This is the third time we planned our summer sailing vacation for a 4+ weeks, cut up in 2 week periods, leaving the boat for 2 weeks (to fly home and work), then come back to sail back home.

Last 2 times we sailed from amsterdam to the Scillies, left the boat on a mooring in Mylor (near Falmouth), then sailed back along the UK South east coast or cut over to the Channel Islands.

This year we would like to go back (in the Scillies as we speak) via the Irish Sea and  Caledonian canal (or perhaps Orkney’s, depending on weather/wind at that time).

I’m currently looking for a marina/mooring that would charge a decent fee for a 2 week  period, at an acceptable distance  (public transportation, last year we trained from Truro to Bristol, quite a haul ) from an airport with decent rates to and from Amsterdam.

Was thinking about holy head or  Liverpool (to fly from Manchester), Belfast/Bangor (seems expensive marina) or a marina/mooring near Glasgow (to fly from Glasgow), although getting to Glasgow from the Scillies in 6 days would be pushing it.

Anybody willing to give advice?

Peter 

I know that this will not help your immediate situation but later when you have transited the Cally canal you could stay at Inverness. Then get a hire car from Enterprise car hire(They will deliver it to the marina as they are only 2 miles away- they are nation wide). Using this you can drive to any airport that you select & Enterprise will let you leave it there (You can leave it at any Enterprise depot & they will deliver/collect to your door or marina) so you do not have to worry about taxis etc.

On return you can repeat the process & it saves loads of hassle with luggage & is cheap when spread over crew numbers.

There are places where you can stay on the Cally canal, as I have spoken to cruising people who have stopped there. But you would have to research where the stops actually are, as I cannot remember exactly. Using the hire car option makes traveling easy. I am told that Croabh Haven is another good place to stop, just south of Oban, But I have only used it passing through on my 2 circumnavigations. I have stopped at Inverness for 3 weeks.

The plan is to save the canal and Inverness for the 2nd 2 weeks.

Still looking for a good place to leave the boat on the west coast, with decent connection to airport.

For now, looking to sail through the night, tomorrow, from Scillies to holy head.

Best regards,

Peter.

We left the boat at Troon Marina, last saturday.

The trip to Glasgow Airport was convenient, 20 minute Walk, 45 minutes train, 15 minutes bus.

Now only hoping  for decent Cruising weather in scotland, at the beginning of August 🙂 

Best Regards,

Peter.