A walk in to Tobermory
56:36.86N 6:03.11W
Over Waterfalls and through Woods to Tobermory
I remembered from my previous visit the delightful walk to Tobermory through the Aros Woods and after all the recent rain the brackish waterfalls were rampaging over the rocks with impressive volume and haste.
We were heading for the chandlery to buy a pilot of the Outer Hebrides and we had only to step through the doorway and spy the series of excellent Sailing Directions and Anchorages books produced by the Clyde Cruising Club when there on the shelf was the Outer Hebrides (OH) edition. I mention this purchase because by reading and studying it and producing a spreadsheet to suit our purposes, we were able to formulate a decision which will shape the rest of our time in this part of the world this year.
Back on board my spreadsheet listed the six main islands of the OH across the top, each in their own column and then down the side Harbours, Marinas, Visitor Moorings, and Sheltered Anchorages with Good Holding each had a row. I spent quite a while filling in the boxes from the information in the pilot and the result showed the OH were a very interesting and desirable target for some cruising. So why were we not more enthusiastic? OK the weather has been changeable all season but the islands are not far away, just a long day’s sail and the spreadsheet was easy to follow whether one cruised from south to north or vice-versa, at a glance, with no page turning we could identify a good landfall and then turn to the page reference in the pilot.
Two
things,
I guess. First, we are tired of racing to shelters from the
storm conditions or
having to move on from an unfavourable place and just hoping
there would be
room for us where we were heading. This leads on secondly to
needing fresh and
curious minds to enjoy the OH at the start of a cruising season,
to do them
justice, when dealing with the vagaries of the weather is more
of a novelty
than a drain. My research
What is appealing to us now is a few weeks of pottering (I do like that work, the gentlest way to get lots done) in this area and finding as many walks ashore as we can to enjoy the scenery and relax. After all, the need to journey onwards is over, we are less than a day sail away from Zoonie’s winter berth, so the pressure is off, which in itself is a nice feeling.
But
then you know what we are like with plans, they can change with
the wind, as Rob says.
