Antares Charts on your tablet is really good value if you like quiet anchorages.

Quandary
Just been looking all this up - did you mean clockwise

Is there published a list of places with visitors buoys _ I know our ladies feel safer on one than on the hook!

 

[NormanS]

Quandary
Just been looking all this up - did you mean clockwise

Is there published a list of places with visitors buoys _ I know our ladies feel safer on one than on the hook!

Yes, there's a publication called Welcome Anchorages, which is a curious name for something which is 99% about moorings. Google it and you'll find it. IICR it's free.

 

[cpedw]

Yes, there's a publication called Welcome Anchorages, which is a curious name for something which is 99% about moorings. Google it and you'll find it. IICR it's free.

And the 2020 edition is on line at last View Publication | Welcome Anchorages

 

[Minchsailor]

Craighouse can be very uncomfortable in an easterly with the swell rolling in through the south passage - i was there a few years go. Lowmansland Bay, just to the north, provided better shelter.

 

[NormanS]

Craighouse can be very uncomfortable in an easterly with the swell rolling in through the south passage - i was there a few years go. Lowmansland Bay, just to the north, provided better shelter.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a tendency among those who prefer to pick up a mooring, about which they know nothing, rather than using their own ground tackle, to assume that because there are moorings, they will be suitable in all wind directions and conditions. Even a brief look at a chart would show that Craighouse, Jura, and Ardminish Bay on Gigha, would be horrible in an east wind. Where has common sense gone?

 

[Quandary]

Quandary
Just been looking all this up - did you mean clockwise

Is there published a list of places with visitors buoys _ I know our ladies feel safer on one than on the hook!

Of course I did, my stupidity is legendary up here.
Not all the moorings or pontoons mentioned in Welcome Anchorages are certain to be in place this year. The publication depends on local sponsorship for info. so that when a community or pub loses interest the absence is rarely noticed. Last year we discovered that the pub at Glenuig had let the locals adopt its moorings as they did not bring enough trade, and the pontoons at Kyle were still ashore in late June. Ther are more pontoons from Barra north than they record.
However it is still useful to refer to though it does not list many anchorages despite its title. Its purpose is to encourage use of local facilities like pubs and restaurants. You will me missing a lot if you forgo anchoring, our severly indented coast offers much bettershelter than you usually get down south.

 

[crewman]

Another nice place is Loch Aline in the Sound of Mull. Very sheltered with pontoons moorings and room to anchor at the East end. Showers and loos at the pontoons. Spent an evening watching a pair of otters fishing there.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Unfortunately, there seems to be a tendency among those who prefer to pick up a mooring, about which they know nothing, rather than using their own ground tackle, to assume that because there are moorings, they will be suitable in all wind directions and conditions. Even a brief look at a chart would show that Craighouse, Jura, and Ardminish Bay on Gigha, would be horrible in an east wind. Where has common sense gone?

In the case of Ardminish the fetch across to the mainland is relatively small - barely two miles - and yet in any sort of an easterly it is much nastier than common sense might suggest. Far nastier than, for example, Port Bannatyne in a north-easterly which has the same sort of fetch. It's probably the shallow water, I think, and the strongish tides probably have something to do with it too.

 

[Kelpie]

Arm yourself with Hamish Haswell Smith, Antares Charts, and Welcome Anchorages, then go wherever the wind takes you. It's all good!

Personal favourites are the outer Hebrides chain, especially out west in suitable conditions, and the far NW inc Kylesku.

 

[wully1]

I’d plan on being totally self sufficient as it seems a lot of tourist/ hospitality businesses aren’t going to open ASAP as the fear having to shut down again as soon as the inevitable spike in visitor borne infections arrives.

One of the joys of cruising here is the vast choice of places off the beaten track to enjoy.

I hope the weather is kind for your trip - the past few months has been perfect. Of course..

