Lunar Sea around GB

We were leaving Dunstaffnage Marina for Craobh Haven on Tuesday and it was the start of West Highland Week, the big regatta up here. The first race was from Craobh Haven (pronounced Croove Haven) yesterday, (Monday) and a lot of the boats had ended up at Dunstaffnage Marina Monday afternoon. Hence, when we had a farewell meal Monday evening at the Wide Mouthed Frog (the local restaurant at the marina) it was heaving. There were several large parties drinking and getting loud and having fun so it reminded us of our home Regatta, Ramsgate week, which had just finished. This is the first year we have missed Ramsgate week for abut 20 years.   Craobh Haven Marina Anyway, we set off for Craobh Haven Tuesday morning and the weather wasn’t too bad and we planned to be there by about 5 o’clock. It was a fairly uneventful sail but we did pass the Corryvechen whirlpool, which is the third largest whirlpool in the world. Craobh Haven is a delightful Marina tucked behind an island...

We have just passed day 90 and we have worked out that we have had 10 days of sunshine in that time. Mind you we did go home for 2 weeks in the middle but I don’t remember the weather being particularly nice then, either. The man on the telly yesterday said that it is because the jet stream has decided to stay south of the UK and so it’s blocking all the nice fluffy highs from coming up to warm us. Instead we are getting all these nasty cold wet lows coming in to attack from the West. I am finding the relentless grey skies and wet weather rather depressing. However the upside is we did have a rainbow yesterday!   Anyway, we are off sailing again tomorrow after a week here in Dunstaffnage marina. We had a few days of lovely sunny weather when my sister Deidre and her partner Steve were with us, but since they left the rain has returned. So I thought I would write a short bit about Munro Bagging and the people (and dogs) who I have met along the way who have done them.  ...

Well, what a fantastic time we have had in the Highlands! - I have fallen in love with Glencoe and the surrounding area.  It has a mystery, wild beauty and remoteness that I hadn't realized was possible in the UK.  The waterfalls are beautiful with cold crystal clear water cascading into still pools.  Having left the remoteness of Glencoe behind we are now in Oban - an attractive sea side town with excellent facilities including a swimming pool that we have sampled.  It is quite a 'foodie' heaven with fabulous local cheeses available in the delis and a fresh fish stall on the quay side  (Scottish langoustines!). Ferries to Mull and the islands are frequent which sadly we haven't had time to explore in part due to the Scottish weather! Below is a picture of Dunstaffnage Marina where we have spent the last couple of nights on Lunar Sea.  Its a very pretty marina with a bar and restaurant.  Julia and Josh have been excellent hosts and we are sorry to be...

I thought I must do Glencoe justice so I am picking up some bits and pieces about Glencoe for you to read at your leisure, if you are interested. Queen Victoria wrote in her diary of Glencoe; "Emerging from the village we entered the Pass of Glencoe, which at the opening is beautifully green, with trees and cottages dotted about along the verdant valley. A sharp turn in the rough, very winding and in some parts precipitous road, brings you to the finest, wildest and grandest part of the pass. Stern, rugged, precipitous mountains with the beautiful peaks and rocks piled high one above the other, two and three thousand feet high, tower and rise up to the heavens on either side, without any signs of habitation."  It has also been described as the most romantic place in Scotland. It is also filled with myths and legends and of course the terrible Glencoe Massacre of 13 February 1692. You can read about that at your leisure as there is plenty of information about it on li...

A short but interesting blog. We all experienced a "call of the wild" on our trip to Glencoe. The Glencoe valley mountains.   Water nymphs We drove along the road and parked in a suitable spot. The  sun was out, it was really hot and the scenery looked stunning. We weren't really sure where we were so Steve shot off up the mountain to do a reccy. He was gone about half an hour so we tried ringing him but no signal and we were beginning to worry that he may have fallen and broken his ankle or something!. So Josh volunteered to look for him and also disappeared up over the top of the mountain. He came down after about quarter of an hour wet up to his knees as he had fallen into a bog. Steve then appeared around the corner having found another car park which we proceeded to. So that was their "call of the wild." Steve and Deidre then decided to do a hike up the mountain to try and find the lost valley so Josh and I walked over the road and found a love...

