How a simple summer trip turned into a six-year voyage around the UK

A relaxed sweep around the Great British coastline reaches the enchanting surroundings of Scotland’s west coast

I think we may be on course for the slowest ever circumnavigation of the UK. In my opinion, that’s exactly how it should be – after all, why rush these things when there is so much to see of our magical coastline. It’s not even as if we had planned it; having left our home berth in Kent in 2020 with the intention of spending the summer in the Solent, we simply carried on going. This turned into the start of our gentle cruise around the UK, a project which we have documented sporadically in the pages of MBY over the past six years.

At the time of our last report, in July 2023, we had made it as far as Kerrera marina on a small island just off Oban. The previous season we had spent a year based at Kip marina on the Clyde and prior to that at Milford Haven marina in Pembrokeshire.

Our intention was to leave our Broom 37, Boisterous Mistress, in the water for the winter as we had done ever since we bought her in 2004. However, when I notified our insurers, we were told that Kerrera marina was listed as high risk and therefore would not be covered if left afloat. After much debate, they eventually agreed to cover us but with double our usual excesses.

In the end, leaving her in the water turned out to be a bad decision anyway. The marina ferry service is very infrequent during the winter, the bar and restaurant are shut, and in high winds the sea conditions make it unbearable to stay on board, as we discovered during an ill-advised visit in November.

Lesson learned, we took to renting Airbnb’s in Oban instead with trips over to Kerrera to carry out our usual off-season boat checks, servicing and repairs. Oban is a lovely town and being the gateway to the Western Isles is always busy. There are some lovely restaurants, pubs and shops too, not to mention the Oban Distillery!

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Slow start

By the time we returned in June at the start of our cruising season, Boisterous Mistress had survived the winter but was looking a bit battered with ripped fender socks and lots of growth below the waterline.

We booked a lift out and pressure wash for 1 July, so we could squeeze in a quick antifoul, polish and anode change before setting off on our first trip of the season. Unfortunately, the boat hoist broke down before she could be lifted, so we postponed the work and set off anyway to take advantage of the favourable weather forecast. We fired the engines up, slipped our moorings and motored over to Oban marina to stock up on supplies.

Given that we hadn’t had a chance to check everything was working as it should, it was with some trepidation that we set off for Tobermory the next morning.

It was sunny and warm (by Scottish standards) with barely a breath of wind as we headed the five miles across to the entrance of the Sound of Mull. With dozens of rocks to avoid and the depth ranging from zero to hundreds of metres in a short distance, we kept a close eye on the chartplotter as we passed Duart Castle and continued up the Sound of Mull at a leisurely 7 knots.

The view of Tobermory as you enter the harbour is stunning. Its famous multi-coloured houses seem to line the water’s edge like soldiers on parade. We’d heard the town was busy, so we were very pleased to get a berth in the marina rather than having to anchor out in the bay.

Colourful Tobermory

This was the first time either of us had been to Tobermory. There are pubs aplenty, restaurants, a well-stocked Co-op and lots of tourist shops. The marina facilities are excellent too, and include a well-stocked chandlery. The following day, despite the favourable forecast, a near gale seemed to come out of nowhere.

It was obvious we weren’t going anywhere for a day or two so we took the time to explore the town and indulge in the excellent local seafood. An early evening cocktail on the terrace of the Tobermory Hotel overlooking the harbour set the tone for a very enjoyable evening.

The following day we decided to visit the island of Iona by bus. The 40-mile journey to Fionnphort, where the ferry departs from, involved a bus change at Craigure and took nearly three hours on the bumpy singletrack roads but we made it to Iona and had a lovely day visiting the Abbey, and walking to the north of the island where we found a stunning beach with pure white sand and sapphire blue water to rival anything the Caribbean has to offer.