 

[dunedin]

My rather battered CCC book has "UNTENABLE IN AN EASTERLY" written on the page for Ardminish after a rotten time on an HIDB buoy there in the days when HIDB buoys were a thing. I can't now remember how we escaped. Scarpered back to Crinan, probably.

Fortunately plenty of anchorages to shelter from an easterly

 

[Railbob]

Of course I did, my stupidity is legendary up here.
Not all the moorings or pontoons mentioned in Welcome Anchorages are certain to be in place this year. The publication depends on local sponsorship for info. so that when a community or pub loses interest the absence is rarely noticed. Last year we discovered that the pub at Glenuig had let the locals adopt its moorings as they did not bring enough trade, and the pontoons at Kyle were still ashore in late June. Ther are more pontoons from Barra north than they record.
However it is still useful to refer to though it does not list many anchorages despite its title. Its purpose is to encourage use of local facilities like pubs and restaurants. You will me missing a lot if you forgo anchoring, our severly indented coast offers much bettershelter than you usually get down south.

We found out the hard way about Glenuig , we decided to potter down from Mallaig at a very leisurely pace only to find out that the moorings were no longer there,we about turned and headed into Arisaig. We did contact Welcome Anchorages about this and other errors, telephone numbers etc but had no reply and the errors are still there. We now keep an older version in the boat with all the corrections.

 

[cpedw]

Welcome Anchorages is notorious for its inaccuracies (and its inappropriate title). It's under new ownership this year so it may be that corrections will be handled better in future. We can but hope and keep sending them in.

Derek

 

[Minchsailor]

Welcome Anchorages is notorious for its inaccuracies (and its inappropriate title). It's under new ownership this year so it may be that corrections will be handled better in future. We can but hope and keep sending them in.

Derek

I note that the entry for Lochmaddy shows 2 mooring buoys off the pontoon - they were no there last year. The 2 in Ardmaddy Bay were there in 2019.

 

[SaltIre]

Coll/Tiree worth visiting. Nice walks ashore and often see basking sharks in the vicinity. Often the sunniest place in Scotland. If you have time and the weather St Kilda is doable run ashore interesting and seabirds fantastic. Get the tide right and Corryvreckan great fun . Essentially there are loads of places to go, depends on wind on the day. Should have been there in May, postponed for a year!

Yup. I left Largs one year on a Friday afternoon, anchored north of Tarbert overnight, canal Saturday, out Sunday morning and was anchored in Arinagour, Coll, Sunday evening - out through Corryvreckan, Sounds of Iona & Ulva.
From there you can go north, south, west or back east! We went west, to Barra, then back via Muck, Tobermory, Puilladobhrain, Clyde via canal.
I've tried to avoid too many fixed ideas when cruising. Having left Arinagour we went north and decided to go to Barra only after finding out what the wind/weather and sea state was off the north end. I'm glad we did.

So left Largs Friday, Barra Monday night - then meandered back by Sunday...

 

[JumbleDuck]

Fortunately plenty of anchorages to shelter from an easterly

Of course. I don;t remember know why we didn't just hide round the other side of Gigha. I think it may have been an autumn trip from the Gareloch round the Mull, through the canal and back to the Gareloch to we just headed north as planned anyway.

 

[cpedw]

Returning to the OP's request - Welcome Anchorages includes (page 16) several suggested itineraries, some of which include Oban.

Derek

 

[SaltIre]

Oban is an excellent point to start & end a cruise west of Kintyre.
Much more sensible then Largs!

 

[Quandary]

As Wully points out in relation to Canna, some small island and west coast communities are opening but still discouraging visiting yachtsmmen from coming ashore, I suspect this might continue for much of the summer, the resistance might be less in larger villages but cruising without landing is likely to be a new experience for us. Yachts do not make that big a contibution to tourism incomes if you can not access pubs and restaurants so no great motivation to encourage them. In the Clyde it looks like the sheer volume of boats and the denser population will overcome the resistance sooner, so this year staying inside might be a more practical option.
It is going to be a strange year.