Being at anchor, for us, is one of the best feelings. Finding that perfect spot and relaxing for days or weeks on the hook, is pure escapism. We try and anchor as much as possible although sometimes the weather and tides can make this more challenging, sometimes impossible. But when conditions are right anchoring allows you to access some breathtaking corners of our country. Check out some of the beautiful anchorages we have got to enjoy and explore whilst we embark on our sailing adventure around the UK. We hope these articles help other sailors but as always they are purely for guidance; please anchor responsibly and in accordance with any local regulations, the conditions and your draught. Enjoy exploring!
After a pleasant sail from Loch Goil, with stops on mooring buoys at Carrick Castle and Ardentinny, we anchored in Rothesay Bay for the night, a popular Victorian seaside resort on the Isle of Bute. Lochgoilhead to Carrick Castle Leaving Lochgoilhead we enjoyed a short sail to Carrick Castle on… Read More »Anchoring at Rothesay, Isle of Bute
After sailing along the coast from Port Oriel (Clogher Head) we anchored in Strangford Lough, just off of the club moorings belonging to Killyleagh Yacht Club on the western shore of the Lough. Killyleagh is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland and the anchorage here provides good holding in… Read More »Anchoring at Killyleagh in Strangford Lough – We LOVED this place!
We had spent a week anchored up the Cleddau River but with a predicted 35 knots due in from the south we headed back down towards Milford Haven to find a more secure spot, but not before cutting ourselves free from the old mooring that we had snagged – click… Read More »Anchoring in the Milford Haven Waterway
After spending 5 nights in Milford Haven Marina we were keen to get back to anchor and so we set our sights on going up river. Before starting our cruising season this year we purchased the Imray pilot book ‘Irish Sea Pilot’ by David Rainsbury. In it David wrote that… Read More »Anchoring in the Cleddau River
Departing from Bream Cove anchorage our destination was Penzance, around the Lizard and up into Mounts Bay. With the Lizard being quite a notorious headland we once again opted to try and arrive at it for slack, before catching the tide up into the Bay. With a south-westerly wind of… Read More »Anchoring in Newlyn
After 10 days up the Truro River (getting over the media attention of our whale encounter!) we weighed anchor to continue our journey west. First up we stopped into Mylor Yacht Harbour to top up our fuel tank ahead of our intended passage from Penzance to Milford Haven. Mylor Yacht… Read More »A night at Bream Cove Anchorage
After all the excitement of our whale encounter (yep that’s right we spotted a humpback whale in Cornwall!) there was only one place we wanted to be – up the Truro River at one of our favourite anchoring spots! We had visited here last season and couldn’t get over how… Read More »Truro River Anchorage: One of our Favs!
The River Lynher flows through East Cornwall and meets the River Tamar, a short distance up from the Hamoaze area, an estuarine stretch of the River Tamar between its confluence with the River Lynher and Plymouth Sound. It is sometimes referred to as the St Germans River. We departed from Mayflower… Read More »Anchoring in the River Lynher
Still, calm, peaceful…we simply loved the anchorage in Salcombe! Possibly because, for the majority of our stay it was either just us or one other boat, and possibly because we picked a cracking window weather wise! We had spent the previous week anchored up the River Dart, which was idyllic,… Read More »Anchoring in Salcombe
After a night on the visitor pontoon in Dartmouth we decided to head up river and explore what this beautiful part of the world had to offer. Last season we explored Dartmouth and the surrounding area in depth so we didn’t feel the need to do it again. Besides we… Read More »Anchoring in the River Dart