Now I'm back from our 2 week cruise around the Clyde. We started our cruise from Strangford Lough, travelling to Girvan, Scotland where we spent a wonderful 3 days. It was the first time we went there and I would highly recommend it. The town centre consists of a long one way street which has many great local shops which serve the community. Girvan is one of the towns that tens of thousands pass through after arriving off the ferry at Stranraer and it is currently up for Lottery funding to develop the seafront more which is currently a wonderful massive stretch of grass on which once there used to be a putting green. From the wonderful town of Girvan we travelled to Ardrossan. Ardrossan seems to be in the middle of redevelopment with a massive ASDA store opening shortly. The marina is quite good with a nearby chandlery and boat repairs. The waterfront with massive beach seems completely under-developed and while it has been rated "excellent" for water cleanliness there was hardly anyone about. The shops in Ardrossan seem inadequate for the size of town and the town centre is an excuse. The buildings are attractive and it seems that this town could be something rather special, if only the council were to develop it.

Our next stop was Holy Loch which has a marina and stores but not much else. The scenery was nice and there were many walks or bike rides around the neighbouring countryside.

We then took a tour of Loch Goil and Loch Long. We anchored off Carrick Castle, Loch Goil and went ashore but the castle was closed and restoration had stopeed a long time ago. Lochgoilhead was another dissapointment as the pier that had once given access for boats is now in disrepair and in a dangerous state of repair.

We then went round the corner to Gare Loch and Rhu Marina. This was a quaint little town with some pleasant walks along the shore for miles. This is also the home of many submarines and navy vessels which is always a great bonus to watch.

We then went out of the River Clyde to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. This is a great town with loads to do and see. The tourof the island on the open deck bus was great and well worth it to find out more about the island and places to go. There are 2 beautiful beaches on the west coast and there is currently development in Rothesay to expand the marina as well as a new marina being built to the west of Rothesay, just round the coast.

From Rothesay we travelled to East Loch Tarbet where there was a carnival and summer activites. It is a lovely natural harbour and marina with a sea front of shops. we didn't have much time to spend and after a rainy night we cruised down to Campbeltown on the mull of galloway. A great town with plenty to do and see and anothre highlight to the holiday.
Finally, we made our way across the North Channel to Glenarm and stayed the night and morning in the marina. A great stop over and another lovely village with castle and some nice little shops. A local salmon farmer operates out of here and if you are very nice he sometimes can sell you one for your tea -very tasty!

I have just uploaded some photos of the trip to my webshots albums.

Only registered users can see links on this forum! Register or Login on forum!

If anyone is thinking of going up the Clyde (southwest of scotland) then hopefully some of these highlights will help you decide where to visit.

We got some great weather on the 2 weeks and it was quite warm in Girvan.