Sunny days in the Firth of Clyde

The Firth of Clyde is a body of coastal water in the southwest of Scotland, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre Peninsula. It is has wildlife to observe from nice anchorages and charming villages to explore. True to her reputation, our friend Martine brought the sun for the duration of her stay on Fabule.

Loch Ryan and Stranrear

Our first stop in Scotland was Loch Ryan, just to the right after the North Channel, where we arrived from Dublin at dawn.

It was a dinghy ride to visit the village of Stranrear. The ferries from Belfast used to stop here but the town had to reinvent itself after the companies moved their terminal to deeper waters up the loch.

Fun fact: the flying boat, Supermarine Stranraer, is named after the town as it was a significant site for anti-U-boat activities during the Second World War. The flying boats operated from Loch Ryan to secure shipping routes.

Happy Birthday captain

As we were looking up restaurants to celebrate Yan’s special birthday, we discovered Glenapp Castel. The castle’s architecture (Scottish baronial), pond and gardens provided an extraordinary setting for the celebration.

When we sailed to Arran and passed Ailsa Craig, we looked toward the coast and distinguished the flag on top of Glenapp Castle’s tower.

We anchored near Holy Island and appreciated the views of the mountains of Arran.

Next morning, we continued north to seek shelter in the marina of Portavadie.

Fishing villlage Tarbert

Tarbert’s rich fishing heritage dates back to the herring days. Today, prawns, scallops, lobsters and crabs are the main catches.

The village is strategically positioned on the west side of a small land isthmus between two lochs. It provided access to the Hebrides avoiding the dangerous waters of the Mull of Kintyre. Boats and goods were hauled across the shortcut for many centuries.

In good company at Burnt Island

North of Bute island, we anchored at Burnt Island. The two main things we love about this place: the constant wildlife activity and the delicious food served at Colintraive hotel.

Practical Ardrossan

The Clyde marina in Ardrossan was ideal for practical reasons. It is located very close to the train station, so it took only a few steps for Martine to hop on her train to Glasgow. We stocked up at the big Asda store and Yan repaired the watermaker (it was not reaching the required pressure level anymore).

We were all set for the next part of our journey and rounded the Mull of Kintyre to progress north. But then, the weather system changed and we had to completely revise our plans.