Sunday July 7

Blue skies and flat calm. Temptress motored off south down the West Kyle. Today’s goal was Carrick Castle, an iconic, much photographed ruined square tower on the shores of Loch Goil. Once the seat of the Campbells and later a royal hunting lodge today its clad in scaffolding but that doesn’t detract from the beauty of its setting.

Loch Long and Loch Goil are like Norwegian fjords, deep in soaring tree clad mountains. Loch Long is precisely that and Goil branches off to the west about a third of the way up. The castle sits out on a flat promontory, around it are quite a few moorings but we found a spot to anchor just inshore of the rocks off the gravel beach in about seven metres at our second attempt. Our first was too close to the beach and a slipway. A group of divers under instruction swam past our bow heading for the rocks which even at low water have several metres of water over them. On the beach were a couple of groups of kayakers and some paddle boarders were attempting to go for a paddle. The wind had picked up over the last hour or two and was now blowing at 15 knots or more from the north west funnelled down the loch and curving around the headlands. Our pretty anchorage was rapidly becoming a lee shore off Temptress’ stern. Plans to launch the dinghy and explore the castle and village were abandoned.

Having lifted the anchor we set off to explore the loch a bit more in search of a place to spend the night. The loch is deep and steep to for the most part but there are visitors moorings in 30m at its head.

The village of Lochgoilhead sits right at the top of the loch, on its western side caravan and chalet parks ranged up the hillside – holiday homes for Glaswegians we presume. Along the shore itself were some amazing houses, mostly large Victorian piles in a mix of styles ranging from Swiss chalet with wide roofs and overhangs to a cream stuccoed Italianate with a tower and behind it a huge glasshouse. All had immaculate lawns sweeping down the hill, a few have boathouses too.

The wind now was coming down off the hills in great katabatic like gusts. Even close to the shore there was quite a chop. The moorings didn’t look an attractive proposition, there was no way you could have reached the shore in a dinghy without getting very wet and the boats that were there were yawing widely in the gusts. Not a recipe for a comfy night.

Having decided that Loch Goil wasn’t going to suit, Temptress turned round and we unfurled the jib for an at times fast sail back to Loch Long. A friend who’d sailed the area as a child suggested a couple of alternatives where we might find shelter in the northerlies. The first of those “Bute Bay” was just south of the pylons that hold the power cables stretching over Loch Long 75m above us. We found it easily enough, however steep shelving loch bed left very little shallow water meaning there was a meagre amount of swinging room, fine for a thirty footer but not for our forty seven. Despite being just above the ugly shed of the navy’s Coulport base on the opposite bank the little bay with its rocky shore and fringed with trees was very pretty but sadly not for us.

The next option was Ardentinny. Here we had two choices, the more northerly one by the beach again lacked enough bottom at a sensible depth for Temptress to anchor with room to swing. We did try much to the amusement of those enjoying a sunny Sunday afternoon on the beach but after surveying it in a couple of wide circles we left the swimmers to it. The other spot south of the hotel is now too full of moorings. Temptress motored on south down Loch Long, pilot guide open checking each of the potential bays it suggested as we went. Down at the bottom of the Loch where it joins the Clyde opposite Gourock and Greenock wind turned almost south and we could see boats beating their way down! That in turn meant the anchorages on the northern shore were unprotected.

We made our way to Rhu Marina which had been our plan B. As part of the same Boatfolk group as Bangor, we could have a free night or two. We changed into shore going clothes, checked in at reception then walked along the seafront to the Rhu Inn for supper. A frustrating day but lots of enjoyable scenery.