Summer cruise of Scotland

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Paddydog`1

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Based in Plymouth but last year meandered our way to Scotland and now overwintering in Troon. This year have general plan of heading up through Crinan Canal then taking our time to enjoy Mull Small Isles Hebrides and Skye etc. Then up northwest coast rounding Cape Wrath to Orkney. Then back through Caledonian Canal via Inverness to Islay Gigha etc and then start heading South.
Seeking advice from those with local knowledge or who have done similar

1)What general route would you take (given appropriate conditions)
2)What were your favourite anchorages
3)Useful stopovers to replenish Water Deisel Showers etc
4)Possible places to leave boat for a short home break or alternatively possible places where crew can leave or join

We intend to start in mid May and intend taking our time since we wont be up that way again. Being retired we have no time restraints except we want to be south of Belfast by August
Well found 35 foot boat skippered by a fairweather sailor approaching 3 score years and ten mainly with my wife but 2 extra crew from time to time along the way

Thank you
 
You have just described our plans for next year exactly - how spooky is that??? I shall watch this thread VERY closely. Hope that you get some good info...
 
1)What general route would you take (given appropriate conditions)

I don't like the Crinan Canal - perhaps because I have been through the locks with a boat that was tad too big; personal opinion. Going round the Mull (if wind is OK) is not THAT bad - bit lumpy at the SW corner, then have the choice of Port Ellen/Craighouses/Gigha for a stop.

Which way you go round Mull is up to you. If you go round the Mull to the W you can head N through S of Islay for the W coast.

N of Ardnamurchan you have the same choice with Skye. Leaving it to starboard opens up the possibility of visiting the southern Outer Hebrides. Leaving it to port there is the spectacular Kyrehea, and Plockton and Rona. After that the NW coast is spectacular.

From Kinlochbervie, catch the tides right for rounding Cape Wrath (the bombing range is inactive during the school holidays). Overnight in Loch Eriboll.

The N coast of Scotland is quite attractive, but the only real place with shelter is Scrabster, and that is VERY much a fishing port, although the HM is helpful.

Orkney - Hoy Sound into Scapa Flow is notorious (welcome to the Orkney tides....). I have had a horrific experience leaving where the W flowing ebb meets the currents outside. Personally I now head for Eynehallow Sound. If you find a way of transiting the Orkneys form W to E having a fair tide all the way I would love to know it.

Never been E of Pentland Firth.

2)What were your favourite anchorages.

Read the pilots!. Not going to let on.

3)Useful stopovers to replenish Water Deisel Showers etc

Be economical with water. Not many places N of Mallaig where you can come alongside. I tend to take a jerrycan with me every time I go ashore to top up the tank.

Diesel - on the pontoon at Tobermory. Fishermans pump at Lochinver (but yacht tank unfriendly). Nowhere in the Outer Hebrides, unless you have an account with the council. More yacht friendly pump at Kinlochbervie.

4)Possible places to leave boat for a short home break or alternatively possible places where crew can leave or join

Crew changes - Oban, Arisaig, Mallaig, Kyle of Localsh/Kyleakin, Plockton, Ullapool, Loch Inver, Scrabster. All with reaonable public transport.

Leaving the boat - Don't expect marina facilities or pontoon berths. Arisaig (but generally full now in the school holidays), Kyleakin, Plockton, Ullapool, Lochinver, Stromness, Kirkwall. Kyleakin, Plockton, Ullapool are mooring buoys and you will have to leave the dinghy somewhere on the shore.

I will be in the area from late April for most of the summer.
 
You need to drop a line to Dave-Shafa of this ilk who is setting himself up as a font of all such knowledge.:)

However:
1) You seem to have selected a route - consider Sleat and the Inner Sound if weather is bad for Small Isles; Outer Hebrides - check for music festivals, etc..
2) Favourite anchorages are favourite 'cos they are quiet - find your own! Churlish, perhaps, but I can think of about a dozen between Troon and Ardrishaig, 9 of which are near pubs. To cover your route would be a herculean task.
3) You need an Almanac or Pilot Book. Water/diesel/showers are available everywhere, it just depends how far you are willing to walk.
4) Public transport will get you to most towns or villages though not necessarily very quickly. Just look where the roads go and choose places on an A road and the coast.
 
