Wondering the practicality og a round UK trip next year

Daydream believer said:
Can someone tell me what actually so special about having to go round the top.
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No there is nothing you miss by going through the Canal and skipping the NW coasts of Scotland, 2/3rds of the UK coastline and 200 or so of stunning islands. Once you have seen the Isle of Sheppey you have seen everything.
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ylop said:
To me there are three obvious reasons why people sail round Britain:
1. To say they did it / tick the box
2. To enjoy the scenery / culture / history etc on the way round
3. To challenge themselves with / experience different / difficult sailing conditions

some people do it for one of those, some for a mixture. All of them seem legitimate reasons, some appeal to me more than others. But all 3 are better if you go the long way round! To do it twice it can’t really be just about the first one, so why then did you go back?
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I did it for all 3. In 18 months I should be moving to Cheshire and taking Concerto to NW Wales. So iIn a couple of years I will do a round Ireland as this can be even more challenging. Then I will return to the Orkneys and Shetland as I really enjoyed it there but using the Celedonian Canal for that trip..
 
Daydream believer said:
Can someone tell me what actually so special about having to go round the top. i Have lived in Scotland and went to school on the borders for a while. Frankly once one has seen one heather clad rocky crag one has to admit they do tend to look alike. Walking in the hills with my grandfather ( he did work as a guide for a while so trod many a rocky crag) was more a case of- well we have done it- rather than anything else.
I have to admit that my first trip was to say that I had done it. The second was to enjoy it. But no way do I think I missed out in not going round the top just to say I had “done it”
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Two things.
One, use your eyes. ( But then you sail out of Bradwell marina, past an old nuclear power station, towns and signs of industry almost always in view. If you cannot see or appreciate the beauty or wildness of the north of Scotland, then there probably no point in going.)

Two, you said you have sailed around Britain twice. Thats not true. Sailing from the east coast and coming back via the caledonian canal is a lovely summer cruise but you simply haven’t circumnavigated. If you skip the entire scottish coast from the Moray Firth all the way round to Fort William then youcannot possibly claim to have sailed (or motored) around Britain. Its not pedantry, its a massive chunk of geography.
 
For most of us, even doing it through the canal is a great effort. Time, money, health is a problem many face . Does it still count if you do half one year and half the next ? It would for me.😁
 
i actually looked forward to the cally canal with its locks. At fort Augustus I had a couple of tourists walk my lines as I passed through. A competition to see who was the best. male or female. At the end they were upset that I declared it a draw as both wanted to win.On the next one some Spanish tourists came aboard to the delight of the rest of the coach trip all with cameras flashing & great camaraderie. Bit of a gamble with my lines but it all worked out & was hilarious
Once I went through a flight tied to a tourist barge . The guests came & had chats about what they & I were doing. Looked on my boat etc. So much so that I actually missed that we had passed the flight.
One year was bad weather round the north but warm inland so I did not feel I had missed anything
most of the lock keepers were friendly & I sometimes had a chance to moor up before the lock & go & have a chat. One kept the lock gate open for 10 minutes making everyone wait, so I got a better view of the coastal steam train going through
So there is a lot to be said for the canal route other than just a short cut. It is what one makes of it
 
Daydream believer said:
i actually looked forward to the cally canal with its locks. At fort Augustus I had a couple of tourists walk my lines as I passed through. A competition to see who was the best. male or female. At the end they were upset that I declared it a draw as both wanted to win.On the next one some Spanish tourists came aboard to the delight of the rest of the coach trip all with cameras flashing & great camaraderie. Bit of a gamble with my lines but it all worked out & was hilarious
Once I went through a flight tied to a tourist barge . The guests came & had chats about what they & I were doing. Looked on my boat etc. So much so that I actually missed that we had passed the flight.
One year was bad weather round the north but warm inland so I did not feel I had missed anything
most of the lock keepers were friendly & I sometimes had a chance to moor up before the lock & go & have a chat. One kept the lock gate open for 10 minutes making everyone wait, so I got a better view of the coastal steam train going through
So there is a lot to be said for the canal route other than just a short cut. It is what one makes of it
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Nobody is criticising you, your trip(s), or your enjoyment of them. The only thing that I would take issue with is those who say that they have sailed ROUND the UK, when they haven't.
 
