Home > Uniquely Unspoilt Magazine > Issue 10 > sailing

~~ Sailing in Scotland - by Hugh Henderson~~

Scotland has a huge variety of venues for watersports, with inland lochs, canals and a stunning unspoiled coastline all combining to provide a recreational environment of world class quality.

Scenic Loch Lomond, less than one hour from Glasgow, has for decades been a playground for all types of recreational boating , from jet skiing to dinghy sailing and canoeing. Other inland lochs offer similar possibilities, some in more remote landscapes where you can watch deer graze at the water's edge and eagles wheel over head - many are not open to motorised craft so provide a special tranquillity for those content to sail or row.

The canal systems of Scotland cross through a wide variety of landscapes. You can cruise through the heart of Glasgow on passage from the Forth to the Clyde, traverse the beautiful Crinan Canal to emerge at the spectacular coast opposite the Corryvreckan, a vast tidal race which is the stuff of legend from Viking times, or pass down the Great Glen from Inverness to Fort William through Loch Ness with the possibility of a sight of the Monster!

And then there is the Scottish coast, which is said to be the equivalent in length of the European coast from Denmark to Gibraltar, since it includes hundreds of islands and many indents forming deep firths and sea lochs.

The East coast, which is exposed to the North Sea, has many former fishing harbours and a number of marinas being developed to provide facilities for an increasing number of sailors, both resident and visiting.

The West coast is quite different, indented with lochs and ringed by islands, a gateway to quiet anchorages and stunning mountain and island scenery.

To the South the Clyde has long been a magnificent sailing area with marinas and sailing schools on its shores.

For those who want to learn to sail, the quiet waters of the Clyde are a good place to start. It is also the venue for highly competitive sailing events, from international dinghy class championships at the Scottish Sailing Institute at Largs to the Scottish Series at Tarbert, Loch Fyne which attracts some of the more powerful racing yachts in the Scottish and Irish fleets.

North of Crinan, the West coast stretches away to Cape Wrath and the Outer Hebrides with countless quiet sea - lochs and remote destinations. If you don't have a boat and want to explore this marvellous area there are a number of charter companies operating on this coast - some can be found at the Association of Yach Charterers' website. A number will be skipper chartered and many of these will provide RYA training.

Ardfern on Loch Craignish, Loch Melfort, Oban, Dunstaffnage and Tobermory are all popular starting points for summer cruises up the West coast.

There are countless islands to visit including Mull, Skye, the small isles of Rhum, Eigg and Muck and the other Inner and Outer Hebrides and, on the North coast, the Orkney and Shetland Islands. To sail to any of these islands is a special experience. Many of the towns and villages on the coast and islands have facilities for visitors including restaurants serving superb local sea food. Or you may be able to speak to a fisherman and buy a bucket of prawns or fish fresh from the sea.

The passage up the Sound of Mull, round Ardnamurchan Point and north and west to an island destination with views of high mountains and deep sea lochs is an experience you will always remember. If you are brave, and lucky with the weather, you can head out into the Atlantic to St Kilda, or to some of the lonely sea lochs on the Hebridean shores, passing whales, porpoises and dolphins and a huge variety of bird - life, from puffins to sea eagles. Or you can cruise amongst the inner islands, visiting a quiet anchorage each night, and explore the rich diversity of the landscape and the local culture.

Sail Scotland at  can provide more details on the opportunities for holidays with a difference sailing in Scotland.

Hugh Henderson

Vice Chairman

Royal Yachting Association of Scotland

Cottages relevant to this article

The following holiday cottages are situated within easy reach of the locations mentioned above: