Ardnamurchan Point to Gairloch



APGL Portree Sliachan Canna Hbr Loch Scresort, Rum Eln Chathastail, Eigg Inverie Eilean Rarsaidh Sandaig Ornsay Badachro Redpoint Beach Poll Dohain Crowlin Isles KyleAkin Kyle of Loch Alsh Port Mor, Muck Acairsaid Mor

Acairsaid Mor
Where is it, how do you get in?
West Side of South Rona. Enter to the S of Eilean Garbh keeping close to the Rona side and leaving the drying rock to Port. You can clearly see the path up to Meall Acairsaid which is a help Once you've identified the drying rock it's a doddle - until you know where it is don't go in!
Entrance
The key to Acairsaid Mor is to locate the drying rock.
Once past the drying rock stay on a line between the rock and the N side of the Islet to clear all rocks on the way in.   


Acairsaid Mor

Shelter & Holding?
360° shelter. Holding is said to be variable but I can vouch for the fact that tucked in E of the islet is nice dark sticky sand.

Remarks:
In spite of the couple who now live at Rona lodge Acairsaid Mor still has a remote feel, the atmosphere is so heavy we found ourselves whispering.  Acairsaid Mor is teeming with wildlife Seals, Oyster Catchers, Herons & Razor Bills all play round your boat. Sometimes highland cattle are visible. It's easy to anchor out of sight of Rona Lodge but it does pay dividends to take a couple of hours ashore to visit the Church Cave on the East Side of Rona and climb to the top of Meall Acairsaid.

Acairsaid Mor, really quite nice.
Acairsaid Mor, really quite nice.




Church Cave
Church Cave

Church Cave
Church Cave

Church Cave
Pews
Poll Dohain/Doin
Where is it, how do you get in?
Easier to pass to SW of the Ruig Isles in the middle which is far cleaner, although there is a channel to E if you want to make life hard for yourself.
Way In.
Entry to Poll Doin is a doddle.

Shelter & Holding?
Has a reputation for being well protected, even from winds in the North. Frankly I can't believe this - the Ruid Isles don't offer much protection at all. None the less excellent shelter over 270 degrees of wind. Good holding, but not as much swinging room as it seems at high tide.

Remarks:
Cracking anchorage. Take the time to walk up on the surrounding hills and follow the path round to Poll Creada.

Poll Doin
Poll Doin

Eilean Rarsaidh
Where is it, how do you get in?
Easiest way in is from the West to the North of the island. Clean as a whistle all the way through. From S enter between Rarsaidh & En a Chuilinn. Keep close-ish to El. Rarsaidh to be sure to avoid the W-most of two drying rocks which has little or no kelp to mark it existence when covered.

Shelter & Holding?
Shelter and holding are great but you might want to choose your spot depending on wind direction.

Remarks:
Great little remote anchorage with Beinn Sgritheall towering over you. There is a road on the mainland but not enough cars to disturb you. The scenery is second to none. Loch Hourne means 'Loch Hell' and according to the Pilot Guides it lives up to it's reputation with venomous squalls dropping off the mountains. 

Eilean Rarsaidh Anchorage From South
Eilean Rarsaidh Anchorage From South


Portree
Where is it, how do you get in?
Capital of Skye.

Shelter & Holding?
I imagine a fair sea state could build up in the Loch itself but mostly good shelter on the mooring bouys.

Remarks:
Not much to commend it except restaurants. It makes it's way onto this website because of this view:
Portee
This greets you when you pull back the wash boards in the morning at Portee....

Loch Scresort, Rum, 
Where is it, how do you get in?
One of the small isles. 

Shelter & Holding?
As far as I can tell this is the worst sheltered anchorage imaginable. With the wind from the East it blows right in and the valley of Loch Scresort accelerates it. With wind from any other direction the squalls drop of the mountains with scornful spite that'll turn your hair grey. Holding is poor, weed all over.

Remarks:
Beautiful, but a calm weather anchorage really.
RUM
Loch Scresort.

Redpoint Beach
Where is it, how do you get in?
Mainland S of Gairloch.

 Shelter & Holding?
Exposed to NW. Sand Bottom

Remarks:
Good spot for a swim if it's warm enough. Good place to dive in and prove you're a man if it's not.
Redpoint
Redpoint Beach
Loch Sliachan, Skye
Where is it, how do you get in?
Spit coming right across the entrance is now marked with a Stb Bouy.

Shelter & Holding?
Sheltered but apparently suffers form evil squalls.

Remarks:
Scenic in a dark looming way. Not much to commend it and buildings cost it a bit of charm. Nice mountains to W though!

Canna Harbour, Canna
Where is it, how do you get in?
Harbour between Sanday and Canna

Shelter & Holding?
V. Sheltered. Poor holding, slippery weed. Ok once it's set though.

Remarks:
The shop opens when the ferry comes in.

Eilean Chathastail, Eigg
Where is it, how do you get in?
Eigg. Approach from E or S. (Easier from S)

Shelter & Holding?
Pretty poor shelter throughout. Anchor In S bay (V exposed) or somewhere between Eilean Chathastail and the Jetty. Holding seemed ok. Careful of the handful of moorings though.

