IOM is known today for the bike racing and as a tax haven. For older people it was a holiday destination with fancy hotels and entertainers. In 1887 310,000 people visited for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. A lot of that can still be seen on the water front.
Lovely places managed by fearsome landladies. So the story goes.
After a pleasant stay we set sail for the Isle Of Man, on the way passing Aisla Craig, an island very conspicuous from the shore.
We anchored for the night in a Lady Bay at the entrance to Loch Ryan. A big mistake as the ferries seem to come and go by the hour and we rolled for each one. Pleased to get underway.
Short hop the next morning to the eastern end of IOM and then a run down to Douglas.
and the obligatory lighthouse.
Greenock was an easy walk from the Marina. A once huge port / ship building area it is now somewhat run down but there are promising signs of a renewal and an interest in the history of the place and the people.
One thing of news to us was Greenock’s importance as an embarkation place for emigrants.
It is almost certain that Lois’ family would have left from here to begin a new life in New Zealand
After a very pleasant stay in delightful Campbeltown we set sail toward Glasgow passing to the west of Isle of Arran and one night at anchor in Kilchattan Bay.
The usual welcome
and eventually all fast in the Sir James Watt Marina, Greenock.
Campbeltown is a very old area but in more recent times was known as the Whisky capital of the world with 34 distilleries. Now only 3 as prohibition in the USA closed most of them. Also famous for ship building.
The marina was brand new. Kapowai almost in town.
Signs of wealth, whisky barons!
A remarkable cross, the story below.
Old pubs and market squares go together. Just like old pubs and the crew of Kapowai!
We picked up the anchor next morning and set course to the south down the west coast heading to round the Mull of Kintyre (no singing please) and up to Campbeltown.
This is the anchorage with our neighbour for the night.
The islands on the west coast.
The weather was not the best rounding the Mull of Kintyre, 40 knots with a short sharp sea, so no photos.
Eventually we arrived at Campbeltown and the usual lighthouse to welcome us.
Leaving the Sound of Mull we passed Duart Castle, the ancestral home of Clan Mclean, demolished by Clan Campbell in the 1690’s it has since been re-acquired and re-built by Clan McLean. Remarkable as the stones were scattered by Clan Campbell.
The castle featured in ‘Entrapment’ and also in Buffy.
Just to the south of the castle is this lighthouse, built by his friends, as a memorial to the Scottish novelist William Black.
On the other side, to the north, looking up Loch Linnhe toward Fort Willian & Ben Nevis.
And lastly our anchorage for the night, Loch Crinan. This is the start of the Crinan Canal, a short cut to the Clyde. But we are too big so it is the long way for Kapowai.
