CRUISING DESTINATIONS FOR HERITAGE FOOD
One of the real pleasures of cruising is to arrive in a new harbour just before lunchtime with an appetite freshly whetted by the wind and waves, step ashore to browse through a bustling market full of tasty treats that you can’t buy at home, and then get back on board for a picnic in the cockpit.
There’s a great wealth of heritage foods and local delicacies to discover and enjoy in ports and anchorages all around our coast.
There’s salt marsh lamb and homemade haggis from specialist butchers, amazing cheeses and chocolates from artisan producers, a superb variety of smoked fish and meats, lovely local veg and super-fresh shellfish straight out of the sea, sold right on the quay. These are just a few of our personal favourites, well worth a detour on your next cruise. So forget about those rusty Fray Bentos tins in the bottom of your galley locker and enjoy a bit of gastro-navigation.
1 Stornoway, Lewis RECOMMENDED BY Kieran Flatt
The Outer Hebrides are the Holy Grail of British cruising and some of the local food is spectacular too. The mutton and beef taste different, with a lot more flavour because the animals live entirely outdoors grazing on heather and herbs, and are raised to full maturity over three or four years. Wild goose is also available. The best producers are scattered far and wide on crofts throughout the islands, so Stornoway, the capital of the Outer Hebrides, is the place to stock your galley with amazing ingredients.
Stornoway black pudding is deservedly famous. Three local butchers make the very best black stuff (and also brilliant haggis) to their own recipes. Stornoway Smokehouse (www. stornowaysmokehouse.co.uk) is the last producer of traditional double-smoked salmon, which takes four or five days to cure in a brick kiln. Good Food Boutique (www.thegoodfoodboutique.co.uk) in the centre of town sources fine produce from all over the Western Isles, from Barra to the Butt of Lewis, and there are two top-notch fishmongers on the quays.
GETTING THERE The weather out here can be wild indeed but Stornoway is sheltered in all weather. The approach and entrance are straightforward at any state of the tide with a buoyed channel and a sectored light to guide you in at night. The modern marina (www.stornowayportauthority.com) in the inner harbour provides excellent shelter with walk-ashore pontoon berths for boats up to 24m LOA and 3m draught.
Outer Hebrides by Clyde Cruising Club and Edward Mason, 2nd edition (Imray, £32.50) Imray C67. Admiralty 1785, 1794, 2529
2 Port St Mary, Isle of Man RECOMMENDED BY Kieran Flatt
Manx seafood is internationally esteemed. It commands high prices in European markets and on the menus of London’s top restaurants, but it’s hard to find elsewhere in Britain. The worldclass quality of Manx fish and shellfish is down to careful management and strict regulations to encourage sustainable fishing and an extra-large catch.
Manx queenies – queen scallops
– are the stand-out delicacy. They’re wonderful served raw on the half shell with just a squeeze of lemon or pan fried with bacon, butter and garlic. The intensely flavoured local kippers should also not be missed. You can get fresh queenies and kippers at any of the island’s harbours, but the best place is arguably the fishing village of Port St Mary, with excellent specialist fishmongers right on the quay. And if that doesn’t sate your appetite, take a short stroll from the harbour to an excellent chippy, The Fish House (07624 292999), for that other Manx delicacy: cheese, chips and gravy.
GETTING THERE Careful pilotage and tidal planning are required, especially if you’re approaching from west or south. The inner harbour dries out with a firm, sandy bottom. There are visitor moorings in deep water with good shelter except in easterly and southeasterly winds. Depths of 2m or more can be found alongside Alfred Pier, but you’ll need to tend your lines as the tidal range is huge.
Irish Sea Pilot by David Rainsbury, 2nd edition (Imray, £32.50). Admiralty SC5613, 2696. Imray C62, Y70
3 Conwy, north Wales RECOMMENDED BY Kieran Flatt
Almost all the mussels we eat are farmed. The highly prized Conwy mussels are fully wild and bigger than farmed mussels with a distinctive, meatier taste. They aren’t grown on ropes or trestles, and they aren’t dredged up mechanically from the seabed either, like most other wild-caught mussels, at great environmental cost. Here on the north coast of Snowdonia, mussels are raked by hand from the Conwy estuary by men in small open boats, as they have been for 200 years. They’re sold from a shop on the town quay from September to April, so you’ll need to come early or late in the sailing season.
