Feat Cumbo Firth of Clyde Mar 19.Indd 42-43 14/03/2019 09:29 CRUISING
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CRUISING 0 5 10 15 nautical miles Inveraray N Loch Loch Goil Fyne Loch Lomond Crinan Loch Canal Gair Loch Long Gare Holy Loch Loch JURA Otter Loch Gilp Ferry River Loch Loch Clyde Fyne Caladh Striven East Loch Greenock Tarbert Kyles Gourock of Bute BUTE Largs INCHMARNOCK GREAT Sound of CUMBRAE Bute LITTLE ISLAY GIGHA Lochranza CUMBRAE ES ID R ARRAN B Moray E Firth of Firth H R KINTYRE Lamlash Clyde E HOLY T Inverness U ISLAND O SCOTLAND North Campbeltown Sound Kilbrannan SCOTLAND Atlantic Sea Ocean Edinburgh DAVAAR Glasgow ISLAND NORTHERN Mull of ENGLAND IRELAND Kintyre AILSA CRAIG BONNIE IN CLYDE The sheltered sounds of the Firth of Clyde offer spectacular scenery, some intriguing history and a grand feeling of space – particularly when aboard a comfortable 1930s motor yacht WORDS AND PICTURES Peter Cumberlidge 42 43 Feat Cumbo Firth of Clyde Mar 19.indd 42-43 14/03/2019 09:29 CRUISING arly last September, Jane and We joined ship at the James Watt Dock Marina in Greenock, OUT IN THE STICKS by the navy for midget submarine training. The daring attack I accepted an invitation to cruise which is located on the south bank of the River Clyde. She lay We woke to warm sunshine and glassy calm except where in Norway on the German battleship Tirpitz was carried out with friends aboard their 1930s next to a row of imposing brick warehouses, which we discovered a few guillemots were swimming. Jane and I pulled ashore for by six boats from the 12th Submarine Flotilla. motor yacht Chico. Designed by were once owned by the Tate & Lyle sugar company. A keen a stroll before breakfast, landing on a grassy knoll near some Fish farming seemed tame after midget submarines, but it the legendary G L Watson & Co, wind sliced through the marina and we were soon in Chico’s grazing cows. An otter paddled away with a rippling wash. was interesting seeing a barge laden with thrashing salmon and Chico was built by James Miller saloon, tucking into tea and homemade chocolate cake. Climbing a stile, we headed for Carrick Castle, a gaunt stone sea trout. We saw no other vessels beyond the mouth and it was in Fife. A Dunkirk Little Ship, refuge on a rocky spur, built by clan Campbell in the 14th soothing to follow this beautiful waterway between colourful she has enjoyed a full and active INTO LOCH LONG century and still gloomily defi ant. This is castle country, and braes of bracken and heather. Fir trees fl ourished near sea level, career, which continues under her Never one for lingering in harbours, Gus got us under way they pop up everywhere, harbouring the ghosts of Stewarts or protecting isolated cottages and oases of grass. A grey chapel present owners Gus Geddes and soon after tea. Joining the Clyde channel, we nosed out past the MacDonalds brandishing broadswords and gnashing their teeth. stood at the mouth of a stream. Sue Maclachlan. Starting from Oban impressive Ocean Terminal and then Gourock Bay, with its yacht Well exercised, we returned on board for a Full Scottish, As the shores steepened and drew closer, the loch felt more like on Scotland’s west coast, Gus and moorings and ferry terminal. West of Gourock, Chico swung including Stornaway black pudding and traditionally cured a Norwegian fjord, which is why the navy picked this lonely spot Sue run summer charter cruises around the Inner Hebrides in north into Loch Long, a commanding fjord cutting far inland Rothesay bacon. Coffee was brewed as we meandered back down for exercises. We tried to imagine the 50ft four-man subs groping the civilised style to which their elegant ship is accustomed. between wild majestic hills. the loch and then south towards Bute, a long fertile island their way into a desolate inlet above the Arctic Circle, tasked Our original plan was to work south round the Mull of There are mysterious vibes in Loch Long, which is marked separated from mainland Argyll by narrow inlets called ‘kyles’. with laying charges below Tirpitz. Two boats succeeded and the E Galloway and into the little-known waters of Solway, but strong as a submarine exercise area. You must stay in the charted There’s always traffi c to watch in the Firth of Clyde. Caledonian battleship was disabled for over six months, a signifi cant tactical westerlies made it prudent to stay in the relatively sheltered Firth channel, which leads clear of a restricted military zone on the MacBrayne ferries shuttled across and Chico herself was a fi ne gain. Many wartime forays were planned and rehearsed in the of Clyde. This was