Published in Scotland Magazine Issue 13 on 25/3/2004.

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God's own cruising heaven

Tom Bruce-Gardyne goes cruising around Scotland's beautiful west coast, but don't mention the weather.

Scotland does not slip smoothly into the sea, at least not for the most part. Rather, its coast is endlessly jagged and dramatic, with the west in particular marked by a series of giant slanting sea lochs that cut far inland.

It is said that if you measure every bay, loch and indent of Argyll and Bute, the county that stretches from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to Oban in the north, its coast alone is as long as that of France.

From the land, it can often feel tantalisingly out of reach, but from the sea it becomes instantly accessible. And hidden amongst its cliffs and rocky headlands can be some of the prettiest and most secluded beaches and natural harbours you could imagine. That is, when the conditions are right.

Beyond lie the Inner and Outer Hebrides, a chain of islands strung round the west of Scotland like a double row of pearls, while to the north are the Orkneys and the Shetland islands. The waters in between are what many who have experienced them believe to be God’s own cruising heaven.

And whether it is on a small dinghy virtually kissing the surface of the sea, or high above it on the deck of a 10,000-tonne cruise ship, the appeal is essentially the same. In the words of Peter MacLeod, Past Commodore of The Royal Highland Yacht Club:“If you are possessed of wit and humour and have music in your soul, you will savour the people and the places, enjoy the ceilidhs and hospitality, and conclude that here is a world apart.”

Above all, there is a real sense .....

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By Tom Bruce-Gardyne

Section : Scottish Cruises

Page number : 68