Daydream believer said:
So there is a lot to be said for the canal route other than just a short cut. It is what one makes of it
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Indeed there is. I did wonder about trying to get a winter berth in the canal for one year (long waiting lists). However a poster in one of the shower blocks put me off. It warned of the dangers of fresh water freezing in pipes and sea cocks causing serious damage.
Summer is good though, and even motoring through in the rain can be enjoyable. Like so much else it all depends on your frame of mind.
 
srm said:
Indeed there is. I did wonder about trying to get a winter berth in the canal for one year (long waiting lists). However a poster in one of the shower blocks put me off. It warned of the dangers of fresh water freezing in pipes and sea cocks causing serious damage.
Summer is good though, and even motoring through in the rain can be enjoyable. Like so much else it all depends on your frame of mind.
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I used to winter a previous boat in the Caley Canal for 20 years, and yes freezing can be a real problem. One year, several boats were, or were nearly, sunk at the top of Neptune's Staircase at Banavie. The problem seemed to be seacocks left open, and the attached hoses being forced off by the formation of ice. Fine until it thaws. 🙁
 
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srm said:
Indeed there is. I did wonder about trying to get a winter berth in the canal for one year (long waiting lists). However a poster in one of the shower blocks put me off. It warned of the dangers of fresh water freezing in pipes and sea cocks causing serious damage.
Summer is good though, and even motoring through in the rain can be enjoyable. Like so much else it all depends on your frame of mind.
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Yes, if wintering afloat then in sea water is much better - the sea rarely gets too cold, and much less frost damage issues than if wintered afloat. We have never winterised the domestic water system, though depressurise by opening a tap before leaving the boat.
Certainly lots of boats do winter one or more years in Scotland to make a more relaxed trip round Britain, and enjoy the places en route
 
We're currently doing a circumnavigation of the UK & R.O.I. over 4 years (Orkney & Shetland inc rather than the Caledonian). (Approaching the end of year 3). It's a fantastic trip. We're in a Sadler 29 bilge keel which has been great for the trip. It's definitely doable.

Tiller pilot is fine - buy a spare & sell it at the end if you don't use it.

Make sure you have food & hot drinks for the day before leaving harbour.

Don't do it tough - use marinas where you can, there will be quite enough anchorages + moorings anyway.

Have all the current editions of the pilot guides - excellent for planning. Don't forget the excellent Welcome Anchorages & Antares Charts for Scotland.

Try & get stuck in interesting, comfortable places - several days swaying around at anchor, not able to get off the boat is not restful.

Go anticlockwise and, no, the East Coast is not boring! The Swale, London, the Blackwater, Deben, Ore, Wells - next - the - sea, Whitby, Scarborough, Berwick, Farne Isles, St Abbs, Stonehaven etc

Using a WiFi dongle, we have only had one remote anchorage in Scotland where we didn't get the internet.

Best of luck
 
dunedin said:
Certainly lots of boats do winter one or more years in Scotland to make a more relaxed trip round Britain, and enjoy the places en route
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Wintering afloat in sea water is no problem, I have done so for a number of years in Shetland both on moorings and in a marina.

Likewise in Stromness Marina, Orkney, which I am happy to recommend to anyone wanting to leave a boat afloat. It was my home port and I have happily left my boat there for a few winters while travelling away from the island.

If you want to leave a boat ashore in the Northern Isles be prepared to take the mast down as it can get windy, assuming you find somewhere that you can lift out.
 
As with any of these things, one sets one's own challenges - don't worry about these endless & pointless definitions of "round Britain"

IMHO, some of the inside the islands routes can be significantly more challenging than a slog around the outside!
 
Bristolfashion said:
IMHO, some of the inside the islands routes can be significantly more challenging than a slog around the outside!
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Not quite outside everything but I would often go west of Islay and through the Minch rather than inside Mull and Skye, but then, that was when in "delivery trip" mode and I did not want to have to stop for the various tidal gates. Though they have proved entertaining when cruising the west coast.
 
I just did a few days from Inverness as far as Berwick. We stopped in Peterhead and Arbroath, doing long ish legs. I think we could have stopped at intermediate points but time was a factor. Arbroath was charming, Berwick had an interesting entrance, and an interesting town. But there was a sense of a rather unwelcoming shore, a shortage of harbours and anchorages that was a bit unsettling. We had no problems, but it was an unusual stretch of coastline for me.
 
gdallas said:
I just did a few days from Inverness as far as Berwick. We stopped in Peterhead and Arbroath, doing long ish legs. I think we could have stopped at intermediate points but time was a factor. Arbroath was charming, Berwick had an interesting entrance, and an interesting town. But there was a sense of a rather unwelcoming shore, a shortage of harbours and anchorages that was a bit unsettling. We had no problems, but it was an unusual stretch of coastline for me.
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Fairly typical as you head south, many harbours are drying, or have limited access, which is why I prefer the west coast of Britain. Have only done one passage the full length the east coast, but a significant number the length of the west coast.
As long as the wind stays in the west the east coast is OK, but its a very different matter in an easterly.
 
Get a camper van,you can still anchour (Dan fourth). ……toddle round the coast without all that messy business with sails and knots ..what’s not to like,as they say
 
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