We are taking a four day break from the boat to explore the Highlands with my sister and her other half, Steve. First stop Inverness, (where we will meet Deidre and Steve and a car!) We got to Inverness by using two buses, very inexpensive and reliable, Josh and I are very impressed with the public transport system here in Scotland. We have spent a couple of nights in a charming, very rural B&B in Kiltarnity, where we experienced true Highland hospitality. When we arrived in the afternoon our hostess, Ethna, provided a full tea for us. On the dining room table in the farmhouse, laid with a lovely old embroidered table cloth was a three tier tea stand with home made shortbread, scotch pancakes with butter and home made jam and on the bottom tier a selection of home made cakes and fruity tea bread. The breakfast in the morning was equally stupendous, with fresh laid eggs and bacon and a selection of bread and home made scones. I tried the porridge, which was different...

Dunstaffnage castle   A visit to Oban by bus proved interesting but a bit underwhelming. One thing that has occurred to me while visiting Scotland is that what is considered a big town is not, by our southern standards. Nevertheless Oban is a charming little town on the waterfront, with a ferry service to Mull and some of the other islands and a marina opposite the town situated on Kerrera island. We did spot the super yacht moored in the marina, perhaps it was there for the Highland Regatta week that starts at the end of July. The town itself is small with a few upmarket shops catering for tourists selling expensive tweeds etc and likewise restaurants selling seafood. The seafood restaurant on the quay is happy to serve you  a seafood platter for two at £100. There are various Victorian hotels which have seen better days and a sweet little museum, but otherwise nothing much to write home about. There is a very bizarre tower on the hil...

At last, what I have dreamed of for the past several months has come true. We woke up to warmth and sunshine, clear blue skies and crystal clear waters. We had breakfast on deck! I went for a morning swim in the loch!! I had shorts and a t-shirt on!!!!   Finally a lovely warm sunny day in Scotland and I can tell you, nothing can beat it. The scenery looks stunning, the bees are buzzing around the wild flowers and the water is still and clear and no wind. The owner of Linnhe marine came and had a chat and pointed out the palm trees growing by the shore and he said that, because of the Gulf Stream , this part of North West Scotland can be quite balmy and mild and hence palm trees can survive. We had thought about staying here for a few days because it is such a beautiful spot, but with this weather window we decided it made sense to head on to Oban. Also there was no electricity at the pontoons so we couldn’t “plug in”. It has made me realise how lost we are with...

   What a great name for this fearsome flight of eight locks or chambers, which took an hour and half to traverse. The first locking was 8am and the next wouldn’t be until about 1pm so we got up ready for the eight o’clock descent. The routine is that a crew member stays ashore and “walks" the boat through and this was what the lady lock keeper recommended. Josh wasn’t happy about this as he wanted us both to stay on the boat, however in the end after several requests from the lockkeepers he relented and I “walked” the boat through each lock. It was an overcast morning with a chilly wind so it was rather tedious and I got very cold, as there was a lot of standing around.  A lot of standing around in the cold.   At one point when I was walking the boat along from one chamber to the next I remarked rather flippantly to the same lady lockkeeper “It’s rather like taking the dog for a walk!” to which she replied “Yes, but a bit more stubborn”. Could s...

We came as we left, on the Caledonian Sleeper from Euston to Fort William, 12 hours or as it turned out 13. It is the atmosphere on the train that makes the journey, it is like a large house party on wheels. There is a host to greet you when you arrive dressed in either a tartan tie (gentlemen) or a tartan waistcoat (ladies.). Everyone gets chatting to other "guests" at the party. Where else would you find a crusty old Scottish gentleman in a fine tweed suit walking though the lounge car into the restaurant car carrying a musket? Josh's comment was wonderful "Are you expecting trouble on the border?" I do recommend a journey on the sleeper if you can just for the eclectic mix of characters. I could write a book about the conversations overhead and the antics in the sleeper car  and I may well do that some time. Anyway, we had a reasonable night's sleep in our cabin and arrived an hour late at Fort William, but that didn't matter to us. However some pas...