When the wind finally subsided the next day, we set sail for Staffa to see the puffins and Fingal’s Cave. The sun was out and the sea was calm as we made our way along the coast of Mull. It was only as we rounded the north-western tip, about 15 miles from Tobermory, that we encountered an unexpectedly brisk south-westerly wind, having been in the lee of the island until this point. It was already 1300hrs and Staffa was still another nine miles away. Given the lumpy sea conditions and our inability to speed up due to all the fouling on our hull and sterngear, we decided to abort and head back to Salen Jetty, a privately owned mooring half way up Loch Sunart.

En route we passed close to Kilchoan on the south of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Good friends of ours used to own the Ferry Stores in Kilchoan, so we were keen to see what it looked like from the water. As we were in no hurry, I put one engine into neutral with the other at idle and rigged up our telescopic fishing rod with a line of mackerel hooks to tow behind us at 3.5 knots. Jackie said I was wasting my time as in the 19 years of owning Boisterous Mistress I have never yet caught a fish.

Sunny Sunart

As we approached the entrance to Loch Sunart I started reeling the line in and to both of our amazement found we had caught four mackerel. By the time I had landed them only two remained, but what a result! Cooked later that day on our Cobb BBQ they were utterly delicious.

As it sounds, Salen Jetty is a pontoon extending from the southern shore of the Ardnamurchan peninsular consisting of 12 berths. There is electricity, water, wi-fi and well-kept facilities. There is also an excellent shop that sells practically everything. We ended up staying three days at Salen Jetty due to the ever unpredictable Scottish weather but took advantage of the sunny windows between the wind and rain to enjoy some lovely walks in the beautiful Scottish countryside.

Before long, it was time to head back to Kerrera and prepare for the 550-mile drive back to Kent. Having said our goodbyes we headed back along Loch Sunart at a gentle 7 knots with just a gentle burble from the exhausts. The conditions were perfect for a spot of drone photography so I brought it up on deck and prepared to launch it.

It was taking ages to lock on to satellites so despite the warning of ‘fly with caution poor GPS signal’ I got impatient and launched it anyway. Once airborne I realised I had made a big mistake. It was almost impossible to control and when I tried to land it, the drone hit the deck and bounced over the side with a splash. It is now at rest 70m down in the sound of Mull! A sorry end to our otherwise successful first trip.

Fort William

When we returned in August to continue our summer cruise, the boatyard hoist had been repaired and we were able to complete the lift out, pressure wash, anode change and antifoul. The fouling on the hull wasn’t too bad but the sterngear was a mess with what appeared to be a mussel farm growing from our trim tabs.

The forecast was for typical Scottish weather, all seasons in a day but definitely not suitable to venture too far off land. After a few days enjoying Kerrera and Oban we decided to visit Fort William, the logic being that this was basically an inland trip immune to the vagaries of the weather. This would also allow us to visit the entrance to the Caledonian Canal in preparation for the next part of our circumnavigation.

The weather was good when we left Kerrera and headed towards Fort William about 30 miles away at eco speed (8 knots) via Loch Linnhe and the Corran Narrows. After the Corran Narrows and with a flat calm sea it was time to see what the old girl could do with a clean bottom. I progressively eased the throttles to their max with full trim tabs. Initially the bow lifted until the turbos kicked in and, with the trim tabs raised again, we were soon travelling at a respectable 26 knots – not bad for a 33-year-old boat weighing over 12 tonnes.

Harry Potter Country

We had booked a berth at the recently opened Thomas Telford Corpach Marina at the entrance to the Caledonian Canal. The marina has wi-fi, water, electricity modern facilities and stunning views of Ben Nevis. The Fort William to Mallaig railway line which takes the Jacobite Steam train (used in the Harry Potter movies) runs close by.

We were hoping to take the train to Mallaig but soon discovered it was booked up for months ahead. A little disappointed, we decided to go to the station anyway and try our luck so we took the bus into Fort William. On arrival, I asked a staff member if there was any chance of getting on the midday train and was told that the guard might have some spare tickets as long as we had cash.

