Why the west coast?

Peter Waddington, of Kilcreggan, near Glasgow wrote the following ...

Although I am no longer trying to "sell" cruising, I do not hesitate in declaring that the West coast of Scotland is arguably the finest cruising ground in the United Kingdom; some say in Europe, and although I have decided to spend the next couple of seasons sailing further afield, I fully intend to return. It affords mile upon mile of magnificent scenery, as many different harbours and anchorages as you could visit in a sailing lifetime, a choice between calm, sheltered sailing for a quiet holiday, and the Atlantic Ocean for the more adventurous, with an infinite range of intermediate conditions. This coast gets its fair share of excellent weather, - but even under the worst conditions the range of sailing possibilities is such that you will seldom be harbour-bound. The cruising area has hitherto been anywhere within 500 nautical miles radius from Rhu Marina. In practice, the limits covered up to the end of the year 2004 season with the exception of a specially requested Irish cruise were St Kilda in the North West, Loch Gairloch on the North mainland, and the Mull of Kintyre and Firth of Clyde in the South, though these were only dictated by the length of customers' bookings. In the first three seasons after my retirement, my northern limit was extended to Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides, and Loch Inver on the mainland, and by dint of carrying out several more extended cruises, I managed to visit a fair number of intermediate places which I have had to pass by hitherto.A full list of the harbours and anchorages visited in 22 years chartering on the West Coast and in my first three seasons in retirement is included below. Many are favourites, and have been visited a number of times. The places newly visited in 2006 and 2007 are marked with an asterisk (*). However it takes only a brief scrutiny of the overall chart of the West of Scotland to show that there were, and still are, hundreds of inlets, lochs, harbours and anchorages left to explore. The map shows the whole of my first 6 week cruise of 2005, and the northern part of the second.

Harbours and Anchorages

Ardentinny (Loch Long) Tayvallich (Loch Sween) Badachro (Loch Gairloch) Castle Bay (Barra) Ardnadam bay (Holy Loch) Ardfern (Loch Craignish) Flowerdale Bay (Loch Gairloch) North Bay (Barra) Strone (Holy Loch) Eilean Righ (Loch Craignish)

Loch Sheildaig (Loch Gairloch) Mingulay Bay (1)Holy Loch Marina Carsaig Bay (Sound of Jura) Loch Inver Vatersay Bay Carrick Castle (loch Goil) Craobh Haven (Loch Shuna) Tanera Mor (Summer Isles) Eriskay Lochgoilhead Fearnach Bay (Loch Melfort) Loch Thuirnaig (Loch Ewe) Lochboisdale (South Uist)Garelochhead Balvicar Bay (Seil) Sheildaig (Loch Sheildaig) Loch Eynort (South Uist) East Bay, Dunoon Easdale Sound Head of Loch Torridon Loch Skiport (South Uist) (2) West Bay, Dunoon Puilldhobrain Kenmore (Loch Torridon) Loch Carnan (South Uist) Kip Marina, Inverkip Oban (3) Lochcarron Village (L. Carron) Kallin (Grimsay) Largs Yacht Haven Dunstaffnage Marina Plockton (Loch Carron) Loch Eport (North Uist) Millport, Great Cumbrae Loch Aline Kyle of Loch Alsh Loch Maddy (North Uist)
Troon Yacht Haven Loch Drumbuie Kyle Akin (Skye) Basin of Vaccasay Glencallum Bay (Bute) Carsaig Bay (Mull) Ardintoul Bay (Loch Alsh) Loch Leosavay (Harris)
Kilchattan Bay (Bute) Loch Spelve (Mull) Staffin Bay (Skye) Rodel (Harris Rothesay (Bute) Craignure Bay (Mull) Portree (Skye) Village Bay, Hirta (St Kilda)
Port Bannatyne (Bute) Tobermory (Mull) South Rona Church Cave (off) Loch Finsbay (Harris) Wreck Bay (Kyles of Bute) Bunessan (Mull) Acairseid Mhor (Rona) East Loch Tarbert (Harris) Colintraive (Kyles of Bute) Ardalanish Bay (Mull) Churchton Bay (Raasay) North Harbour (Scalpay) White Farm Anch. (Kyles of Bute) Kilchoan (Ardnamurchan) Crowlin Islands Loch Shell (Lewis) Loch Riddon (Kyles of Bute) Salen (Loch Sunart) Dunvegan (Skye) Stornoway (Lewis) Caladh Harbour (Kyles of Bute) Salen (Sound of Mull) Carbost, L. Harport (Skye) Loch Mariveg (Lewis) Kames (Kyles of Bute) Martyrs' Bay (Iona) Loch Scavaig (Skye) Shiant Isles Auchenlochan (Kyles of Bute) Tinker's Hole (Sound of Iona) Armadale (Skye) Carrickfergus Hr & Marina Black Farland Bay (Kyles of Bute) Bull Hole (Sound of Iona) Isleornsay (Skye) Bangor Marina (Belfast L.)Tighnabruaich (Kyles of Bute) Gometra Harbour Loch Na Dal (Skye) Ardglass Marina Brodick Bay (Arran) Ulva Sound Sandaig Bay (Sandaig Is.) Portaferry (Strangford L.) Lamlash Harbour (Arran) (5) Arinagour, L. Eatharna (Coll) Inverie (Loch Nevis) Howth S.C. Marina Loch Ranza (Arran) Eigg Harbour Tarbert Bay (Loch Nevis) Carlingford Marina Catacol Bay (Arran) Canna Harbour Eilean NaGlasehoille (L.Nevis) Carnlough Harbour Carradale Bay (Kintyre) Loch Scresort (Rum) Arisaig (Loch Nan Ceall) Peel (Isle of Man)
Campbeltown South Bay, Eigg Glenuig Bay (Sound of Arisaig) Port Mor, Mu Torrisdale Bay (Kintyre) Loch Nan Uamh Loch Ceann Traigh Soay Harbour
Carskey Bay (Kintyre) Port Ellen (Islay) Crinan Scalasaig (Colonsay) Sanda Island Anchorage Aros Bay (Islay) Cairnbaan (Crinan Canal) Eilean Ghaodeamal (Oronsay)
East Loch Tarbert (Loch Fyne) Craighouse (Jura) Bellanoch Bay (Crinan Canal) West Loch Tarbert (Jura) (4) Portavadie Dock (Loch Fyne) Lowlandman's Bay (Jura) Ardrishaig Ardminish Bay (Gigha) Otter Ferry (Loch Fyne) Inveraray Asgog Bay (Loch Fyne) North Bay, Barmore Is. (L. Fyne) Loch Gair Minard Bay (Loch Fyne) Poll Scrot (Loch Stockinish)* Inner L.Stockinish (NW Arm)* Eilean Thinngarstaigh, L.Claidh* Loch Beacravik* Sandaig Bay (Loch Nevis)* North Harbour, Gometra* Loch Staosnaig, Colonsay* Sailean Mor, Oronsay, Loch Sunart*

