Places to explore in the Western Isles

[Rob Johnstone]

Places to explore in the Western Isles

Following my rash promise to put together a list of places for galleys to lay up, concealed with easy access to the sea, I’ve put together a little list. I’ve strayed a little from the brief, because not all of them would allow for a long lay up (eg running the galley ashore) but all give places where a boat and crew could pause, provided the tide and weather was right!
Bear in mind that tide ranges can be 5m or more at springs.
I'm sorry, I don't know the relevant chart numbers, 'cos I don't bother with the paper versions. I recommend the Clyde Cruising Club guide as a Pilot - it has good "chartlets" of some of the places mentioned, even though it is aimed at captains of 35 ft plus yachts!

The link below will lead you to a word document that will (envetually) contain extracts from electronic charts and any photo's that I have of the places mentioned but bear in mind that it is work in progress and will change from time to time.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1ls12sozkvg7nq2/Places%20to%20explore%20in%20the%20Western%20Isles.docx?dl=0

1.   At 5 deg 09.564’ N, 6 deg 18.52’ W  Alleged Viking site (actually, it’s thought to be medieval rather than Viking, but Viking sounds more romantic). This is the text of a post that I put up on the SYA forum in July 16:
Speaking of Loch Skavaig, there's a really fascinating "Viking" site a few miles to the West, right on the tip of peninsula south of Loch Brittle. There's a Lochan across the peninsula that has been connected to the sea by a "canal" cut at the southern end. The entrance to the canal is guarded by a large monolith of rock with a stone protective wall across the top. Just inside the entrance are two "graving" docks, cleared of stone and just awash at high tide - ideal on which to draw up a longship!’
Not in the Clyde Cruising Club guide. The Island of Soay, where Gavin Maxwell had the base for his Basking Shark fishery in the 1940’5/50’s is just to the S East. The occupant used not to welcome visitors but times and people change….

2.   At 57 deg 0.739’ N, 7 deg 19.542’ W Hellesay and Gighay: a quiet pool between two small islands just NE of Barra. It’s mentioned in the Clyde cruising club pilot. The entrance is from the Norht East. Eric and I eased is 35’ Moody into it at half tide for a quiet lunch stop. The bottom is sand and took the anchor well. A possible overnight stop in calmish weather (It’s surprisingly well protected from the South West). Just South West of is an inlet on the Island of Barra with a sandy bottom and well protected from winds SE through to NW. In the Clyde Cruising Club guide.

3.   57 deg 33.435’ N, 7 deg 07.759’ W Loch Eport- two sheltered bays, one on the north side of the loch and one on the south side, just inside the entrance. I’ve not been in the northern on but the southern one had a sandy beach. Watch it because there’s what looks like an uncharted wreck close to the entrance to the bay (on the port side as you go in_ –its engine was just showing as we eased our way in in a Dufour 34. Also, watch the tidal stream when going it (or out). We blithely went in on the ebb and had to have the engine at almost full throttle to make any headway. It seemed as if we were going uphill!

4.   At 58 deg 06.16’N, 6 deg 22.522’ W Loch Mharabhig about 8 or so miles south of Stornoway, you creep through a narrow defile and then the loch opens out to the SW and the NW. There’s a deep pool in the SW and a sandy (I think) beach to the NW. Just across the neck of land from this beach is another one which you approach from the north. Watch for gusts coming down the hills to the west. I’ve taken a Dufour 34 and some sort of Westerly through the gap.

5.   At 57 deg 53.813’N, 6 deg 20.969’W the Shiant Isles. I suspect this is the hollow cone of an extinct volcano. There’s an island on the W side of the pool and an incomplete ring of smaller islets around the pool. The beach of the island is of shingle, and shelves quite steeply but it might be possible to find a softer slope along it on which to beach. When I was there the bird life was prolific (and v noisy in the evenings).

6.   At 57 deg 09.871’N, 5 deg 41.736’ W Sandaig. This is the bay where Gavin Maxwell lived with the Otters when first writing the “Ring of Brightwater” books. Sandy beach in the Sound of Sleat, reasonably well protected from everything but the South. I’ve not been there but  I noticed that it was one of the overnight stops for a Drascombe “raid” round Scotland some time between 2000 and 2010.

Another thrilling installment to follow soon.

Please note I take no responsibility of the accuracy of this information. Any one using the data provided for navigation purposes does so at his/her own risk etc etc.

Rob J

[Rob Johnstone]

By the way, there are slips at Castlebay on Barra, Loch Maddy on N Uist and at Stornoway. CalMac ferries from either Oban or Skye reach these places, so you don't have to sail across the Minch if you don't want to (although you miss the best porpoise display!)

[Bill Rollo]

Rob

thanks a lot. I'll plot them over the winter and log them for the future.

Best wishes

Bill

[Rob Johnstone]

Three more added:
7.   At 56 o 48.658’N , 7 o 37.234’W Mingulay: a sandy beach in an E facing Bay on this southernmost island of the outer Isles. I’ve not been there, or seen reports – it just looks attractive on the charts.

8.   57 o 32.108’ N, 5 o 59.871 W Rona – on the east side of Skye. A deep inlet with a large pool at the end. If you approach from the south, there’s an arrow on a rock pointing the way!

9.   57 o 09.571 N, 5 o 41.736 W   Isle Ornsay on East side of Skye
There’s a good pub and an expensive, elegant restaurant / hotel on the mainland by the little just by the pole (in this chartlet it looks like a figure 1 with a red line round it) . You can anchor off, and may be able to get alongside the small pier. I can’t remember if it dries out, or is just very shallow close in.

I've also added chartlets for the the places listed so far and a few photo's. They're all in a word document that you can find at the link shown in the first post of this blog.

E and OE

Rob J

[mark1]

so by the end of next season we need a photo of a swallow yacht/boat in every one of these fine locations..
if they don't already exist..?

[Rob Johnstone]

Two more additions:
Items number 10 and onwards are either not marked on the “overview” chart or off it to the south.
The first is Arisaig, on the mainland, roughly east of Eigg.
10.   56 o 54.131’ N 5 o 54.168’W  Arisaig Entrance The bay ofArisaig is worth a couple of days exploring, at least, There’s a slip just off the Fort William to Mallaig road, a hotel that (in 2004) was offering showers for yachtsmen and a couple of other eateries. If you’re fed up with your crew, you can send them home by train!
It has an interesting, well marked entrance from the sea.

11.   56deg 29.662’ N 6deg 17.971’ W GOMETRA  is a small island at the end of a chain of two islands in the “bight” on the Western side of Mull. This anchorage is at the north western end of Gometra. A lovely anchorage and you can find details for it in the Clyde Cruising club book. There’s also an anchorage on the south side of island chain  and an interesting bit of pilotage between the island chain and the “mainland” of Mull. Fingals cave is about 5 miles south of Gometra and the Tresnish islands (full of Puffin at the right time of year) are about 5 miles West. Those are the islands in the photo below.

Not sure where the nearest slip is. There might be one where the ferry runs across the Sound of Ulva between the mainland of Mull and the string of islands.

That's all folks.