BLUEMOMENT

The annual Spring Trip to the West Coast is rapidly approaching and we'd welcome some local knowledge.

We're chartering from Croabh. We've chartered from there three times before before but hared off not properly exploring the immediate area so this time we're going to stay very local.

Our cruising area would be: Jura, Gigha, Islay. Sound of Iona, Morven Lorn, Loch Linnhe, Loch Melfort and around there. We've done the Sound of Mull and northward to death. We've also done (and probably won't want to revisit): Tinker's Hole; Oban; Craighouse; Ardinamir; Dallens Bay; The place S of Cuan sound & Seil Is. & Pulldohran, West of Mull (apart from Sound of Iona!) so don't waste words on those!


We're interested in picturesque remote anchorages (or at least remote feeling achorages), although we'd want one or two nights with a pub or small town. Also we do value shelter a lot! We'll probably try to do breakfast and lunch stops which hopefull will allow us to see a fair few places at the expense of mileage.

We'd love some comments on:

Bagh Nam Muc - I fancy this - once you're in is it nice?
Loch Sween – What's it like, where's good to go?
Ardminish, Gigha?
Loch Tarbert, Jura?
Bull Hole?
Martyrs Bay – Is it a decent overnight option? Access to Iona is good from here?

Towns - any comments on the below towns? Any other towns worth a visit?
Port Ellen? Worth a visit?
Tayvallich?
Easdale?

Most importantly what decent remote places would the forum recommend. Are there any quaint villages/towns or 'Individual Pub With Mooring Bouys' spots? (like Inverie or Badachro.)

Hope I've been clear, thanks in advance. I have a feeling there's going to be a wealth of info coming my way!

(Naturally, I'll be printing http://www.bluemoment.com/scotmoorings.html off to take as I have for yonks now.)

Day 1.

Out through Cuan in case it's not there in 2011 and breakfast at Easdale although it's not a town by any stretch of the imagination. Elevenses 'twixt the Black Isles, lunch at Eileach an Naoimh, Colonsay for a tea time pint and Oronsay overnight. (Apologies if one of these is "The place S of Cuan sound..")

Day 2...

is he planing or displacement

day 2 & 3 ... across to loch tarbert, jura for an overnighter

port ellen - a must avoid imo

Ruined by the concrete ferry pier and got stiffed for £5 for a shower at the hotel.

Lots of fenders and stay dirty - Colonsay is worth a visit.

As you know, there are not many pubs and restaurants with visitor moorings in the area. But if you do decide to head up Loch Linnhe, I'd strongly recommend the Boathouse Restaurant at Kingairloch, Loch a'Choire, opposite Dallens Bay - BlueMoment report here. Further north, I'd recommend the Loch Leven Seafood Café, near Onich - YBW report here. Both restaurants have moorings.

There is also the Isles of Glencoe Hotel at Ballachulish. It is some years when we visited, but at that time we hadan alongside berth in the cut, and a shower and use of the pool thrown in for a tenner. Berth space is very limited. Great value, although I expect the prices may have been adjusted since then. I expect the food is good, but have no experience of it. And, going south again, at Appin, there is the Pierhouse Hotel. There are usually spare moorings, but it is exposed to the southwest.

Lastly, I'd recommend phoning the restaurants up before calling in. While mobile signals can be pretty iffy in the bays and anchorages, you can usually pick up a decent signal in the middle of Loch Linnhe.

Carsaig, quiet anchorage, a pleasant walk to the pub/restaurant in Tayvallich if needed (or the bus!).

Tayvallich is nice and very well sheltered. It's a beautiful sail up Loch Sween but watch out for the big rock right in the middle. You pass Castle Sween which has a very good restaraunt at the caravan site It's not your usual caravaners that go there nearly everyone is into boats of some sort.
At the entrance to Loch Sween are the Maccormaig Isles, You'll find Eilean Mor there it has a beautiful remote anchorage. I think Shard has posted pics of it in the past. Worth a lunch stop.

Many thanks BT & S! All noted.

This has been my normal summer cruising area for the last few years. A mile or so further up Loch Sween past Tayvallich you will find the Fairy Isles to port - one of the most beautiful and quietest anchorages I know. Its one of those places where you can see no sign of civilisation whatsoever. Last time I was there I drifted around the islands on the tide in the dinghy and watched an osprey bringing fish back to its young high up in a scots pine.

I also like Ardminish, nice peaceful feeling to the place with basic facilities at the cafe by the pier (£1 for a shower). About 15 free moorings there last summer. The Gigha Hotel is a short stroll across a flowery meadow - through a gate on the left just above the cafe. At the north west corner of Gigha there is a lovely sandy bay (name escapes me just now) where HRH used to anchor Britannia for a family swim - very exposed to the north though.

The Ardman isles at the SE corner of Islay are an interesting bit of pilotage and worth the visit - quite sheltered if you get in behind the off-lying rocks/islets.

Finally, Loch Tarbert on the W coast of Jura has a very remote feeling to it. It is not always a quitet as you might wish; Roman Abramiovich's huge gin palace 777 was anchored in the entrance when we arrived! There is a spectacular raised beach to starboard of the first narrows. Pilotage into the inner reaches is challenging - we opted for a dinghy exploration.

Have a good cruise!

... has a collection box in which the gigha trust would like you to place a donation towards the upkeep of the moorings. can i urge you all so to do ( cos i like ardminish as well )

That's terrific Mehitabel thankyou, exactly the kind of local knowledge we were hoping for. I've printed your post off - sounds like Loch Sween alone will keep us occupied for a day or more.

For some reason didn't spot this yesterday. All noted, ta.

I've chucked a GPX file of places in the area I'd like to focus on (the bit within the blue line) and chucked them on googlemaps. Sorry the waypoint/anchor symbols are so large. I can't seem to edit them.

Maybe someone's got some views on places I haven't thought of within the blue line or places that I've put down as possibles that are actually rubbish in reality:

http://tinyurl.com/ylfdut6

Many thanks for the wealth of information on this site & forum.

Bull hole does have Broadband WiFi, yeah?

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If you are going out to Tinkers Hole and Iona you might want to conisder making a complete circumnavigaton of Mull. Heading up the West coast useful anchorages are Bunessan, Gometra harbour (between Gometra and Ulva) and Loch ??? up near Croig on the NW coast, which is OK so long as the wind is offshore but could be a trap in a strong onshore wind. On the way you can visit Staffa (difficult to land unless flat calm but you can sail up to Fingals Cave and peer in) and Lunga in the Treshnish Isles (good anchorage, but a bit of rock-dodging to get in and out). A trip across to Coll is also worthwhile in decent weather.


.............................................................................Fairwinds at anchor at Lunga, Treshnish Isles