Euston Station, the end of our train journey. We are both home now having decided to take a break from our adventure for a couple of weeks. I will be blogging again once we resume our trip but in the meantime I had to do a quick mention of our journey home on the Caledonian Sleeper, the 19.50 from Platform 1, Fort William (there are only two platforms!) We decided to come home on the train because Josh doesn't like flying and mainly because we could get the train right there at Fort William and it would take us straight to Euston. Then a short walk to St. Pancreas where we could both get a train home. The price was unbeatable, £55 each and with our "old farts card" a third off that! What's not to like? I have experienced the overnight sleeper train from Shanghai to Beijing and back and from Moscow to St. Petersburg and back. I have to say the Caledonian sleeper beats both of those in terms of comfort, friendliness, facilities (the lounge bar felt more like a pri...

 21 to 23rd June, days 6,7,& 8 in the Caledonian Canal. Needless to say the good weather didn't last but we decided to walk into Fort William and find a bus stop on the way. The road to Fort William   We finally found a bus stop just as the heavens opened to a crack of thunder and lightning! I was just phoning for a taxi when one passed us and we flagged him down; Simon the taxi driver had come to the rescue. He dropped us off in the High Street and as it was still pouring with rain we dived into a Costa and had a heavenly cup of coffee, my first since Ipswich! To be honest there isn't much to see in Fort William, especially in the pouring rain. We dived from one shop and pub to another, the men decided to stay in the pub and Linda and I found our way to the end of the High Street to a Mountain Warehouse shop. I took Linda's advice and purchased a wonderful pair of waterproof breathable walking trainers and some dry socks, all to prevent the real possibility o...

Tuesday 20th June. We awoke to a glorious day of sunshine and stunning views, birds chirping (I heard a cuckoo) and a beautiful calm canal. Pauline had decided to make the most of the forecast good weather and take the bus to Fort William, do the Mallaig train journey (made famous in the Harry Potter films) and then home on the Caledonian Sleeper. We waved her goodbye at the bus stop, returned to the boat and set off for Fort William, now with a crew of four. The Loch into Loch Lochy was one small "down" lock so very easy compared to the "up" locks we had done so far. We had news from the lock keeper that the Gairlochy swing bridge at the end of Loch Lochy was broken but should be repaired later today, so we pressed on. A beautifully calm loch, sunshine and warmth...heaven. We even had shorts and tee shirts on and I did contemplate a swim but it was too shallow at the edges of the loch to moor. When we reached the end of Loch Lochy at Gairl...

Day 50 of our trip and day four (or is it five?) on the Caley Canal. We awoke to mist and rain, while the rest of the country is basking in record temperatures! We left Fort Augustus and on to Loch Oich and Laggan. We had two more "up" locks to do, Lock Kytra, only a small one. The lock keeper was a very amiable lady who gave us five gold stars for all wearing lifejackets, so we stuck those in the log!  The next lock was Cullochy, another small "up" lock , a couple of swing bridges and by 1.30 we had arrived in Laggan. Our berth at Laggan  It was still cloudy but it had stopped raining so four of us (Mick , Linda, Pauline and myself) decided to go for a walk and try out our two folding bikes for the first time this trip. The sun did come out and the scenery was stunning. There is a path along the Caledonian Canal called the Great Glen Way, so we did about a mile of this up into the hills that looked down onto Loch Lochy. Looking down onto Loch Lochy. ...

Day three captain's log 19 June 2017, day 49 of our adventure to go where no man or woman has had the sense to go before! First mooring at Fort Augustus with Loch Ness in background. After our lock in at the Bothy and our last two days experiences we decided to stay in Fort Augustus for a night. We left our first mooring and went up the flight of locks to the other side so that we would be ready to go tomorrow. The locking up went without incident, but it proved to be a tourist attraction as literally coach loads of tourists would line the canal watching all the boats go through the flight of five locks. This is our last long flight up, after this we will be going down which is much easier. Going up requires more skill and the idea is two crew stay on the lock side with the lines (one bow and one stern) and "walk" the boat through. This is safer as no getting off and on the boat, although there is the danger that someone might slip and fall into the lock from the t...