West of Scotland Rally 2010 — 02 June '10

02 June –12 June

Start with dinner at the Royal Northern & Clyde, stop off in Crinan. Then off to the Highlands through the Great Door and out to the Western Isles.

 

RTYC West Coast of Scotland Rally

Wednesday 2^nd – Saturday 12^th June, 2010

 

 

FOR THE BOOKING FORM PLEASE CLICK HERE

Summary of key organised events:

 

 

Part I – In the Clyde.

 

There are plenty of places of interest to visit within the Clyde, and some of them are pretty remote by road, so you can get away from the crowds.  There are a number of large marinas with full facilities, a number of places where hotels or local businesses offer visitors’ moorings for those using their facilities and a fair selection of options for anchoring.

 

 

Day 1          Arrive Royal Northern & Clyde Yacht Club  (Rhu Marina)

 

                   Opening Cocktail Party and Dinner at RNCYC.

 

Day 2          Fleet racing in the RNCYC fleet of Sonars

                   Plus trips ashore for those not keen on the racing.  Rhu is close to Helensburgh where you can visit The Hill House which is considered to be Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s finest domestic creation. Sitting high above the Clyde, it is home to original Mackintosh furniture and interior design.  Further afield is the Burrell Collection at Pollok House and the centre of Glasgow is in reach by train with a wide variety of cultural opportunities.

                  

Days 3-5     Explore the Clyde and head towards Crinan.

                   To get from Rhu to Crinan, you have a choice of routes which the weather may help you to decide on.  The shorter, but possibly harder work route is to sail from Rhu to Ardrishaig (by Lochgilphead) on Loch Fyne and then go through the Crinan Canal (all locks are manual – hence the suggestion that this may be hard work!)  If the weather is fair, you may opt to head further south and go round the Mull of Kintyre though this is quite a lot further.  Possible places to stop over include the Kyles of Bute where there are several hotels offering a range of dining opportunities.  Brodick, Lamlash and Lochranza on the Isle of Arran are also in reach if you make a reasonably early start, as is East Loch Tarbert up Loch Fyne where there is a wide choice of pubs and restaurants.

 

Part II – Beyond the Clyde

 

Day 6          Mid-Rally Supper at Crinan Hotel.

                   Drinks will be served in the bar on the top floor of the hotel which offers spectacular views out over the Gulf of Coryvrecken and north towards Mull.  A simple supper will then be available from the Coffee Shop by the Canal Basin.

 

Days 7-10    The plan is to resist the temptation to organise events between Crinan and Tobermory so that we can all make our plans depending on what the weather allows, how fast our boats are, how long we wish to spend at sea each day and where we want to go!  It is about 50 miles from Crinan to Tobermory by the most direct route.  Possible places to stop over with marina facilities are Craobh Haven, or Kerrera and Dunstaffnage near Oban.  And there are numerous places where you could anchor.  If you choose to go for a longer route, there are many, many more anchorages and there are excellent hotels serving great food on both the islands of Colonsay and Coll.  The curry house at Port Ellen on Islay is well worth a visit as well, but that is quite a long way south.  For those in search of some challenging pilotage and peace and quiet, there are never very many boats in West Loch Tarbert on the Isle of Jura. And there are some great spots along the West side of the Isle of Mull, starting with Iona at the South end of the island and Gometra Sound offers a useful place to stay over if you wish to see Staffa with it’s famous Fingal’s Cave.

 

Day 11        End of Rally Dinner and Party at Western Isles Hotel.  (Tobermory) Set on a hill overlooking Tobermory Harbour, the Western Isles Hotel offers fine views over the harbour and towards the south.  This was the venue for the opening dinner of the last RTYC Scottish Rally and members enjoyed a good dinner complemented by the splendid outlook.  Now under new private management, we have high hopes of an even more memorable evening here in June 2010 to round off the Rally.

 

As you will see from the maps attached, you are now barely halfway up the West Coast of Scotland and there are a great many spectacular destinations further north.  If you only have a couple of extra days available, you may be able to visit the Small Isles of Eigg, Rhum, Muck and Canna.  If you have a little longer, you can get to the Isle of Skye, or perhaps even the Outer Hebrides.  And if you track back down the Sound of Mull and then head north towards Fort William, you reach the Caledonian Canal which cuts the whole way across Scotland and releases you at Inverness on the East Coast ready to head across the North Sea or back down towards England.

 

 

The intention is that Parts I and II of this Rally could stand alone if you don’t wish to take part in the whole event.  Accommodation can be organised at Crinan if you wish to do Part I and then come to Crinan by road.

 

Charter boats are available from a variety of places both inside the Clyde, at and  north of Crinan.  A comprehensive list of charter companies will be circulated soon.  Some companies operate from bases both in the Clyde and outside, so it may be possible to organise one way charters which will cover the whole area of both Parts of the Rally.

 

 

Distances (by sea):

 

Southampton to Rhu                           570

 

 

Troon – Largs                                         20

Largs – Rhu                                            19

Rhu – Rothesay (Bute)                           17

Rothesay – Ardrishaig (Crinan Canal)      25

 

 

Crinan – Oban                                       25

Oban – Tobermory                                24                                                                     

ALL DISTANCES ARE IN NAUTICAL MILES AND ARE APPROXIMATE

 

  

For more information, please contact:

 

Chris Perring

chris@chrisperring.co.uk

Phone: 0131 556 8801 or 07710 281674

for a host of useful links visit Chris's Rally page here