Quote: "Nowhere in the Outer Hebrides, unless you have an account with the council"

Apart from the biggest west coast port north of the Clyde, with pontoons (70 berth), Hard standing, fuel, engineers, chandlers, water, cranes, 3 ferries a day, air links to Glasgow, Inverness, Edinburgh, Aberdeen.
The pontoons are sheltered from all directions of wind.

Not council owned, but that's not so much of a problem- the council have new pontoons in Loch Maddy and Miavig, Leverburgh,
more planned for Tarbert, Scalpay and Barra.
Loch Boisdale has just build new yacht friendly pontoon too.

Time it right and you can even dodge the midges!
 
awol said:
Only 2 ferries a day unless you're a lorry and they may not go where you think!
Click to expand...

Almost true!!

Plans for the summer:
Isle of Lewis, on standby, fully crewed ( away for a 2 week refit as we read....)
Loch Seaforth, 3 runs most days (except when the new linkspan in Ullapool is being fitted- its not!)
Clipper Ranger not gone yet!
Isle of Arran still here.....weatherbound....

Stand by for an enquiry as to where the Scottish Office blew £60M on ferries that don't fit piers anywhere else

apologies for the drift
 
Quote: "Nowhere in the Outer Hebrides, unless you have an account with the council"
Click to expand...

That was referring to diesel in Stornoway. There IS a pump on the fishermans quay, but it still needs a council key (or at least it did in August). The marina there is a throughly friendly place.

As an aside, I think the pump at Kallim is the most yacht friendly in the area.

To my knowledge neither the pontoons at Lochmaddy nor Lochboisdale have diesel pumps (but willing to be proved wrong). Miavig is in Loch Roag; I am not sure the OP is thinking of visiting the west coast of Lewis.
 
Re Stornoway= the harbour staff, the Fishermans Co-op or one of the engineers sell fuel from the Council owned tank
 
Inverness has great facilities, and is well connected to the rest of the world by road, rail and air. No midgies either....!
 
Minchsailor said:
1)What general route would you take (given appropriate conditions)

I don't like the Crinan Canal -

From Kinlochbervie, catch the tides right for rounding Cape Wrath (the bombing range is inactive during the school holidays). Overnight in Loch Eriboll.

The N coast of Scotland is quite attractive, but the only real place with shelter is Scrabster, and that is VERY much a fishing port, although the HM is helpful.


Be economical with water. Not many places N of Mallaig where you can come alongside. I tend to take a jerrycan with me every time I go ashore to top up the tank.

Diesel -
4)Possible places to leave boat for a short home break or alternatively possible places where crew can leave or join

Crew changes - Oban, Arisaig, Mallaig, Kyle of Localsh/Kyleakin, Plockton, Ullapool, Loch Inver, Scrabster. All with reaonable public transport.
Click to expand...

Question for Minch Sailor "Overnight in Loch Eriboll".

How far in? I'm interested as I hope to do a "round the top" next year. Eriboll is a big loch, so do you have to go down to Geodh' an Sgadain (4nm approx)?


Crinan Canal. Useful short cut, but Khamsin got horribly scratched (both ways), probably due to my inexperience and being solo.


Water available at Aultbea Pier (Loch Ewe), and Gairloch Pier. Useful anchorages in Loch Ewe inc Loch Tournaig.


Diesel. Depending on how much you might be wanting, if you are very short and concerned, and IF I'm at home I could bring you diesel in cans from Laide Post Office pumps (2 miles away)

Crew change: Aultbea and Gairloch, both served by daily bus service from/to Inverness (Westerbus)


Let me know when you're in the area.
 
