An Autumn Exploration in North-West Scotland
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HOMEWATERS HOMEWATERS Leaving the pontoon at Shieldaig on An autumn exploration the first day in North-West Scotland ALL PHOTOS: ALEX FR ALL PHOTOS: Kitiara Pascoe usually sails in Sailing west through Loch tropical waters, so it was with Torridon near sunset trepidation that she went to A sail in Scotland in October, but ST OTHERWISE NCIS UNLESS luckily the weather was kind don’t think I could go back to sailing A in the UK,’ I said, looking out over TED the yachts anchored off Terceira in the Azores. It was 26°C and I’d just sailed from the Caribbean where it Ihad been even hotter. Three weeks later I’m walking down ‘The first thing that a pontoon in, as far as I’m concerned, one of the most remote parts of the UK. strikes you is how It’s a pleasant 15°C and the sun has been shining since I woke up this morning and began my winding journey from Inverness incredibly sheltered to Shieldaig, a tiny village on the shores of Loch Torridon. shores; it feels distant and isolated. the area really is’ On the latitude of northern Skye and I had been sceptical about sailing in only 75 miles south of Cape Wrath, northern Scotland in October but the P Scotland’s northwesternmost tip, forecast looked clear and settled and Loch Diabaig is a small bay within Loch HOTO: Summer Loch Torridon is well and truly in the besides, Sula, the yacht I would be sailing, Isles Torridon and just a 45-minute sail from S Tanera Mor TEVE Highlands. Luckily, I came prepared had an Eberspacher heating system. What Tanera Beg Shieldaig’s community pontoon where with a week’s worth of food for myself more could I want? we picked up Sula. We were both paying Torridon Yacht Charter has CA and my partner Alex. ‘A French group Gordon gave us the rundown on the more attention to the spectacular view walk-ashore access via the RTER came up in the summer with hardly any yacht and the area and pointed out some behind us as the sun threw a deep red community pontoon Ullapool food,’ said Iona, part-owner of Torridon sheltered anchorages and particularly Loch light across the mountains but nonetheless Broom Yacht Charter with her husband Gordon picturesque spots on the charts. Loch Ewe managed to get safely into the loch and father Kenny. ‘I sent them off to the As the sun made its way down we without being fatally distracted. Tired smokehouse, I don’t know how they didn’t headed off in a light southeasterly from our long journey north to Scotland, end up eating each other over the week.’ for our first night’s anchorage. we put the heater on and spread out the This corner of Scotland is remote, with charts to make a plan for the days ahead. just a smattering of hamlets and villages Loch Gairloch The first thing that strikes you as you in each loch. But that’s part of the intrigue Horrisdale I. look at the charts for this area is how for sailors who visit these wild and rugged Badachro incredibly sheltered it really is. Thanks to Red Point the Isle of Skye and the Outer Hebrides, TH A Cape Wrath SCOTLAND ocean swell simply cannot reach much of HE Scotland’s northwest coast and only in Torridon is a gateway to Scotland’s Acairseid XINE Loch Diabaig northerlies is the coastline exposed. Torridon Yacht Charter northwest coastline up to Cape Wrath. Mhor Rona Loch Torridon Torridon Yacht Charter began its first Originally from Glasgow, Gordon S: MA Lewis North Summer Eilean Old Man Torridon RT Minch Isles OUTER Fladday Shieldaig season in April 2016 but don’t judge it by Drysdale joined his wife Iona in her A of Storr HEBRIDES Fladday Caol START CH Ullapool & FINISH its youth. With just one yacht, the eight- childhood village of Shieldaig and together Sound of Red Point berth Hanse 385 Sula, owners Gordon and they run the charter company alongside a Raasay Loch Little Loch Torridon Inner Iona give one of the warmest welcomes holiday home ashore. They know all there Skye Portree Sound Diabaig Minch Raasay around and go to great lengths to ensure is to know about these shores and offer Upper Loch you have the best possible time. expert recommendations for the area. SCOTLAND Camas Loch Torridon a’Mhòr-Bheòil Eilean Torridon Based out of Shieldaig on Loch Torridon, Arisaig Mòr Torridon this company is perfectly placed for For more information Skye Scalpay Bridge sheltered sailing with stunning mountain Website www.torridonyachtcharter.com SKYE 0 10nm Shieldaig backdrops. Protected from the Atlantic Email [email protected] Mull Oban by the Outer and Inner Hebrides, Loch Phone +44 (0)7803 206 303 Chartlets are not to be used for navigation 42 www.yachtingmonthly.com MARCH 2017 MARCH 2017 www.yachtingmonthly.com 43 HOMEWATERS HOMEWATERS Badachro anchorage, Sailing out of Caol Loch Gairloch Fladda anchorage Longa I. on Raasay Loch Gairloch Lighthouse Eilean Horrisdale Bodachro pub Bodachro That’s not to say the sea can’t get nasty in these parts, though. The long fetches in lochs, the Inner Sound between Skye and the mainland as well as the Minch between Skye and the Outer Hebrides can create unpleasant chop in stronger wind. When the wind blows against the tide, more than a few headlands turn chaotic and risky. But with the endless lochs, islands and sounds come a multitude of anchorages. For every wind direction there’s a Sula at anchor in Tanera sheltered cove with a small army of Mor, Summer Isles seabirds preening themselves and judging your anchoring skills. Sunshine in the Summer Isles Considering the weather forecast was for settled south-easterlies and clear, sunny skies, we decided to head north for the Summer Isles; partly because the name conjured images of Famous Five adventures but also because the islands are only sheltered in certain conditions and we didn’t want to waste an opportunity. The next morning was cold and I found myself unwilling to get out of bed until the heating had well and truly kicked in. We’d planned a short hop out of Loch Torridon, around Red Point and into Loch Gairloch to go for a walk with a view. The Badachro nothing quite like sailing with these are uninhabited, though until recently and the first downwind leg saw us peeling Inn next to the slipway serves local ales exuberant animals. the largest island, Tanera Mor, did have off layer after layer of clothing as the sun and traditional food with a well-stoked Living here all year round, dolphins are a population of four – the Wilder family. burnt off the chill of a cloudless night. fireplace and a conservatory. regularly sighted on this coast and in the With a summer staff of two, this wild and By October, the wilds of Scotland Thanks to the remoteness of this coast, summer months they’re joined by minke, rugged island is actually now for sale. have turned a deep brown and the humans aren’t the only creatures to orca and other whales. The bottlenose As we neared the tiny archipelago we mountains are layered in haze, stacked enjoy the sanctuary of sheltered coves. crowd are undoubtedly the most playful had to pay close attention to the chart Getting there up against each other in the distance like As I readied the cockpit for sea the next with sailors, although passing killer given the smattering of rocks and initially Loch Torridon, is on Scotland's a watercolour painting. Flat water and morning, a seal stuck its head out of the whales are also known to approach yachts confusing pilotage. Whichever direction west coast in the Highlands, the hills of Rona and Skye to port gave water 20 metres away and watched me, and surface. you arrive from, the islands merge into an just 70 miles from Inverness. the voyage a blissful feel and it was only wriggling its whiskers before sinking back Once more languishing in a blissful, odd-looking piece of land and it’s difficult n PLANE Fly to Inverness the chilly gusts from Loch Gairloch that into the water with barely a ripple. sunny Force 3 as we passed the next to spot the channels between them. from many UK and several rocked me out of my reverie. With a vast The Summer Isles were 30 miles away headland, the dolphins disappeared and We were still being blasted by international airports. Beautiful sprayhood and self-tacking jib, the Hanse and we were blessed with a southeasterly the hazy outlines of the Summer Isles funnelling wind until we got into the lee of n TRAIN Sleeper and regular driving through was an enjoyable yacht to tack upwind Force 3. After the initial downwind began to appear on the horizon. Tanera Mor. The wind dropped with the trains from London and other the Scottish in. Loch Gairloch is only small, with little leg through Loch Gairloch, we motor- A group of islands in the mouth of suddenness of someone closing a door, UK stations. Continue by rail Highlands fetch to create chop so we arrived dry and sailed through the wind shadow of the Ullapool’s Loch Broom, the Summer Isles leaving us gliding along with a handful of to Strathcarron station. exhilarated in the anchorage. headland before being blasted by the wind guillemots paddling nearby. n CAR With free parking and With multiple places sheltered from the funnelling north-west along Loch Ewe.