Remarks:
We gave up looking for the transit in from the E, good luck finding it.

In 1577, three hundred and ninety-five MacDonalds fled from maurauding MacLeods into 'St Francis's Cave'. In an attempt to smoke them out the MacLeods suffocated every one of them. Sound like a folk tale? Archaeologists digging within the cave in the the 19C actually revealed the bones!

Eigg
Jetty, Castle Island. Not at it's best.

Port Mor, Muck
Where is it, how do you get in?
Muck. Leading lights and transit. Approach from S.

Shelter & Holding?
Exposed to S.

Remarks:
Not much space now the new pier is in, Martin Lawrence once told me there was no room to anchor at all - but this was the morning after we'd spent the night on the hook there so a little pessimistic! Muck has only 2km of road and no cars.

Kyle Akin
Where is it, how do you get in?
Skye, opposite Kyle Akin. Trivial entry. 

Shelter & Holding?
Pontoons, exposed to East and the wind funnels down the Valley so will tend to be either W or E.

Remarks:
Pub, good view of Skye Bridge.
Pontoon Kyle Akin
Pontoon Kyle Akin

Kyle of Loch Alsh
Where is it, how do you get in?
Skye Mainland, opposite Kyle Akin, Trivial entry.

Shelter & Holding?
Pontoons, exposed to East and the wind funnels down the Valley so will tend to be either W or E.

Remarks:
Showers, and an award winning toilet & shower block! Kyle Loch Alsh is a sizeable town and you can get water, diesel and stores as required.
KLA
Pontoon Kyle of Loch Alsh


Crowlin Isles
Where is it, how do you get in?
West of entrance to Loch Carron. Enter from N or NE keeping well clear of E. Beg.

Crowlins Entrance
Crowlin Isles  form the N - can you guess the way in?

Shelter & Holding?
Shelter very good except from North. Bottom is sand.

Remarks:
It's not really a difficult entrance but any uninhabited Island has it's own excitement and this anchorage feels very remote. Plenty of seals around and, on climbing the hills to the East, I was treated to the sight of the dark shapes of submerged seals playing round the boat. 


CR
Crowlins Anchorage from NE


CR
Crowlins Anhcorage From E


Badachro
Where is it, how do you get in?
South Shore of Gairloch behind Horrisdale Island. Best to enter from NW and leave the S entrance to locals.

Shelter & Holding?
Packed with moorings so best to pick up a Badachro Inn buoy rather than Anchor. Local opinion is that the best Anchor spot is in the bay SE of the Pier on Horrisdale Is.

Remarks:
Not much to say for Badachro except for the pub where you can eat looking out over the harbour Showers available at the pub (at a price, which may stick in the throat a bit when you're paying tourist prices for food!).

Badacro Anchorage from S
badachro Anchorage from S

http://www.lavenderloops.co.uk
Inverie, Loch Nevis
Where is it, how do you get in?
 Loch Nevis works into the Mainland in sound of Sleet. Watch out for "Bogha Cas Sruth", a drying rock way out in the Loch. Identify Madonna and Bogha Don Bn. (Granite Cross) rusty metal post on Sgeir Dearg is not clear.
Bogha Don
Bogha Don - Clear enough?
Papa don't preach.
Strike a Pose, there's nothing to it..


Shelter & Holding?
Pick up an 'Old Forge' mooring. Very exposed.

Remarks:
Loch Nevis means Loch Heaven - I guess it's the sister of Loch Hourn (Hell) just up the Sound of Sleat. Heaven or not it still suffers from bad squalls dropping off the mountain. The main interest here (apart form The Old Forge, the most remote pub on mainland UK) is the remoteness. There's a museum to some 'land grabbers' and a few quaint houses. The biggest problem is that 'most remote place' status attracts trippers by the dozen which makes it, well, not that remote!
Friendly place. When the shower at the pub failed we were offered a chance to use the bathroom at the landlady's house!

Sandaig
Where is it, how do you get in?
North Shore at entrance to Loch Hourn. Enter from the S, Pilotage is trivial.

Shelter & Holding?
Totally exposed to SW but actually better shelter than people give it credit for from the W. Holding on soft white sand is excellent.

Remarks:
Sandaig Islands are the Camusfearna of the Gavin Maxwell Books. If you've read the books it's magical. Maxwell's waterfall is easy to find as are all the other features he wrote of. Terry Nutkins lost his fingers here! Nowadays there's no evidence of habitation except the chassis of an old truck and a couple of tumbledown crofts. A perfect remote anchorage and an ideal place for a BBQ on the beach. Superb.

Sandaig from SSE
Sandaig from SSE


Isle Ornsay, Skye
Where is it, how do you get in?
Skye, Sound of Sleat. Enter from N.

Shelter & Holding?
Excellent anchorage, good holding.

Remarks:
Eilean Iarmain Hotel. Gavin Maxwell bought the light house in a job lot with 2 others in the 50's. Shoals grdually so long row/walk to get to land.



IO
Isle Ornsay