Note: (1) Plus passage round Mingulay, through Sounds of Berneray and Mingulay.
(2) Two different anchorages.
(3) Both RNLI Pontoon (now gone) alongside at Oban, and Oban Yachts facilities at Ardantraive Bay, Kerrera.
(4) Seven different anchorages.
(5) Three different anchorages, and village moorings




Summer 2005 Cruises

In 2008 I and a number of friends took ZAMORA to Malta, via Eire, Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, the Balearics, Sardinia and Sicily, and did some late season sailing around Malta and Gozo. After laying up in Malta for the winter, the 2009 season was spent sailing via the East and North coasts of Sicily, a circuit of Sardinia, the Balearics, Spain and Gibraltar, to a lay up at Lagos, in the Portuguese Algarve. The 2010 season was spent sailing the Portuguese and Spanish Atlantic coasts, to a winter layup at Getxo marina, Bilbao, and the early part of the 2011 season was spent in cruising the French Biscay coast and ports in Cornwall, South Wales, Eire and Northern Ireland, on a return passage to the Firth of Clyde. The individual places visited during these sailing seasons are too numerous to mention here. ZAMORA has now resumed her cruising of the Northwest of the UK, and since returning to home waters the following previously unvisited places have been added to the the above list:

Glenarm Marina Portavadie Marina Port Bannatyne Marina Mallaig Marina

May to July 2014

May/ June 2014

Trip One – with David Horrocks – Puilladobhrain, Dunstaffnage

Trip Two – with Dave Hanna - Round Mull - Tobermory, Lunga, Staffa, Inch Kenneth, Gometra, Ulva, Iona, Tinker’s Hole, David Balfour’s Bay (or Traigh Gheal), Ross Of Mull, Puilladobhrain, Dunstaffnage

June / July 2014
Trip Three – with Dave Hanna

• Garvellach Islands (A'Chuli, Garbh Eileach, and Dun Chonnuill. Formed in the Precambrian Age, the islands are approximately one billion years old) – (Can be called Garbh Eileaicha, or the “Rough Islands” or “Isles of the Sea”) Eileach an Naoimh - Scottish Gaelic for Isle of the Saints. Here the ruined remains of an ancient Celtic monastery - believed to have been founded by St Brendan in 542 AD - can be seen.

• Colonsay (in Gaelic Colbhasa) linked by a tidal causeway called The Strand (in Gaelic - “An Traigh”) to the Island of Oronsay (in Gaelic - Orasaigh).
• Jura
• Corryvreckan
• ‘The Bay Of The Glen Of The Pigs’ - for the night
• Islay
• Sound of Islay
• Sound Of Jura
• Puilladobhrain,
• Dunstaffnage

2015 - first voyage in April with Dave Hanna

26th to 30th April ...

Went up Sunday and shopped at Booth's at Kirkby Lonsdale.

On Monday Dave and I set sail for Tobermory. Spent the night there and had a meal at The Mishnish Bar.

Next day we motored up with the mainsail up to have a look up and around Ardnamurchan Point and it got rough (as well as the Small Isles we thought of Coll &/or Tiree) ... so we turned around and sailed up Loch Sunart to Salen.

Stayed the night and sailed down the loch to go down the Sound of Mull to spend the night in Loch Aline (Gaelic: Loch Àlainn) ...

Then over next morning to Dunsataffnage and tidied up the boat and left.