Jura, Islay, S & E of Mull, Loch Linnhe - Where to Go???

[Telo]

Heading up the West coast useful anchorages are Bunessan, Gometra harbour (between Gometra and Ulva) and Loch ??? up near Croig on the NW coast....

Yes, good places, although I haven't tried Loch ??? yet. There's also Cragaig on Ulva, which, in addition to be being a pleasant spot, has the ruins of a township to explore.


- Cragaig bothy from the anchorage


- Cragaig anchorage


- inside the old mill at Cragaig

The sheep/deer ticks are desperate though......

[Mark]

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If you are going out to Tinkers Hole and Iona you might want to conisder making a complete circumnavigaton of Mull. Heading up the West coast useful anchorages are Bunessan, Gometra harbour (between Gometra and Ulva) and Loch ??? up near Croig on the NW coast, which is OK so long as the wind is offshore but could be a trap in a strong onshore wind. On the way you can visit Staffa (difficult to land unless flat calm but you can sail up to Fingals Cave and peer in) and Lunga in the Treshnish Isles (good anchorage, but a bit of rock-dodging to get in and out). A trip across to Coll is also worthwhile in decent weather.
.............................................................................Fairwinds at anchor at Lunga, Treshnish Isles

We've been round Mull twice but there's still a huge amount of Stuff on the West Coast of Mull we haven't seen. However, there's two reasons for us not to go too far West of Mull. Firstly we haven't seen much South of Mull (Jura, Islay and the mainland of Kintyre peninsula) and secondly given it's a spring trip & if we're in shelter we can sail in anything. If we're in Geometra Harbour and it blows hard from the south we'll want to stay put. If we're behind Jura and it blows like stink we'll just go out with slightly bigger grins than normal.

All great places noted for the future, though. Plus a spectacular photo, so thanks.

[Mark]

Cragaig

Cheers, Shard. Probably not this time but it looks fantastic. Noted for the future and we'll raise a glass to you when we're there!

Sheep ticks not a problem - Mrs Markie attracts them like a magnet so if she goes first she'll hoover them out of my path and I won't be bothered by them at all.

Amazing photos as always.

Loch ??? is terrific. The hard bit is finding the entrance. Once you find that the rest is easy.

[Mark]

Well, we ended up heading South covering a few old favourites and some new stuff as well, route was:

Croabh Haven->Play in Correvreckan->Fairy Isles->Biggars Gut/Port Lunni->Tayvallich->MacCormaig Isles->Craighouse->Gigha->Easdale->Puilladobhrain->Eilean Dubh->G of Correvreckan->Croabh Haven.

Many thanks for the mention of Fairy Isles and MacCormaig Isles – what a cracking couple of places, they were the highlights, no doubt about that.

If anyone's interested there are some images here:

http://fattie.freehostia.com/Scotland_April_2010

[Nick]

If anyone's interested there are some images here:

http://fattie.freehostia.com/Scotland_April_2010

fi_facing_e.jpg would make a braw calendar - any change of a high-res version?

[Mark]

Incidently, anyone know the identity and full story of the wrecked boat in Puilladobhrain?

Ronald Faux in "The West" says he was there when it hit the rock at the south end. Is that artistic license?

[Mark]

fi_facing_e.jpg would make a braw calendar - any change of a high-res version?

That's pretty flattering, however it's a stitched panorama, taken handheld and the light wasn't great so I suspect might not be quite sharp enough.

Ever hopeful, I'll PM you with what I have and let you decide!

[Telo]

Great pictures Markie, but didn't spot the PD wreck. Don't know where our copy the "The West" presently resides, but I must track it down and re-read it again.

[Mark]

Great pictures Markie, but didn't spot the PD wreck.

Thanks! Here it is:

http://fattie.freehostia.com/boat1.jpg

http://fattie.freehostia.com/boat2.jpg

I've only been to PD once before (in 2005) and I have a vague recollection of it being there then but can't be sure.

Don't know where our copy the "The West" presently resides, but I must track it down and re-read it again.

Regarding the wreck he says: "the bad rock at the southern end of the pool was more emphatically marked, the first time I sailed in here, by a fishing boat that had stranded upon it. Now those remains had drifted off into the reef to the West." (Published '82). The boat there now is in exactly the same spot, and as a renowned expert in the field of boat decay (not!) I reckon that boat could have been there nigh on 30 years.

[Silkie]

I have a vague recollection of seeing it on the S side of the island in the NE corner in 2001 or 2002.

[Aja]

I certainly have a photo somewhere inside of it taken sometime mid-eighties. Must dig it out...

Donald

[Telo]

From 3 years ago;

[Mark]

From 3 years ago;

That's the puppy. Tempted to put it on eBay - 'buyer collects'.

[Telo]

Tempted to put it on eBay - 'buyer collects'.

I offered it, for a reasonable sum, to Sxpence when he was into "projects".