West Coast Scotland info

[jwalker]

I guess you musta slowed the video on porpoise...

It was a nice run you had.

[Last Tango]

Originally Posted by jwalker

I guess you musta slowed the video on porpoise...

Yeh.

About 90% of the footage ended up "on the cutting room floor" It didn't seem to matter what direction you pointed the camera they'd appear somewhere else but there were a lot of them, I'd guess 50+ and they were heading towards us from all directions. Needed a few "freeze-frames" to get a positive ID on them.
Magic day out though.....four seasons in one day.

[tom_20000]

So we've roughly planned our route, maybe a bit ambitious and need to go over a few more details this week but we're hoping to go as follows weather and tide pending(feedback welcomed!);

Day 1 (10.1 miles) - Launch in Appin* early and camp/anchor on Lismore (Kit check, general visit around Linnhe and Castle Coeffin, recover from the drive)

Day 2 (61.5 miles) - late start and head south west, down past the slate mines at Belhahau and then over towards David Balfours Bay and hopefully find a place to stop for the night camp/anchor

Day 3 (44.5 miles) - early start and up round Iona and then upto Staff to try miss the tourist traffic, spend a bit of time there and then upto Tiree. Fuel in Tiree and then up to Col to find somewhere to camp on the north Tip of coll on the islands. Looks like there's some nice beaches that could be suitable for anchorage and tents for the night.*

Day 4 (24.6 miles) - *short trip on the boat see if we can find any Whales and such and then we're going to head to Eigg and find the spot that Gunnard mentioned to camp. Head into the Massacre cave and up to the the top of Sgurr.*

Day 5 (78.6 miles) - Big trip and one most likely to change - take a trip up round Rum and Canna, if weather suits make a dash for Macleoids Maidens and the caves on Idrigill Point and then down to the south of Skye and visit the Spar cave nr Elgol , finally head into Mallaig for a B&B for the night and Fuel.*

Day 6 (105.1 miles)- Head to Loch Hourn, circle East side of Raasay and Rona, stop at the harbour on Rona and explore, hopefully pick-up some Meat and Seafood as suggested by Phil and Jane from Bill and Lorraine. Stop off in Portree for fuel and then down to the sandy area on Raasay near the ferry pier for a camp for the night.*

Day 7 (64 miles)- Shoot back down the east side of Skye and into Inverie hopefully pick-up a mooring for the night, food and drink at the Old Forge and camp somewhere nearby*

Day 8 (24.8 miles) - Continue south and into Loch Moidart - Visit to Castle Tioram find somewhere to anchor and camp for the night

Day 9 (44 miles) - Continue south, hopefully some more time for whale and dolphin watching between Coll and Inverie and then down to Tobermory to pick-up a mooring, fuel and hotel for the night.

Day 10 (27 miles) - Short trip back to camp on Lismore for the night and a relief night in case we need to spend two nights somewhere due to the weather. *

Day 11 (10.1 miles) - *Back to Appin and drive home :-(*

[Poly]

Perhaps I am soft or missing somewhere, but I’m not sure I’d be keen for anchoring on the north of Coll and camping unless the conditions and forecast were both amazing. Arinagour can provide some shelter in any conditions you’d sensibly consider 4-5 or 6-7 in. Whilst it is comparatively populated it is still going to be very quiet to anyone from the mainland.

[tom_20000]

Originally Posted by Poly

Perhaps I am soft or missing somewhere, but I’m not sure I’d be keen for anchoring on the north of Coll and camping unless the conditions and forecast were both amazing. Arinagour can provide some shelter in any conditions you’d sensibly consider 4-5 or 6-7 in. Whilst it is comparatively populated it is still going to be very quiet to anyone from the mainland.

Thanks Poly, we're actually also struggling for accomadation in Mallaig so maybe Arinagour is an option instead, appreciate the point about north Coll, will make sure we play it safe.

[jwalker]

Good luck with your trip but I'd be planning an alternative for when you leave Coll and Tired because that area can be seriously rough if the weather in not the best. Also, if it's bumpy but doable staying to the west of Rum and Eigg won't be so good because you'll get big reflected waves coming back from the islands and mixing with the seas. Going between Rum and Eigg would be wise for both shelter and you can go ashore at the back of the islands. Similar conditions along the west of Skye..keep your fingers crossed for calm weather and it'll be superb - bad weather and you could easily frighten yourselves.

