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Home , Great Cumbrae, Inchmarnock, Kyles of Bute, Rothesay

the Perfect weekend

1 Saturday MORNING

T he perfect weekend in... the

The sun dips below the horizon at Sweeping views: Yacht Haven East Kyle of Bute Paddle steamer Waverley OF CLYDE 2 Saturday afternoon off Largs Tongue twister: The route: Largs, , Caladh, Asgog, , Tarbert & Arran the small village of The is one of ’s largest inlets, its outer reaches Saturday afternoon 15 miles wide between Arran and . This majestic sound becomes After lunch head down through the glorious West Kyle. You pass increasingly sheltered further in, flanked by dramatic hills and lush Tighnabruaich (pronounced‘Tinnabroo-ich’!) and Kames villages, green islands. Here are all the ingredients for spectacular cruising, their solid houses scattered on the hillside. Tighnabruaich has a fine nicely cocooned from the open sea. Welcoming Largs Yacht Haven lies pier and the paddle-steamer Waverley often calls here on her Clyde well into the Firth, looking out towards island and the cruises. The Kames Hotel has a few visitor moorings and its cosy, soft east coast of Bute. On Friday evenings there’s always an expectant panelled bar is one of my Scottish favourites. buzz around its bistros and bars, and dinner at the marina’s stylish West Kyle emerges into Water, a grand expanse with new Scotts restaurant launches the weekend perfectly. the Arran mountains away to the south. Swinging to starboard towards Lower Loch Fyne, it’s not far to a delightful anchorage at Saturday morning Skate Hole, on the west side of Asgog Bay. This hideaway inside Skate You can leave Largs’ marina any time. Turning north you pass Largs Island is sheltered by another island close inshore. Here the water is town, a genteel Clyde resort with elegant spires. Off the tip of Great crystal clear and you can often spot seals swimming. Cumbrae, head five miles north-west to enter Sound, with Rothesay seafront opening up to port. Off Ardmaleish Point hang a Saturday evening left into the East Kyle of Bute, a stunning channel between wooded From Skate Hole, it’s four miles across Loch Fyne to the shores with slopes of heather rising to starboard. Opposite the north picturesque harbour at East Loch Tarbert, buzzing with end of Bute, rocky narrows lead to a three-way junction between the regattas and their crews in high season. Snugly enclosed Profile East and West Kyle and the lonely waters of Loch Riddon. Tucked by a wooded peninsula and a couple of rocky islets, the author Give me shelter: behind a leafy islet, sleepy Caladh anchorage is the ideal spot for a Tarbert has a lively village packed with bistros – perfect Peter Largs Yacht Haven Cumberlidge leisurely lunch, hemmed in by pines and rambling rhododendrons. for a Saturday evening. Entering the harbour inlet you has often cruised the With its dramatic hills and lush The waterfront village Firth of Clyde Loch Fyne Fort of Tarbert has an area and Largs William attractive, salty buzz is one of his MULL SCOTLAND green islands, the Firth of Clyde has during high season favourite marinas. His weekend trail includes some of the best seafood Loch Gilp SCOTLANDAtlantic restaurants in this part of Scotland. all the ingredients for perfect cruising, Oystercatcher Ocean Pub Loch nicely cocooned from the open sea Riddon Firth of Lower 4 North Channel Clyde Loch Fyne Caladh N. East West Kyle 3 Saturday evening Kyle Belfast ISLE OF Portavadie Tighnabruaich MAN Marina Kames Tarbert 2 Ardmaleish Point 3 Burnt Anchorage Restaurant East Rothesay Hill Scotts bistro Loch Rothesay Sound 1 Victoria Hotel Asgog Tarbert Bay BUTE Largs Anchor Hotel GREAT Scotts CUMBRAE restaurant Inchmarnock Loch Water Ranza Marina

Arran Fuel distillery Pub/Restaurant 5 Firth of ARRAN Clyde

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nautical miles Victoria Hotel and the waterfront at Ayr Tarbert village