At any time of year, another good reason to come here is the awardwinning Edwards of Conwy (www. edwardsofconwy.co.uk), one of Britain’s best butchers. The meat counter is the star attraction with local hill farm lamb and Anglesey salt marsh lamb (Juneoctober), but the deli counter comes a close second. GETTING THERE The estuary has a drying bar and on springs, the ebb tide runs at up to 5 knots, so aim to arrive above half-tide on the flood. Avoid it in strong NW winds. A buoyed, lit channel leads in from Conwy Bay. The two marinas, Deganwy and Conwy, have lock gates and visitors’ berths. There are also mid-river pontoon berths and moorings (call the harbourmaster on VHF Ch14), or dry out alongside the town quay. North Wales Cruising Club (www. nwcc.info) welcomes visitors. Cruising Anglesey and Adjoining
Waters by Ralph Morris, 10th edition (Imray, £37.50). Admiralty 5609, 1826, 1977, 1978, 1463. Imray C52
4 West Cork, Ireland RECOMMENDED BY Graham Snook
Ireland’s south-west coast is awash with local producers and heritage foods. Whether it’s Bantry Bay mussels and seafood, the many local cheeses or smoked salmon, kippers and mackerel from
Union Hall, you can buy great local fare in any of the small harbours from Glandore to Castletown Bearhaven and beyond.
In the heart of this rich cruising ground is Schull Harbour. Every summer Sunday there’s Schull Country Market (www.schullmarket.ie). It attracts many local producers including the Ferguson family, owners of the famous organic producer Gubbeen Farm (www.gubbeen. com), which is just a few miles from the town. Their award-winning Gubbeen is a semi-soft cheese with a pink rind and lots of flavour. The cheese, like the farm’s pork charcuterie, is smoked at the on-site smokehouse and can be bought online or at local farmers’ markets. GETTING THERE Schull Harbour is well protected in all but a southerly gale, in which case head for shelter north of Long Island. Schull can be accessed from the west, going either north or south of Long Island. Approach from the south after rounding Cape Clear Island, or via the inner island passage from the north of Baltimore Harbour and Sherkin Island.
Look for the large white beacon on the east end of Long Island, then Bull Rock. Leading lights will bring you in on a bearing of 346°. Land via tender at the quay. South & West Coasts of Ireland
Sailing Directions edited by Norman Kean, 15th edition (Irish Cruising Club, £37.50). Cruising Cork and Kerry by Graham Swanson, 1st edition (Imray, £27.50) Admiralty SC5623. Imray C56
5 Padstow, Cornwall RECOMMENDED BY Graham Snook
The Cornish town of Padstow is known locally for the annual ‘Obby ‘Oss Festival and internationally for the celebrity chef Rick Stein – the cause (some would say curse) of its moniker, ‘Padstein’. But the town’s real culinary star is the Chough Bakery Cornish pasty (www. cornishpasty.com), voted the best pasty in the South West. Owners Elaine and Rob opened their bakery over 40 years ago. Elaine used her knowledge as a domestic science teacher to create the best-tasting pasty: from the perfect pastry to the top-quality beef skirt and the perfectly judged combination of potato, onion and swede. The bakery overlooks the harbour. If you can see the queue from your cockpit, best get moving, it will only get longer.
GETTING THERE It’s a 60-mile trip from Newlyn, around Land’s End and up the north Cornish coast to the Camel Estuary. Whether you’re coming from south, north or east, aim to arrive two hours before HW Padstow. Don’t attempt crossing the fearsome sounding Doom Bar (with variable shoals less than a metre in depth) if there’s a swell running or in strong winds from
N to W, the discretion of anchoring in Port Quin Bay being better than the valour of crossing the Camel River bar. In fair conditions, the entrance shouldn’t pose a problem. Anchor in the pool to the NE of the town until the tidal gate to the inner harbour opens (approx HW+/2). Visit www.padstow-harbour.co.uk to obtain the latest depths. West Country Cruising Companion by Mark Fishwick, 9th edition (Fernhurst, £42.50). Admiralty 1168, SC5608. Imray C58
6 River Dart, south Devon RECOMMENDED BY Graham Snook
If you’re in the West Country for some late season cruising, you could check out the Dartmouth Food Festival from 22-24 October (www.dartmouth foodfestival.com). But if you are passing the Start Point area at any time of year, the River Dart is worth exploring.
On the upper reaches of the Dart, on the way to Totnes, there is a real gem on the western shore. Sharpham Estate (www.sharpham.com), on a bend in the river about 7 miles above Dartmouth, has a vineyard and a creamery. The estate’s Jersey cattle roam the fields below the steep hills of the vineyards. The creamery has won awards for its range of cheeses, including its deliciously creamy Sharpham Brie and light golden Sharpham Rustic. Tours of the winery can be booked in advance.
GETTING THERE Dartmouth can be entered at all states of the tide. The high hills at the mouth make the winds unpredictable, but usually offer good shelter to get the sails down. If your draught will allow it’s possible to navigate up to Totnes. If not, pick up a mooring off Stoke Gabriel (1m CD) and explore the rest of the way by tender.
Approaching the Sharpham Reach you’ll see a boathouse and a quay, but these are private. Instead, head around to the north side of the Sharpham promontory where there’s a footpath leading up to the winery, shop and café.
West Country Cruising Companion by Mark Fishwick, 9th edition (Fernhurst, £42.50). Shell Channel Pilot by Tom Cunliffe, 8th edition (Imray, £37.50)
Admiralty 2253, 1634, SC5602. Imray C5, C10, 2300. Visit www. dartharbour.org for more information.