We've done almost exactly the circuit you describe but also explored Fair Isle and The Shetlands. Far too good to miss.
We did this through the two canals in the order you suggested and from Troon having ventured up from the South Coast of England the previous year.
All the details are in our blog (as below).
Enjoy your trip! You wont be disappointed.
 
Suggestions for S section

I would not suggest going the offshore route – i.e. to the west of Islay, Jura & Scarba as you are very exposed to anything the Atlantic sends your way with little in the way of good bolt holes in the case of bad weather. Also the inshore route is much more scenic and interesting. So, I will assume that you will take that route. I will also assume that you want to get to the Oban, Sound of Mull, Tobermory area fairly quickly. I will also assume that you can find the places mentioned below from the pilot book/charts etc. However, in case you have not yet got these, I have included OS map references given as Grid Ref (GR) and a 6 figure number and you can look these up on an internet mapping service such as Streetmap.co.uk or similar if you do not have the OS maps. All the anchorages I am suggesting are good for all weather conditions and are ones we use regularly with good holding etc in about 4 to 5 metres of water (the exception is Tobermory Bay which is much deeper). You will see lots more in the pilot books but many of these are very weather dependant or lunch/picnic stops and not recommended for overnight stays unless it is very settled weather.

Routing

You will either depart Crinan from the canal or will pass on passage from the south depending on your chosen route. I note on the forum someone suggested heading for Ardfern (OS Sheet 55 GR NM 809045). Ardfern has a very picturesque small marina with all the onshore facilities you might need adjacent to a lovely village, with a general store, a good pub (The Galley of Lorne) & a small restaurant (the Crafty Kitchen). But, and it’s a big but, if you look on a map, the problem with Ardfern is that it is a long way north up Loch Craignish. To continue your passage, you would have to come back south the next day before turning north again.

Either way you will almost certainly have to make the passage of the Dorus Mor (OS Sheet 55 GR NR 755985). at the south end of the Craignish peninsula. Check your tide tables very carefully as you do not want to go through on a foul tide and take heed of the sailing directions in the pilot book.

If you are not coming through the canal then you can keep further west towards Jura and avoid the Dorus Mor altogether although north of Craighouse on Jura, there are very few good all weather anchorages in this area. Also be aware of strong tidal streams near the east entrance to the Corryvreckan. However as long as you stay in the centre of the Sound or more to the east, these are not a problem.

So you might be best to head for the marina at Croabh Haven (OS Sheet 55 GR NM 8794077). This marina was created as part of a planned village and as such feels a bit artificial (which it is!!). However, it has all you need for an overnight stop in the way of facilities – although the onshore facilities are not as good as Ardfern. There is a small general store (very poorly stocked), a pub (The Lord of the Isles) which is just about OK for food and a small coffee/gift shop.
If you do not want a marina stop, then the other best options are slightly further north. These are an anchorage at Ardinamir (OS Sheet 55 GR NM 758122), towards the north end of the east coast of Luing or the yacht haven at Loch Melfort (OS Sheet 55 GR NM 830124). The former is an isolated but very secure anchorage, although the entrance can be described as “interesting” (see Pilot book for details), the latter has moorings with limited onshore facilities.

Assuming you have stopped at Croabh Haven, then you have two choices for your passage north, both of which need careful study of the tides. One option is the Sound of Luing and the other is to stay more inshore and go through Cuan Sound at the north end of Luing.

The passage through the Sound of Luing requires a fair tide so you need to time it so you reach the south end of the Sound between Scarba and Luing at about the start of the northgoing stream. You will then have a fair tide well past Luing and up towards Easdale. Pilotage at the north end of the Sound of Luing needs to be accurate, as there are many small islands in the area.

