INVERKIP TO OBAN GREAT SCOT

Kelston and Jackie Tobin’s leisurely circum-navigtion of the UK enters its third season as they cruise north from Inverkip to Oban via the Crinan Canal and the occasional whisky distillery!

- Kelston and Jackie Tobin

Following a successful 320-mile voyage from our berth at Milford Haven, we arrived at Kip Marina in Inverkip at the beginning of September 2021. The marina is one of the most spacious we have ever visited and, although tidal, offers excellent protection from prevailing westerlies. We were booked in for a year and were looking forward to exploring Scotland for the first time.

Each time we drove to Scotland to spend time on the boat we stopped and stayed a night or two in other areas of the UK that we had not previously visited. We made the journey to Inverkip a number of times over the winter and stayed on our boat for about a week each time.

Inverkip itself is a ten-minute walk from the marina, on the opposite side of the busy A78. There is a well-stocked supermarket and The Inverkip Hotel, which is the local watering hole with two bars, a restaurant and numerous single malts! The railway station is also close by with a regular inexpensive service to Glasgow that takes around 40 minutes.

EXPLORING THEIR NEW SCOTTISH BASE 

As well as visiting Glasgow, we also drove to Largs and Helensburgh, to visit The Hill House, which was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife Margaret. While on the north side of the Clyde we drove around Gare Loch and part of Loch Long. It was quite a shock to emerge from the forest to find the massive submarine base of Faslane together with the remains of the peace camp located amongst the trees outside the entrance to the base. On the adjacent Loch Long we came across the very secure RNAD Coulport armaments facility built in the hillside which arm the submarines.