certainly no hardship because the sounds and east shore. Part of the Trident defence system, this rather sinister sight for the passengers. A submarine slid past to port, sleek and lochs of the Firth of Clyde, giving these waters added spice. channels inside the Mull of Kintyre provide magnifi cent cruising base is guarded by patrol boats and is rich in local stories of menacing with nobody in sight. Off Toward Point, a Rothesay amidst magical vistas of mountain peaks and glittering sea lochs. underground chambers and passages. However, we couldn’t see ferry crossed our bow, carrying day trippers to this lively KYLES OF BUTE Here you can fi nd cosy anchorages in any weather. At 73ft much apart from stark towers and a massive jetty, although a Victorian resort. Swinging west behind it, we passed a wide Having savoured Loch Striven’s cloak-and-dagger atmosphere, and 75 tonnes, Chico is well suited to lying at anchor. With her police launch hovered offshore. fi sh farm before cruising north into Loch Striven. we slipped back towards Rothesay and turned into the East Kyle extremely comfortable accommodation, deep freeze and huge We travelled two miles further up Loch Long, then branched of Bute, one of my favourite corners of the west coast. Bute slots water tanks, you can be totally independent of the shore for left into Loch Goil, a remote and quiet reach which is fringed LOCH STRIVEN into the mainland like a jigsaw piece, leaving a U-shaped channel days on end. The scattered harbours are fascinating too, with rugged slopes and pine forests. Gus nudged the boat into Not many boats visit Striven, which is why we did. Mysteriously around its northern end. The Gaelic meaning of kyle is ‘narrows’, close-knit communities in a primeval landscape where a shallow bay on the south shore where we anchored to spend deep and with few access roads, the loch has an intriguing and the East Kyle shrinks to a biscuit’s toss between low skerries self-reliance is a way of life. the night in total peace. history. During World War 2 its upper reaches were requisitioned off the island’s tip. The navigable gaps are skimpy by Clyde Many wartime forays were rehearsed here, giving these waters added spice CHICO CRUISES Chico takes from two to six guests but is ideal for a party of four, when a four-night cruise costs £1,067 per person (£4,268 for the group). Prices include all meals to high standards, including wine with dinner. Itineraries depend on weather and trips often start and fi nish at Oban. CONTACT: Gus Geddes, Tel: 07885 456855; [email protected]; www.motoryachtchico.co.uk TRAVEL BY RAIL: Caledonian Sleeper from London Euston towards Fort William, changing at Crianlarich for the Oban bus link. BY AIR: Numerous fl ights to Glasgow Prestwick, then train to Oban. T O P Surveying the scene from Chico’s elegant wheelhouse A B O V E L E F T The yacht’s cosy interior is spacious and comfortable 45 Feat Cumbo Firth of Clyde Mar 19.indd 44-45 14/03/2019 09:29 CRUISING standards and we watched a couple of seals sunning themselves The house has a fl amboyant round tower with a pointed, Gus and Sue going ashore Lochranza distillery is Arran’s on their private beach. witch’s hat roof. It was rather a spooky place to explore and we only whisky producer While there are several charted anchorages around the skerries, were soon back on board, quaffi ng cool Sauvignon with a Gus prefers a nicely hooked bay half a mile north on the east luxurious lobster lunch. shore. Here we anchored at a three-way crossroads between the Kyles and Loch Riddon, a dour looking cul-de-sac which shoals INTO LOCH FYNE after a mile. By contrast, our anchorage was anything but dour, Heading down the West Kyle, we emerged into Inchmarnock bordered by grassy meadows and cattle at the water’s edge. We Water, a romantic sounding name and a spectacular junction. had views down the West Kyle and across to the peaks of Kintyre. A few miles to the south, the Isle of Arran steals the show, its The sense of space was uplifting as we lounged on deck with highest peak 874 metres above the sea. East of Arran are the tumblers of peaty Arran malt, distilled barely a dozen miles away. grand expanses of the lower Firth. For now, Chico turned north Swinging out the dinghy into Loch Fyne, Scotland’s longest sea loch at 36 nautical miles. to explore the scenic shoreline CALADH HARBOUR We passed Portavadie on the east shore, a slightly chic marina Opposite our bay, the sleepy cove at Caladh hides behind a with a gift shop and spa, yet a safe all-weather haven with berths wooded islet where rhododendrons thrive in the mild Gulf for larger boats.