[tom_20000]

Originally Posted by jwalker

Good luck with your trip but I'd be planning an alternative for when you leave Coll and Tired because that area can be seriously rough if the weather in not the best. Also, if it's bumpy but doable staying to the west of Rum and Eigg won't be so good because you'll get big reflected waves coming back from the islands and mixing with the seas. Going between Rum and Eigg would be wise for both shelter and you can go ashore at the back of the islands. Similar conditions along the west of Skye..keep your fingers crossed for calm weather and it'll be superb - bad weather and you could easily frighten yourselves.

Thanks, it's definitely a blue sky plan, this week we need to plan the fall out options. We can always do extra nights in places if we need to and cut the route if required. Praying to the weather gods for the next 3 weeks! (And the midge gods :-) )

[Last Tango]

Your anchorage on Canna is at the south east tip of the island so you'd probably be better going round Rum anticlockwise. Gives the option of stopping on Rum where there is apparently a new pontoon.

[The Gurnard]

Hi Tom..sound a fantastic adventure and I hope the weather suits so you can do it all.

Just some thoughts from me that may nor not help you …

When I go wild camping in my boats .. I look for three things. Perhaps you will require the same.

1 A suitable sheltered spot for the boat.

2 A suitable piece of ground to pitch the tent (many lovely bays have only bog land at the back and you cant get a tent up)

3 Camp spot is not far from the boat to save carrying the gear long distances

As an example ..I have taken one of your proposed sites “Inverie”. You mention using the hotel moorings if available (or you may be lucky and get a spot on the pier). You mention camping there which is not a problem. However its almost a mile to carry your camping gear as you cant pop a tent up in the village when they supply a lovely area at Long Beach

Map showing camping area ..its an honesty box for payment..and I think they suggest £5 for a tent per night..but that may have changed now as its a couple of years since I camped there



In return they have facilities and you can camp anywhere along the area above the beach.



At low tide..its a long walk from boat to campsite over the shore as the tide goes out for miles. However around half to high tide ..if you go up the river to the south of the campsite ..you will find a not well know area where you can land and drop off your camping gear..( you may even decide its possible to anchor there and let it dry out on the falling tide which is what I do). (Rebecca is permanently moored there..or she was) Set up camp then use the hotel moorings..or walk to the hotel.



The hotel in my opinion is overated. Make sure you book for a table as several times I have taken folks there only to be told..we are a remote hotel so you cant expect us to serve you dinner without notice. This is despite the fact the place is empty.Check out trip advisor for others experiences !!

Loch Nevis is a stunning place to see..surrounded by remote mountains..access only by boat.. so make sure you go right to the end up through the narrows past Tarbert.

Hope that kind of info helps..I have camped at most places you are considering ..so could help there if the above kind of info is of any use to you. I have already covered Eigg previously.

[tom_20000]

Originally Posted by Last Tango

Your anchorage on Canna is at the south east tip of the island so you'd probably be better going round Rum anticlockwise. Gives the option of stopping on Rum where there is apparently a new pontoon.

We'll take a look at that cheers!

Originally Posted by The Gurnard

Hi Tom..sound a fantastic adventure and I hope the weather suits so you can do it all.

Just some thoughts from me that may nor not help you …

When I go wild camping in my boats .. I look for three things. Perhaps you will require the same.

1 A suitable sheltered spot for the boat.

2 A suitable piece of ground to pitch the tent (many lovely bays have only bog land at the back and you cant get a tent up)

3 Camp spot is not far from the boat to save carrying the gear long distances

As an example ..I have taken one of your proposed sites “Inverie”. You mention using the hotel moorings if available (or you may be lucky and get a spot on the pier). You mention camping there which is not a problem. However its almost a mile to carry your camping gear as you cant pop a tent up in the village when they supply a lovely area at Long Beach

Map showing camping area ..its an honesty box for payment..and I think they suggest £5 for a tent per night..but that may have changed now as its a couple of years since I camped there



In return they have facilities and you can camp anywhere along the area above the beach.



At low tide..its a long walk from boat to campsite over the shore as the tide goes out for miles. However around half to high tide ..if you go up the river to the south of the campsite ..you will find a not well know area where you can land and drop off your camping gear..( you may even decide its possible to anchor there and let it dry out on the falling tide which is what I do). (Rebecca is permanently moored there..or she was) Set up camp then use the hotel moorings..or walk to the hotel.



The hotel in my opinion is overated. Make sure you book for a table as several times I have taken folks there only to be told..we are a remote hotel so you cant expect us to serve you dinner without notice. This is despite the fact the place is empty.Check out trip advisor for others experiences !!

Loch Nevis is a stunning place to see..surrounded by remote mountains..access only by boat.. so make sure you go right to the end up through the narrows past Tarbert.

Hope that kind of info helps..I have camped at most places you are considering ..so could help there if the above kind of info is of any use to you. I have already covered Eigg previously.

