Oban is a wonderful staging point. Great access to public transport, so ideal for crew changes. A new pontoon in the town with water and a modern shower block and laundry and easy access to super markets, restaurants and coffee shops and across the bay is Kererra Marina with a fuel dock on one of the hammer heads. So why am I always giving out about Oban?? I first visited Oban over 40 years ago and I have been there on many occasions since………this is the first trip I’ve been here when it didn’t rain!
We were joined by very old friends, Dave and Amanda, who were both non sailors but know the mountains and islands of Scotland like the back of their hands. They have both been exploring them both on foot and bikes all their lives. Dave and I as students spent many days in the hills together, both on the high peaks and in the glens both in summer and winter. They were keen to see the islands from a different perspective and experience sailing.
Oban delivered a perfect start with lunch in the cockpit and blazing sunshine, so the factor 50 was immediately required. Over the next few days we experienced Scotland’s wonderful varied weather!
A quick downwind sail past Lismore Island to Loch Aline, where we let the huge coaster pass through the narrows before us, and it went along side to load silica sand, used in glass production, from Europe’s only under ground sand mine. Loch Aline is a beautiful enclosed loch surrounded by steep hills and if the ship wasn’t there, you’d hardly realise that there was a mine on the shore.
The following day we had a brisk run up the Sound of Mull, ducking in behind Calve Island off Tobermory, to put in a reef and gybe, before heading for another enclosed anchorage in Loch na Droma Buidhe. Dave was straight into the water for a long swim, while the rest of us had a walk in the rain up to the hills on the south side of the loch with glimpses of the views up Loch Sunart and across to Ardnamurchan and out to sea north of Mull. Later it all cleared and we had a stunning sunset and enjoyed an evening drink in the cockpit.
You couldn’t sail past Tobermory without calling into this famously picturesque town, so we popped in for a pint of milk. Another new marina, where we tied up, topped up our water tanks and got rid of some rubbish and were just asked for a “voluntary donation”! There is a fee for overnight berthing. We had a coffee and browsed in the excellent book shop and a couple of craft shops. We sailed on along north of Mull enjoying the views of the coast. We passed through the Treshnich Isles, with their abundant array of bird life, leaving the incredibly shaped Dutchman’s Cap to starboard.
We were heading for the lonely anchorage in the south harbour of Gometra, which is squeezed between the Isles of Gometra and Ulva on Mull’s west coast. The cloud came down and the heavens opened but we were all snug and happy to have a dram, yarn, read etc. The next morning the visibility was less than 100 yards, so we stayed put and went for a shore side walk and discovered the Gometra Gallery, on an island whose only habitation seems to be a single farm out to the west. This an honesty shop, housed in an old bothy, with a surprising range of food, including chocolate bars, freeze dried pouches, tins as well as onions and oranges and a range of crafts!
The cloud lifted and we could see Staffa due south, so sailed down there in a sloppy sea. Up until now, we had enjoyed the flat sea sailing, that cruising around the inner Hebrides is famous for. Whatever the wind, generally the sea remains flat even in wind speeds of over 25 knots. In addition, at anchor, the boat never hardly rocks and if it does, it is probably due to the wash of a passing boat.
As we approached Staffa and Fingal’s cave we had Mendelson’s Hebridean Concerto playing at full volume! There were no other boats around but we were greeted by rafts of puffins that either dived or skuttered away with their energetic wing movements. They fly under water, but their flight above the sea is hardly graceful! It was a short hop to our next anchorage at Bunessan and the next morning we dropped Dave and Amanda ashore to catch the bus and the ferry back to Oban.
Claire and I have both visited the Isle of Iona in the past on a number of occasions, and as the weather wasn’t conducive to anchor off, we headed through the sound into a fresh west south westerly, cracking off at the south end, and leaving Torran Rocks to starboard. It was grey and cloudy and the coast of Mull looked broody in these conditions. We watched the coast line change from granite boulders and round hills interspersed with white sandy beaches to high, flat topped, steep cliffs with multiple waterfalls, which were in spate after the previous day’s rain, plunging vertically straight down into the sea! The south of Mull is always a stunning coast line and then we saw this!
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We were lucky to be joined by 6 large and playful dolphins who swam with us for over an hour and covered 6 miles before we rounded the south east corner of Mull and headed up the coast to the very narrow entrance of Loch Spelve. We were privileged to be in such stunning scenery and to witness such acrobatic jumps and dives, as these wonderful creatures swam under our bows grinning up at us and giving us their eye!
The entrance to Loch Spelve requires concentration and respect, but once inside there is a huge loch, surrounded by impressive hills. We anchored alone in the south west corner and the following day enjoyed a wonderful walk down to Loch Buie, along side a fresh water loch, to Castle Moy, a circle of ancient standing stones and the tiny church of St Kilda. We just made it in time for tea and cakes at the Old Post Office. Be warned, in Scotland opening hours seem bizarre. The tea shop closed at 3.30pm!?! But not before we had bought a wonderful venison loin, smoked local cheese and bioactive milk, that is all hand milked from cows on organic pasture that are not dehorned!
Sailing in these parts is a wonderful experience. There is generally wind, there are always tides to watch and you could come here a dozen times and always find new anchorages to explore! We will be back…….if Claire forgets that it is generally at least 2 degrees colder than in West Cork!!
