After spending a few nights anchored in Black Farland Bay in the West Kyles we had a somewhat drizzly sail/motor/sail/motor around to Tarbert, a distance of 14nm when you take into account our tacks! Tarbert is a beautiful village located on the shores of Loch Fyne and it is a popular destination for cruisers in the area, especially due to its proximity to the Crinan Canal. The village has an active fishing fleet and you will no doubt encounter one or two as you enter or leave!
The sheltered marina offers over 50 berths for visiting vessels plus a handful of mooring buoys. The marina is priced at £3.45 per metre (June 2024) and includes Wi-Fi, water and electricity however we opted to take a mooring buoy at a cost of £12 per night for vessels up to 12 metres.
Tarbert Harbour has installed ‘Mara Buoys‘, a very user friendly mooring buoy system. The buoy has a deck level pick up line which pays out upon pick up. All you need to do is reach out, pick up, and make the mooring line fast to the deck cleat. It’s so much easier than hanging over the side trying to grab a pick up or lasso, in fact we’re really surprised this hasn’t been installed in many more locations!
Going ashore we were able to tie up our tender along the main pontoon before heading up to the reception and chandlery. The facilities here are excellent – the showers were so hot, just what we needed after our ‘damp’ sail! There are laundry facilities where a wash was £4.50 and a tumble dry £2 for 30 minutes, £3 for an hour. Next to the reception area is a small playground, aimed at children of course – though we’re not afraid to admit we did enjoy a bounce or two on the sunken in-ground trampolines!
We had timed our arrival for Scotland’s opening Euro 2024 game with Germany so after some delicious chips from the local chippy we headed to the Corner House pub to watch the game, which they sadly lost. However that didn’t seem to dampen the spirits, with the locals happy to chat and the pub serving free sandwiches and nibbles; such lovely hospitality.
Also within the village you will find a co-op supermarket and a handful of restaurants and small shops. Overlooking the harbour is Tarbert Castle, a strategic royal stronghold during the Middle Ages. Dating back to the 14th century all that now remains are a couple of standing walls. From here there are a couple of walks that take you up into the hills. We opted to follow the Corranbuie Trail, a looped trail of some 3 miles, which takes you up to Barr Reamhar and the Millennium Cairn, rewarding you with magnificent views across Kintyre and Loch Fyne.
Tarbert is an idyllic little village and the marina is extremely well maintained with excellent facilities. However do note that if you are on a mooring buoy you may get pooped on by one of the very many seagulls and other birdlife that live on the nearby low lying rocks.
It was also in Tarbert that we first encountered the dreaded midges that we had been warned about by many cruisers. So if you are visiting Tarbert in the summer months make sure you’ve stocked up on the anti repellent sprays and lotions beforehand, cos these little b*****ds bite hard!
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