Perfect information, finding a suitable camp can be a challenge and on previous trips something that can be time consuming!

Shelter for the boat is a must to give a decent nights sleep! I've just bought another 10m of chain, we have a 7kg Delta and 30m of rope plus another backup grapnel with chain and rope if needed. We're also taking a little 2.6m tender and OB incase we need to anchor off and take the camping gear in on that. More than happy to let it dry out where suitable, so long as we can work with the tide times (i need to plot those out this week).

If we can be "heading to a camp" rather than searching, it takes the stress out of the end of the day so would be very glad to hear any other suggestions you may be willing to share. We know where we're staying on Linnhe and Eigg and now Inverie so far

[willk]

Originally Posted by tom_20000

maybe Arinagour is an option instead, appreciate the point about north Coll, will make sure we play it safe.

I've camped in Arinagour. IIRC there was actually petrol for sale close to the harbour. There is a field behind the Coll Hotel that you can wild camp in. The hotel does breakfasts and showers. I suspect they will know the story about petrol and they also take the mooring fees for the visitor buoys. It's quiet by city standards, but fairly bustling by Island metrics...

[jwalker]

Somewhere else you might like to consider is Carbost. It's in that inlet on the side of Skye where you have a waypoint marked on your map.
Nice little place, very sheltered, good food, bunkhouse, pontoon for the boat and a distillery - what more could you want!?

[The Gurnard]

Originally Posted by tom_20000

finding a suitable camp can be a challenge and on previous trips something that can be time consuming!

)

Thats my thoughts exactly Tom ..there is nothing worse than a long tiring day at sea then having trouble trying to find a campsite at the end of the day. The yachting references are not much use as they generally sleep on board their boats.

Example..Tinkers Hole on the Ross is their favourite place. However for someone camping on shore..it is of little use as it has steep rocks to clamber up then a long way to find a flat place for a tent. I find guides for the kayakers the best for this kind of info rather than yachties.

Here is some info on another of your proposed locations ..the Ross of Mull



Balfours Bay is the popular choice for wild camping and would be my first choice too.. except in a strong S- SW wind as the waves on the beaches can be a considerable size in strong winds.

If that was the case..I would nip round to Market Bay and anchor up there (or let it dry out tide dependant ..as its sand) and just as pretty as Balfours bay.. Its not suitable in Northern wind directions though...( then you will use Balfours Bay).Good grass for the tent at the top of the eastern bay. (Its a two beach bay like Balfours bay). So that gives you two options as its always best to have a location in mind depending on wind directions at the time.

Market bay if winds not suitable for Balfours bay.. a Co-op shop in Bunessen as a bonus too


A third option is Fiddens Campsite ..also shown on the map. Its a large sand bay drying at low tide. Rocks in the middle but the water is that clear you can easily pick the large sand areas. It has the advantage of showers and toilet facilities and is £10 per tent. I can recommend it as its almost like wild camping on the beach.. however it will be busy now as it is a popular place.

Although technically you can wild camp anywhere in Scotland assuming you follow the “”access code rules” .. I keep away from camping on Iona itself ..simply because of its popularity and historic interest in attracting tourists. I dont want to be in their way if Im camping and they dont want to see all my gear spread out when they walk to a beach on Iona..especially when there are suitable places on the mainland Mull. Common sense and thinking of others helps in many locations.

Iona Abbey is very much worth a visit. Get there before 9 am if you can as the ticket office does not open until the tourists arrive at 9am. The abbey is still open and the staff dont mind you being there early ..it saves being mobbed by tourists and you also dont pay the entrance fee..although its only around £10 per person anyhoo.

The spouting cave on the SW of Iona is well worth seeing if its working..(its been too low tide last couple of times I have visited) . If beachcombing on Iona ..look for the small pieces of green marble called “St Columba’s tears” .. rare but findable and everyone wants a piece. Also the tiny cowrie shells unique to the area.

Just some info on the area.. I could happily spend a month there... if fact I have :-D

Canna ..

Personally ... I would not use the moorings .. they are too far to a camp place (There is a designated camp site a good bit from any beaches) I go to this bay ..its sheltered and sandy bottom..I camped on the grass above the beach and no one bothered me. I recommended it to the RIB guys I meet during the summer and they have a very enjoyable evening and wild camp there too. There is a community shower down near the PO..cost is £1. You can see the beach and campsite in the Canna video which I posted earlier.

[Last Tango]

Into the mix......

https://www.wildaboutargyll.co.uk/ev...-lifeboat-day/

[tom_20000]

Think we're about there with our planning now, thanks to everyone who's inputted, it's made the whole process much easier. More detailed itinerary is here;

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharing

Weather god's arent looking too bad at the moment, Coll area might be questionable but we'll have to see how that progresses.