The second option on leaving Croabh is to stay to the east of Shuna (note the reef extending well west from the mainland towards the north end of Shuna) and Luing and head for Cuan Sound. This will also be the route if you have spent the night at Ardinamir or Loch Melfort. Once again the passage of Cuan sound is to say the least interesting. Read the tide tables & pilot book very carefully as the tidal streams are well out of sync with the main tidal streams of the area. If you do chose this route going either north or south, I would recommend trying to time it to go through around the turn of the tide, as going through with a full tide, particularly at springs, can be a bit hairy and almost impossible against the tide.

Once through Cuan you will end up north of the north end of the Sound of Luing. Make passage from here to the west of Easdale – the “short cut” between Easdale and Seil is definitely for locals only – I have yet to try it.

You now have to decide whether to head for the Mull shore or stay towards the mainland. If you need to provisions/fuel etc, then the only good place to do so is the Oban area.

Mainland shore routing

Depending on time, there is a very good anchorage at Puilladobhrain (OS Sheet 49 GR NM 783205) at the north end of Seil Island. This is a great anchorage with an interesting entrance, very sheltered and with wonderful views of sunsets over Mull. It is also only a short walk (10-15 mins) to the Tigh-an-Truish Inn (OS Sheet 55 GR NM 784198) which is itself adjacent to the famous “Bridge over the Atlantic”. The pub serves excellent homemade food at great prices. The only problem is that the anchorage can get very crowded, particularly at weekends, as is it a popular day sail from Croabh haven and Oban areas. However, don’t be put off as it is worth a visit, even if only to go in for a lunch stop.

If you decide on a stop in Oban, you can either go to the west of Kerrera entering Oban bay by the north entrance or you can go the more inshore route through the Sound of Kerrera. Either route is good although if the weather is poor you will get much more shelter in the Sound of Kerrera. If you go this route, watch out for the buoyage around ferry rocks as it’s a bit odd. The best route is to stay close to the green buoy towards the Kerrera side of the channel and you will be OK.

In Oban bay itself, you have two options. There is a small marina – Oban Yachts – at the north east corner of Kerrera (OS Sheet 49 GR NM 844307) directly opposite the town of Oban. They run a shuttle ferry service for yachts from the marina to the town. I have never been in there but I assume they have the normal range of marina services. The alternative in the north of Oban bay (OS Sheet 49 GR NM 856305), there are some free visitors moorings on a first come first served basis. They are great in settled weather but can be exposed in a SW wind.

Shopping in Oban is by far the best in the area. There is a very big Tesco about a 10 min walk from the moorings/marina ferry landing stage. There is also a reasonable but pricey chandlery called Nancy Blacks. Plenty of eateries but I would suggest Ee-usk if you like fish/shellfish or Piazza for Italian cuisine. Both are on the north pier and have a great outlook over the bay. Good for either lunch or evening. The Kitchen Garden on the main street does great coffee/cakes/snacks and is also a good deli. As for diesel, I don’t know if Oban yachts supply from their pontoons but in Oban itself I think it’s a visit to one of the garages (there is one at Tesco). I don’t think red diesel is available from either of the piers for visiting yachts but I may be wrong.

Approx 5 miles further north from Oban is Dunstaffnage marina (OS Sheet 49 GR NM 885341. It has all the facilities you could want – diesel; water; shore power; showers; restaurant; repairs etc. The only downside is that it is not good for shopping locally (one poorly stocked general store about 15mins walk away) and many visiting crews take bus or taxi into Oban for shopping etc.

Mull shore routing

Should you decide to miss out on the delights of Oban etc, then after passing Easdale, the next good anchorage is in Loch Spelve (OS Sheet 49 GR NM 700280). Again an interesting entrance but OK if you follow the pilot book precisely (look out for otters in the channel). Once in the loch you have several choices to anchor. Our favorite is in the NW arm of the loch at OS Sheet 49 GR NM 692303. To get there you have to pass through the big mussel farm but the fairway is well marked by yellow buoys. The anchorage is opposite the mussel farm processing plant but you are far enough away for it not to be a problem and they only work during daytime anyway. You can go ashore for a walk close to the anchorage next to a disused jetty or you can leave a dinghy on the mussel farm pontoons and walk from there. They may also give you a good deal in mussels if you like them. Worth asking!