AUGUST2011 59 the perfect weekend

HARBOUR CONTACT DETAILS Largs Yacht Haven (Tel: +44 (0)1475 675 333), VHF 80 (24hrs). Tarbert Harbour (Tel: +44 (0)1880 820 344), VHF 14 (open 0900-1700 LT). HANDY FUEL BERTHS Largs Yacht Haven has 24hr diesel and petrol at the root of pontoon G. At East Loch Tarbert there’s diesel at Fish Quay (open 0800-1800 Mon-Fri). Portavadie Marina has diesel/petrol, east side of Loch Fyne opposite Tarbert. FAVOURITE PUBS The tranquil scene & RESTAURANTS looking west onto Largs Yacht Haven: Scotts is a new Tarbert village summer opening for Largs, the result of its successful Troon bistro, which pass the CalMac ferry slip on the south side 4 Sunday morning has always been enjoyable before dog-legging through narrows south of (Tel: +44 (0)1475 Anchor Hotel Cock Island. Visitors berth alongside the long 686 684). north shore pontoon, with attractive views of Tighnabruaich: the village and its colourful waterfronts. Kames Hotel The fish quay opposite supplies the fresh overlooking West ingredients for which Tarbert’s eateries are Kyle is a soothing renowned. Anchorage Restaurant on Harbour spot with a classic Street is a sound bet − try their generous bar menu offering seafood risotto. Meanwhile Scotts bistro, on the local fish and game same street, treats scallops very deftly. Or on (Tel: +44 (0)1700 811 489). the south-west side of the harbour, the yellow- East Loch Tarbert: painted Victoria Hotel is run by French chef Anchorage Restaurant has seafood Pascal Theze and his wife Jacqui, stalwarts of galore (Tel: +44 (0)1880 820 881). the local culinary scene. Stylish Scotts bistro is Calm waters around in Struan House, a Sunday morning the Firth of Clyde 4-star B&B on After a good Saturday night, most folk get Harbour St (Tel: +44 Snug fit: motor going slowly. It’s pleasant to watch the village waking up before boats at Largs (0)1880 820190). strolling round to the Anchor Hotel for breakfast: real porridge; The Victoria Hotel is haddock and black pudding; kidneys on toast; or a Full Scottish! near the pontoons The Oystercatcher Loch Fyne has many moods, but in quiet weather it feels almost on Barmore Rd – mystical as you cruise inland between gently folded slopes patched and has great cooking with firs and heather. Seven miles above Tarbert, Loch Gilp branches and a sociable bar to port and Loch Fyne continues past a drying spit jutting from the (Tel: +44 (0)1880 820 263). east shore. Behind this natural shelter are over a dozen visitors’ Anchor Hotel on Harbour St does moorings belonging to the hospitable Oystercatcher pub, which the best breakfast in Tarbert stands behind an old stone quay. Land at the pub pontoon for some (Tel: +44 (0)1880 820 577). skillful cooking and well-kept Fyne ales. Otter Ferry: The Oystercatcher

Loch Fyne is pub is a Scottish gem in breathtaking Sunday afternoon renowned for surroundings with local Fyne ales. lobster After lunch, it’s back down the loch and (Tel: +44 (0)1700 821 229). The Arran across magnificent Inchmarnock Water malt whisky towards the looming heights of Arran. At the distillery in NAVIGATION NOTES north end of this impressive island, Loch Lochranza Pilotage in this area is mostly Ranza shoals at its head to provide fair straightforward in reasonable weather anchoring opposite a sandy spur and a ruined – but be careful through the narrows at castle. Landing at the beach, a shore party can the top of East Kyle. visit Arran distillery, whose golden single All the routes described are malts are unsurpassed. Nobody will want the weekend protected from the open sea, but some to finish, but at the last moment you can cut a swathe wide expanses turn rough in strong back to Largs south of Bute and between the Cumbrae winds. Inchmarnock Water is the islands, steering for the peaks of Burnt Hill. most exposed reach. Some anchorages look snug under high weather shores, but in strong winds the down- next month Chichester, west sussex draughts off hills and mountains can Do you have any personal cruising tips for, or be surprisingly savage. For this good quality photographs of, Chichester and its weekend cruise use Admiralty charts surroundings? If so, email them to hugo_andreae@ 2131, 1907, 1906 and 2381. ipcmedia.com and we’ll try and include them. 5 Sunday afternoon

60 AUGUST2011