Stopping Places: Rubha Reidh to Duncansby Head.

To see my recent visits to each anchorage check out the "Labels" towards the bottom of the right hand panel or follow the individual links.

Updated Jan 23 to include Harbours and Marinas also info on fuel & gas availability.

Further updated during a boring winter 2023/4 to include some information on access to and from marinas. See my page Marina notes (opens in a new window) for some general tips and the context (handling of my boat) in which I comment.

Videos are often best viewed at half speed, I have to pan quite quickly to keep the file size down to be within the limit set by blogger and I don't want to be editing and compressing whilst on the boat.

Anchorages = red, Marinas = Blue, Green= Possible

Content in order displayed, updated to 18th May 2025:

• Loch Ewe.
• Loch Roe.
• Loch Nedd.
• Tarbet Lagoon, Handa Island.
• Loch a'Chadh-fi, Loch Laxford.
• Loch Clash.
• Loch Inchard.
• Loch Eriboll.
• Sandside Bay.

Orkney now has its own page,

Loch Ewe

A large loch with anchorages to suite all tastes. My favourite is Aultbea, 

Position "A" in the anchorage, watch out for a couple of old pick up
buoys and it is quite shoal so don't go too far without checking the depth
all round and the tide tables.

Looking south, the NATO refuelling point on the left.

On all 3 visits there have been great sun sets.

 

2024

Visited 2020, 2021 and 2024.

Loch Roe

A very well sheltered, attractive anchorage with good depths, plenty of space and lots of wildlife to look at. The initial entrance is easy but probably not advisable in a strong easterly. Vodafone and O2 OK.

The comment on the Antares chart says "access to the

inner areas is about as challenging as it gets on the

west cost but is well worth it". I went in at high tide

so could take some liberties taking photos etc.  but 

in truth it is not that difficult IF you have their chart,

This anchorage or Talbert Lagoon (below) will

 justify the cost before you get to some of the tricky

anchorages in the Western Isles!

However, care is still needed, this seal is sitting on
a rock in the middle of the visible channel exposed by
1.8m at LAT and waiting to get you.

Visited in 2025.

Loch Nedd

Excellent shelter and can be entered in almost any conditions but its hard to spot the entrance from a distance but obviously not a problem with GPS (assuming it is not being interfered with by the Navy) there are a series of pictures here. Its a fairly long leg to or from Loch Erribol but in favourable winds I have done it in ten and a quarter hours North bound going quite close in to Cape Wrath and eleven and a half hours south bound standing off further (link above). O2 voice service but only legacy GPRS data which has limited utility these days.

Visited 2020 and 2021.

Tarbet Lagoon, Handa Island.

Excellent anchorage but really requires the Antares chart. Phone coverage OK until close by but very patchy in the anchorage.

The anchorage

Visited 2024.

Loch a'Chadh-fi, Loch Laxford.

Quite an attractive anchorage but very susceptible to gusting winds coming down from the mountains, especially at the eastern end with a SE wind and I found in 2025. Holding regarded as good but I found it a little suspect in places, soft mud over hard. See my post on what turned out to be a wild night there in 2025.

No O2 or Vodaphone signal in parts, intermittent weak Vodaphone and no O2 in others, both usable in my final location (see post).

From the recommended anchorage at the west end

where I went first

Loch Inchard

I had planned to use the small anchorage at Loch Sheigra (Badcall Bay) in Loch Inchard just past  Loch Bervie but it is only 90 yards wide between the 1.5m contours and with the wind gusting to 20 knots there was little chance of setting the anchor dead centre and then lying to a relatively short scope of chain. I didn't need the stress of doing it or worrying about swinging room so I moved to the head of the Loch.

I think the Antares chart rather dambs it with faint praise as "Open and unexciting" it is overlooked and getting ashore would be problematic but it is well sheltered except from the NW where there is quite a long fetch but otherwise there is plenty of room and it is quite. O2 and Vodafone both good. Keep a good look out for pot buoys and the Mussel farm which is not where it is shown on the 2025 admiralty chart but on the other side of the Loch.

The anchorage at the head of the Loch. Note the

trip line buoy, probably not necessary but there

is and has been a lot of Mussel farming and

pot fishing in the Loch so it seemed a sensible

precaution despite the aggravation of setting and

later retrieving it.

Visited in 2025

Loch Clash

Loch Clash anchorage.

Loch Clash is quite a nice anchorage just north of loch Inchard but is over looked by several houses and an area people use to park their camper vans. The down side is that it is completely exposed to the south west and there is quite a lot of Kelp.

Avoid a rocky patch between my location and the other yacht, see the Antares Chart. Vodafone and O2 signals OK. Visited 2024

Loch Eriboll

A large loch with good shelter but some of the anchorages, including the most convenient, shown in the pilot were a waste of time when I visited in 2020 (see link re Loch Nedd North bound going quite close in to Cape Wrath ), but there are good anchorages on both sides of Ard Neachie 5 miles up the loch on the east side and there are other likely spots in calm conditions. O2 and Vodafone signals are fine in 2024, not sure they were previously. 

Update 2024: I did not go to Respond Bay as the wind was wrong on arrival but using the binoculars there were far fewer pot buoys than on my previous visits and on leaving a yacht was using the anchorage, I suspect that previously there had been a lot of cages down to store live lobsters prior to the reopening of restaurants at the end of 2020 and 2021 lockdowns.

 

Loch Eriboll, southern Ard Neackie anchorage.

Ard Neachie south side

The down side is a long motor to and from the open sea

Visited 2020, 2021 and 2024, twice, 2025

Sand Side Bay.

A useful anchorage providing there is no swell from the north, Vodaphone and O2 signals are fine. There is quite a bit of weed about but also a lot of large patches of sand, even with a light wind on a dull day I was able to see them at high water, with some sun it would be very easy to plant the anchor into one.

Note that when approaching from the east the anchorage is largely hidden until you are directly offshore.

The anchorage, to the left of the old harbour wall.

The Anchorage.

Visited in 2024.

Anchorages, marinas and harbours:

• The Solent.
• The Needles to Rame Hd (Plymouth).
• Rame Head to Lands End.
• The Isles of Scilly. 
• Lands End to The Mull of Galloway excluding Ireland.
• The East Coast of Ireland from Carnsore Pt to Fair Head.
• Ireland clockwise from Carnsore Point.
• Mull of Galloway to Ardnamurchan Point.
• Ardnamurchan Point to Skye Bridge.
• Skye Bridge to Rubha Reidh (west of Loch Ewe).
• The Western Isles.
• Rubha Reidh to Duncansby Head.
• Orkney and Shetland.
• Duncansby Head to The Solent.