North of Loch Spelve, if the weather is very settled it is worth anchoring close to Duart Castle at OS Sheet 49 GR NM 745354. The Castle is well worth a visit and the adjacent tearoom is superb. However, it is really only a temporary anchorage as it is completely open to any weather from the north or east. (See next section of tides in this area).

Duart Castle/Lady Rock/Lismore

The next critical part of the passage is passing between Duart Castle point and the south end of Lismore. The tidal streams run very strongly here, especially at springs, and in a wind over tide situation can give you some pretty big swells. Going north, we always aim to reach this point around low water Oban or in the next hour or so. This will then give you a fair tide most of the way up the Sound of Mull. Between Duart Castle point and the south end of Lismore you will see a small white marker on Lady Rock. The strongest currents on the flood are to the west of Lady rock. If you are crossing from Oban then it is best to pass to the north of lady rock and you will pick up the best of the tide.

(If you are going south, aim to pass this point on the ebb as the strongest tides are to the south and east of Lady rock and if you time it right, you can pick up 2 or 3 knots of tide from this point right down towards Easdale.)

The Sound of Mull

Once past Lady Rock, the passage across the south of Loch Linnhe to the entrance to the Sound of Mull is pretty straightforward. You will see the Oban-Mull Ro-Ro ferry terminal at Craignure on the Mull shore but it not a good place to stop and is best avoided.

The next best anchorage and one of our favourites is Loch Aline (OS Sheet 49 GR NM 685455), towards the southeast end of the north shore of the sound of Mull. The entrance is pretty straightforward and is buoyed for the small ferry that goes between Loch Aline village & Fishnish on Mull. There is now a small marina but there are several places to anchor but our favourite is towards the head of the loch on the north side close to a small reef (OS Sheet 49 GR NM 688467). You may well see other boats but there is loads of room and good holding. If you go ashore at this anchorage, there is an obvious track (bit muddy in places) which you can follow back down the loch to Loch Aline village. If you have time, it is well worth a walk to Keil Church (OS Sheet 49 GR NM 672452). It takes about 30 mins but the history of the church is fascinating and the views up & down the Sound of Mull are amazing.

The track also goes the other way to the head of the loch past Kinlochaline Castle and to Ardtornish House. The house is now self-catering apartments but you can walk through the grounds, which are well, maintained.

There is an anchorage in the southeast corner of the loch but there are a lot of local boats moored there and also flooding of some years ago created a distinct shelf. Several boats have reported dragging their anchors off the shelf and into deeper water in the last couple of seasons in strong winds.

The final leg up the Sound of Mull brings you to Tobermory. You have three options for spending the night in Tobermory Bay. The old free moorings have been taken over by the Tobermory Harbour Association. They have spent a lot of money clearing old moorings from the bay and laying out new trots of moorings, which are well maintained. These can be identified as they are dark blue with a white top and a yellow pick-up buoy. They are all towards the steep tree covered hill on the far side of the entrance to the bay. There is a charge for these and a boatman collects this, normally in the early evening. Inshore of these, an area has been cleared for anchoring and this is free. However, this area is fairly small and the water is pretty deep – around 10 metres. The last option is they have recently set out a small number of pontoons. I have yet to use these as we generally go for a mooring.

The main problem of Tobermory Bay is that it can get very busy although this is generally in July & August during the school holiday period. We try to get in by mid afternoon when you can normally get a mooring fairly easily. If you are there in May/June it should not be a problem.

There is a landing area for dinghies adjacent to the pontoons and water is available at the pontoons. The walkway from the pontoons leads to a car park and the garage next to the car park will supply red diesel into containers. All the shops in the town are on the waterfront and here you will find a well-stocked small Co-op supermarket, a good chandlers called Seafare as well as the usual butcher/baker (very good) etc. There are lots of cafes & restaurants along the seafront of which we have tried many. However, by far the best is the Western Isles Hotel. It stands in an imposing position on the hill above the harbour and is a 5 min walk up a steepish hill. However, once there, eat in the bar as the food is good, prices very reasonable and the views over the bay are second to none.

