Cruising the Clyde: A Week-Long Itinerary for Scottish West Coast Sailors

The Clyde does not shout about itself. Leave a marina on a Tuesday morning, sail for three hours and you can anchor beneath a castle with nothing but oystercatchers for company, then be alongside a chandlery by lunchtime the next day. That blend of wildness and easy logistics is hard to beat.

Seven days is enough to go a long way here, or almost nowhere, depending on the forecast. The plan below takes in the Cumbraes, Bute, the Kyles, Loch Fyne and Arran, with enough slack to sit out a blow or change direction entirely. Start from Kip, Largs, Troon, Rhu, Holy Loch or Portavadie; the shape of the week barely changes.

Tides, forecasts and the small print

The Clyde behaves itself: semi-diurnal tides, roughly three metres of range at springs in the central firth and about a metre at neaps. Where the water goes matters more than how high it gets. The middle of the firth is forgiving; the narrow bits are not. The Kyles of Bute run hardest, especially around the Burnt Islands, and the channels off the Cumbraes and the Narrows near Cloch Point deserve a look at the tide tables at springs. Time the Kyles with the stream and you are through in twenty minutes; get it wrong and the boat feels tethered. Wind against tide in any of the narrows turns a pleasant afternoon into a wet one.

For weather, the Met Office inshore waters forecast for Clyde is the workhorse, with the shipping forecast for Malin covering the North Channel and the approaches. The prevailing south-westerly suits a week that starts and finishes in the same place, and it explains why north and east-facing lochs tend to be the calmest places to hide.

Four pieces of local small print are worth repeating:

• Submarines. HMNB Clyde sits on the Gareloch, and there are exercise areas in Loch Long and Loch Goil. Keep clear of the base, give escort vessels room, monitor the radio and follow instructions. Rhu Marina is fine; wandering up the Gareloch is not.
• Creels. They are everywhere and not always where the chart says. Keep a sharp lookout and have a line cutter within reach. A pot line round the prop costs you an afternoon.
• Cables and seabed. Avoid the marked cable areas, and avoid anchoring on seagrass. Parts of the South Arran coast, Lamlash included, carry marine protection; check current local guidance.
• Pilotage. Current Admiralty or Imray charts, the Clyde Cruising Club sailing directions, an almanac and tide tables. A plotter is useful, but not a substitute for knowing which side of a buoy to pass.

Choosing a base and shaping the week

Kip Marina at Inverkip, Largs Yacht Haven and Troon are the usual starting points from the south; Rhu, Holy Loch Marina and Portavadie suit anyone arriving from the north or west. All have fuel, water and somewhere to leave a car, but opening hours and visitor berths vary, so ring ahead rather than assume.

Then keep the days short. Fifteen to twenty-five nautical miles is plenty; most legs here are twelve to twenty, which means a relaxed start and an anchorage sorted well before the evening midge shift. Build in one blank day. You will use it.

Days one to three: Cumbrae, Bute and the Kyles

Day one: a gentle start

A short hop to let the crew find their feet. Millport on Great Cumbrae is a dozen miles from Kip or Largs, with visitors' moorings, a shallow harbour and a town worth a walk. If you would rather have showers and a pontoon, carry on to Rothesay.

Day two: into the Kyles

North round Bute and into the Kyles. The east Kyle through Rothesay Sound is the straightforward route; the west Kyle past Tighnabruaich is prettier. Caladh Harbour is the classic overnight — tiny, sheltered and deservedly popular, so arrive early and be ready to raft up. Otherwise the pier at Tighnabruaich usually has room.

Day three: Loch Fyne

West into Loch Fyne. Tarbert offers pontoons, shops and a castle; Portavadie, across the water, a marina and a decent meal. In a fair wind, push up the loch and anchor off Inveraray, with the castle on one side and the jail on the other. Otter Ferry, halfway along, is a lovely shallow anchorage with a pub ashore.

Days four to seven: Arran and the run home

Day four: across to Arran

In a northerly, head for Lamlash; in anything else, Lochranza on the north coast makes the better landfall, with good holding, a castle, a distillery and a small seasonal ferry to watch for.

Day five: Lamlash and Holy Isle

Lamlash Bay is the best all-round shelter off Arran, with Holy Isle taking the sting out of an easterly. Anchor in mud and sand, mind the moorings and take the tender ashore for a walk. It fills up at weekends, so midweek feels quieter.

Day six: Brodick and back north

Brodick is a fair-weather stop for supplies, but it is exposed to the east and can be rolly. Then beat back north: Holy Loch Marina is the easy option, while Carrick Castle in Loch Goil or Ardentinny in Loch Long suit anyone who would rather anchor in flat water.

Day seven: home

A gentle run back to base, ideally with a last stop at Cumbrae for a swim and an ice cream, and time to rinse the salt off before you leave.

Anchorages worth a detour

• Caladh Harbour — the Kyles' little gem. Tight, sheltered, busy in summer.
• Lamlash Bay — the reliable Arran anchorage, good holding, shelter from most directions.
• Lochranza — open to the north, breathtaking in settled weather, with the ferry to avoid.
• Otter Ferry — shallow approach, quiet night, dinner ashore.
• Carrick Castle, Loch Goil — flat water, steep hills, midges when the wind drops.
• Millport — shallow, sociable, and an easy first or final stop.

Shelter, swell and the midge question

The Clyde is sheltered, not immune. A long south-westerly pushes swell into the south-facing bays, and the sea state beyond the North Channel matters more than the wind over your head. Check both before committing to an exposed anchorage such as Brodick.

Summer sea breezes are predictable: light in the morning, filling in from midday, dying in the evening. Sail the longer legs early. Warm settled spells bring mist and poor visibility, so keep the fog signals and radar in mind.

Then there are the midges, present from May until the first proper frosts and fondest of still, damp evenings near trees and burns. A breezy anchorage, a net over the hatch and a repellent that works make the difference between a memorable evening and a hurried one.

Before you cast off

• Read the inshore waters forecast and the tide tables the night before, and note a Plan B anchorage within an hour's sail of each night's target.
• Top up fuel, water and ice whenever you pass a marina; some of the best anchorages have nothing at all.
• Reef early. Squalls come off these hills quickly, and a boat that is already reefed is a calm boat.
• Carry both cash and a card for harbour and mooring fees, and check whether the pontoon you are aiming for takes bookings.
• Leave a passage plan with someone ashore and keep the VHF on. It is a busy piece of water, and the ferries will not always see you.

Photo: kienvirak / Pixabay