Few gaps we've yet to fill i've not researched these yet, but any input again would be great.

- Sunday we plan to leave the David Balfour area and head over to Tiree before moving to through Coll or Over to Eigg. We we're hoping to get fuel on Sunday (what a crazy idea! :-)) But the garage in Arinagour is closed and Tiree I need to call tomorrow but suspect may also be closed, need to find a fuel option.

- Could do with a second option to camp on the route from Mallaig to Rassay incase we cant get that far north or such.

- Camping on Loch Moidart - Anyone have any experience?

- Second half of the trip is looking thinner on things to do places to go so any suggestions (roughly on route would be great)

Finally I need to go over all the charts in details for any key points, tidal flows etc etc.

Cant believe its come around so fast! Giddy :-D

[The Gurnard]

Originally Posted by tom_20000

- Camping on Loch Moidart - Anyone have any experience?

Hi again Tom..Im just back from another few days wild camping by boat so only seeing your post now. I know Moidart area well so will give a map and locations later when I get settled.

I also have a wild camp game that may interest you on your travels. it passes a few hours of pleasant campsite entertainment while waiting the evening high tide to turn. The game is to see who can pitch their tent closest to high water mark ..(must pitch tent at least two hours before high tide for maximum fun) then sit back and enjoy a few beers waiting to see who wins.





I won the Jura contest by a good couple of feet.

[Last Tango]

Originally Posted by The Gurnard

<<<I won the Jura contest by a good couple of feet.>>>

Was that wet feet ?

[The Gurnard]

Originally Posted by Last Tango

Was that wet feet ?

I was worried I rolled over during the night Last Tango ..and had a wet dream ..at my age that could kill

Tom...

The prettiest wild camp spot in the whole west coast in just outside Loch Moidart north Channel..its shown on the attached map.



Its a double sided sandy beach/peninsula and you can get shelter from waves bby landing on the appropriate side. Sheltered by reefs too ..see photos. Its now very popular with kayakers so could be busy although plenty of room.





If its busy ..you can moor where the yachts moor beside Castle Tioram then camp on the flat grass beside the castle..I often see tents pitched there with canoes beside the tents.

Worth landing on Eilean Shona jetty to see the huge fossil amenite just by the welcome sign. Biggest I have ever seen. I generally see a pair of sea eagle around the island too so watch the tree tops when passing. Not sure if your boat will get down the north channel of the Island as its about 2ft depth when I pass over the ford which is the shallowest point. I cant recall if its at springs ..but definitely only doable at high water. Lots of rocks to avoid near the sea entrance too. Its a lovely channel to see if you can do it though.

Not so many places between Mallaig and Rassay that I know of. However if winds are ok ..the Sandaig Islands offer some shelter and camping space. Its where Gavin Maxwell used to live and his grave and otters graves are there..so of interest even though I do not think much of his thoughts on conservation after he slaughtered most the basking sharks around Skye.

Barrisdale bay in Loch Hourn is a great place to camp but the tide goes out for miles so only suitable in evening high tides.

My preferred camp spot around Raasay area is in Portree bay as shown in this map..a lovely sheltered sandy bay with good grass camping area. Handy for Portree town.



Hope that helps some more...enjoy your journey and I wish you fair weather. Just remember that every island has a sheltered side even in strong winds ..that how I see these places in my small inflatables .. I choose to go the sheltered ways..which is neither clockwise or anticlockwise ..its weather/tide direction dependant.

Some other advice .. Take tick pullers (Tic O’ Tom is my weapon of choice) with you as I always get one or two bites most places I go. Midges are murder so take head nets..dont listen to those that say Avon Skin so Soft is wonderful ..its not !!!

Bon voyage

[tom_20000]

Ahaha i've played that game before on Lomond, the score was Loch 1 - 1 Tom. It took the shelter but just missed the tents

This was in the floods in Dec 2015, it came up a huge amount overnight!

[tom_20000]

Thanks for all the additional info BTW, that's perfect. We've got our midge nets and even suits at the ready! I heard they changed the recipe in skin so soft so it doesn't really work anymore. We've had good results with "Smidge". I'll just hope for a light breeze!

On a separate note, we're undecided what to do about a safety check-in with someone, particularly as we're on our own. We'd usual check-in with someone at the end of the day, but not sure how we'll get on with phone coverage?Those we check in with have our routes and expected plan etc in case something bad was to catch us out, just not sure what safety "time gap" we should set. Idea's welcome