The final anchorage worthy of mention, and not to be missed if you have the time, is Loch na Droma Buidhe (OS sheet 47 GR NM 590585) - known not surprisingly as Loch Drambuie. This is situated off Loch Sunart, the entrance to which is directly across the Sound of Mull from Tobermory. It is a magical place, completely isolated and yet only about an hour sail from Tobermory. Lots of people use Loch na Droma Buidhe as their overnight anchorage and come into Tobermory Bay for a period during the day for shopping etc. I should not say this but if you pick up a mooring during the day but leave before late afternoon it is highly unlikely you will be charged. There are several choices of anchorage, all of which are in the pilot book. The entrance is narrow but deep and easy.
 
Crinan Canal for me was a must-do. You must have anti-midge products and/or head net.

I went through single-handed. Staff couldn't have been more helpful. But at one section I was with a charter boat. I asked the skipper to donate me a crewman. No problem.

advise you stock up provs and then head for the most remote lochs, the ones without roads. then you can find your own anchorages and live like Huckleberry Finn.

I enjoyed Stornoway - all facilities except on the Sabbath! You'll hear gaellic spoken too.
 
davidjackson said:
What an incredibly helpful and informative thread. I hope to be able to see some of these great locations for myself in 2016 (........and beyond).
Click to expand...

Aye, it all sounds idyllic but there's a wee touch of reality missing from the prose. If you get to Ardfern count the number of boats getting keel repairs and ask "why?"; no-one seems to have mentioned the weather, its sudden mood changes and the pure fiction of some forecasts (e.g. SE3 or 4 actually means anything but SE and either flat calm or gale); places you were counting on to have water or diesel being devoid of both - droughts do happen and diesel deliveries can be late; then there are the natives ...... and the illiberal clegs, and the midges, and and the jellyfish, the lack of mobile phone or vhf coverage, and the rain, and the cold, and the ..........

Brought to you courtesy of the Keep it a' fur oorsels campaign
 
davidjackson said:
What an incredibly helpful and informative thread. I hope to be able to see some of these great locations for myself in 2016 (........and beyond).
Click to expand...

As Mae West said: "Come and see me sometime". (At least I think she did!!)

Keep in touch. It really is a great area to sail. (And don't believe all you hear about the Wee Beasties (midges))
 
Robert Wilson said:
Question for Minch Sailor "Overnight in Loch Eriboll".

How far in? I'm interested as I hope to do a "round the top" next year. Eriboll is a big loch, so do you have to go down to Geodh' an Sgadain (4nm approx)?
Click to expand...
I've been in twice, about 2009. First time (in a hurry on the way to Orkney) we stopped in Rispond. It was quiet westerly weather. It felt very crowded but we stayed and swung on the hook without getting tangled with any of the many other small boats around.
Second time, on the way back with time in hand we went further, to the south side of the bar at Geodh' an Sgadain. It felt spacious and secure in the extreme. There was one other yacht anchored there, not moored, but no sign of occupants. They had left it for several days I later discovered, with no qualms about its security.

Derek
 
Well I have been on the West coast when it rained every day, it did not rain all day every day only some days. However I have also cruised from Troon round the Mull and up to Stornoway one summer in a 22 ft sailboat in glorious sunshine most days with only the the occasional sprinkle. It was so warm I needed to cool off with a swim most afternoons.

Places I like.
Gigha
Jura Craighouse
Jura Loch Tarbert - only in settled weather and if you enjoy a challenge.
Easdale Island walk round it and have a drink at The Puffer.
Puill an Dobhrain Anchorage Seil get there early. Walk over to the Inn of the Trousers.
Duart Bay
Isle Ornsay
Rhum
Stornoway
 
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