Five minutes later and £120 lighter we were on the train. The journey was every bit as special as hoped with amazing scenery, including a fine view of Neptune’s Staircase and our boat in Corpach marina, but the highlight was going over the 100ft high Glenfinnan Viaduct looking down on hundreds people taking photos of us steaming over their heads.

It was interesting to see Mallaig, especially the marina, which we hoped to visit in our boat. The weather was pretty miserable so we were grateful to get a table in the Crab and Creel pub, where we had some great food and a few drinks before rejoining the train for our return trip to Fort William.

The following day we slipped our lines and headed the short distance to the community funded Fort William pontoon. There is no electricity, water or facilities here, just an honesty box to leave payment. We moored up and walked into town. It is a major hub for outdoor enthusiasts who flock here every summer to visit the Nevis range so it’s a lively spot with a decent West Highland Museum.

Linnhe Marina

Next day the forecast was looking increasingly unsettled so we slipped our lines and headed for Linnhe Marina en route back to Kerrera. It was calm, dry but quite gusty as we headed for the Corran narrows accompanied by a gentle burble from the exhausts. As we approached the narrows, we could see the sea conditions were about to change. In the more open water the gusty winds and strong currents had whipped up a very confused sea. It was a wet, lumpy trip to Linnhe as we battled our way through the white caps.

We had just moored up when a full-on gale hit complete with torrential rain. We were very relieved to be safely tied up. Linnhe Marina is a bit basic with no electricity but everyone was very friendly and helpful. In the evening we walked to the Old Inn, where we enjoyed an excellent meal with fine views of Castle Stalker.

By the morning the wind had eased and we headed back to Kerrera in much calmer conditions and occasional bursts of sunshine. After mooring up we enjoyed a few drinks on the terrace of the Waypoint restaurant before exploring more of the island on foot. It was sunny and warm as we walked along the south side of the island, past the Calmac ferry slipway (which carries one car), the Old School House and a farm shop with an honesty box, ending up at the tearooms near Gylen Castle at the south-western tip of the island.

After a welcome cup of tea and cake we headed to the north shore and returned via a steep track over the centre of the island, spotting a pair of sea eagles flying high above us on the way. After an invigorating 12-mile walk we were very pleased to get back to the Waypoint restaurant in time for our evening booking, rounding off a great day with a hearty but well-earned meal.

Mussel Bound

We hadn’t intended to leave our berth again on this visit but we woke to such glorious weather that we couldn’t resist popping out and dropping anchor somewhere nice for lunch. We had heard of a mussel farm located in Loch Spelve on the south of Mull so my cunning plan was to go via there to collect some mussels for supper before dropping the anchor in Castle Bay for lunch.

We left our berth and trundled the 5 miles along the Sound of Kerrera towards the south-west tip of the island before heading north-west toward Mull, another 5 miles away. The sea was flat calm and before long we were joined by a pod of dolphins leaping out of the water, their sleek bodies glistening in the summer sunlight.

We found the entrance to Loch Spelve and tied up on one of the mussel farm’s pontoons. There was no one around but I found the self-service mussels in one of the sheds, selected a 2kg bag and left £2.50 in the jar as instructed. These must be the cheapest mussels I have ever bought but as Jackie pointed out also the most expensive when taking into account the diesel burnt!

We managed to exit Loch Spelve without incident and were soon anchored in Castle Bay off Kerrera with views of Gylen Castle. We could not believe how lucky we were to get this weather on the last day of our season. We delayed our departure as long as we dared before returning to our berth and feasting on mussels. Tomorrow we would be heading back south with only one more visit planned in October to tuck the boat away for winter.

It had been a very enjoyable, if occasionally frustrating season, but having now made the most of Oban and its surrounding we could continue our journey north next year with the hope of getting to the Outer Hebrides. At this rate, it will be a while before Boisterous Mistress makes it back down to Kent again but when life’s this good why hurry?

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