SCOTTISH ROUTES
A guide to some of the world’s best cruising grounds, from the Clyde to St Kilda
There is a good reason that around one third of all Scottish yachts are based in and around the Clyde – it’s the gateway to some of the most wonderful sailing grounds in the world. My sailing career began in these waters and over the years I have left Ireland and gone north, hopping from port to port to reach Stornoway before heading off towards the high latitudes. On each voyage I kept asking myself, ‘Why leave here when, despite the weather, there is so much beauty to enjoy?’ And that’s the point; the weather is changeable but there are plenty of good days to more than offset the soggy ones.
Scotland lies in the track of Atlantic weather systems that do not respect the seasons. The good news is that they generally go through quickly and as the damp and windy air departs, crystal clear mountains, sea and sky take your breath away as high pressure becomes established. There is an opinion that May and June are the better months with wonderful long days and short nights. The meteorological statistics suggest that July and August are the wetter months with occasional gales, and they can be real howlers. There are noticeably fewer yachts around in September so there is less pressure on anchorages but then the more disturbed autumn weather is approaching.
In planning a cruise in these waters I make a rough decision about my preferences with plenty of wriggle room built in. This approach breaks the west coast of Scotland into several distinct areas. For a time-limited cruise, what could be better than concentrating on Mull and its off-lying islands with Tobermory as a goal along with Loch Sunart and Salen at its head? With more time on hand, a circumnavigation of Skye might beckon and the west mainland coast has unbelievable delights such as Torridon and Loch Gairloch.
For remoteness and wild landscape, the Outer Hebrides have it all. Orkney and Shetland are achievable for a longer cruise that could start on the west coast then head on round the islands before returning by way of the Caledonian Canal. And if your taste is for something more adventurous why not go ‘foreign’ to the Faroe Islands? Boats heading south for Ireland, Wales and the English coast must also be considered in this picture.