SV Sancerre: Stopping Places: Skye Bridge to Rubha Reidh.

This page has been split into two, locations south of Sky Bridge are now here: Ardnamurchan Point to Skye Bridge main references are being updated.

Be sure to check out Reeds and / or the appropriate pilots (Clyde Cruise Club sailing directions) for more detailed information and some alternates, this is just an overview of ones I have been to.

For anchorages in this area the Antares Charts covering almost 600 anchorages are invaluable and for some indispensable. At £15 they don't break the bank and as well as the chart you get a very good summary of each anchorage or passage, most if not all of the anchorages below are covered.

Sequenced approximately south to north. Links open in a new window and most point to the trip towards the anchorage, the following post may have more information.

To see my recent visits to each anchorage check out the "Labels" towards the bottom of the right hand panel or flow the individual links.

Updated Sept 23 to include Harbours and Marinas also some info on fuel & gas availability.

Anchorages = red, Marinas = Blue
Updated to 18th April 2025

Contents (in order presented):

Broadford Bay, Skye.
Bag an Strathaidh (West of Plockton).
Plockton.
Upper Lochcarron.
Churchton Bay, S Rassay.
Braes Beach (Skye) / Rassay Narrows.
Oskaig Bay, Raasay.
Portree, Skye.
Loch Shieldaig / Torridon.
Flowerdale Bay, Loch Gairloch.
Loch Kerry, Loch Gairloch.

Broadford Bay, Skye

Good shelter from offshore winds and good holding, the guides say there are decent facilities ashore accessible by dinghy but nothing else to recommend it except that it is closer to Skye bridge than some alternates.

Looking south from the Broadford Bay anchorage.

Visited 2020.

Bag an Strathaidh

A good anchorage convenient to Skye Bridge, well sheltered from many directions. To get in and out you need plenty of tide and / or the Antares chart which is both more detailed and over 100 years more up to date. Vodaphone and O2 both good.

Visited in 2025.

Plockton.

Sancerre anchored in 2021. I believe its normally much busier,
lack of boats probably down to Covid.

Sancerre on a mooring in the outer anchorage 2022, again very
quiet, but it was early May and despite the picture VERY windy at times.

Well sheltered from most directions, perhaps not from the NE, in 2022 I was there during severe gales from the W & SW, the wind was gusty and variable in direction causing the boat to swing and sway quite violently at times, accentuated by the very long lines from the buoys, but with smooth water it was reasonably comfortable and better than most anchorages you will find in these conditions. An anchored boat not far away appeared to be somewhat more stable.

Some good places to eat ashore, if you can get a table, most places specialise in sea food and can be quite expensive depending on choice. Fish and Chip shop, fish good, chips very average. Shopping is extremely limited, consider a trip to Lochcarron (check the links) in the upper loch if you need serious resupply, the Spar shop there is the best I have come across outside of much larger villages and towns, alternatively try a train trip to Kyle of Lochalsh where there is a large Co-op and other shops and eateries.

O2 and Vodafone service OK.

Visited 2021 and 2022

Upper Lochcarron

Lochcarron village from the large anchorage.

I sat out a NE gale here in 2021 on a short scope of chain after losing 20 metres after fouling the anchor at the Holy Island of Lindisfarne (The start of that saga starts here, the result 2 posts later). I visited a couple of times in 2022 and I would not recommend it in a fresh south westerly as the long fetch up the loch would make it rather exposed.

Diesel and Gas’s is available from the garage by the slipway close to the recommended anchorage. If you take your sea boots you can save a walk with a heavy load by motoring or rowing from the anchorage to the shop in the dinghy but beware of weed close in, a reconnaissance on foot would be a good idea. Excellent shop for the size of the village, fuel available 24/7, unfortunately broken when I visited in 2024 to sit out another gale.

Churchton Bay, S Rassay.

A good anchorage but exposed to south westerly winds.

Position "A" clear of the ferry terminal.

Visited 2021

Braes Beach (Skye) / Rassay Narrows.

Across the narrows from Churchton Bay, S. Rassay (above) with good protection, at least from rough water, with winds from south and west. Vodafone and O2 signals OK.

Visited 2022

Oskaig Bay, Raasay.

Text to follow (after I have been here a night)

The anchorage at Oskaig Bay.

Portree, Skye.

Subject to severe squalls in strong south-westerlies but otherwise well protected. The anchorage areas around the edge are now smaller than shown in the 2024 Antares chart but the outer one is somewhat larger.

Portree, Isle of Skye.

Visited in 2024.

Loch Shieldaig / Torridon,

Sancerre in Loch Shieldaig anchorage taken from the slip way.

A very attractive trip through Loch Torridon (see link) to get there and several anchorages to suit most conditions. A good restaurant but watch the price of wine which is very overpriced (my bottle actually had a price tag accidently left on it - almost 1/8th of what I was charged), probably best to stick to other drinks. A small shop with very limited stock.

Visited 2021

Flowerdale Bay, Loch Gairloch.

I nice anchorage although much was encumbered by pot buoys when I visited in 2024. Somewhat exposed to the west. Vodaphone and O2 signals OK.

Flowerdale anchorage

Loch Kerry, Loch Gairloch.

A pretty anchorage with better protection from several directions than Flowerdown, the Antares chart will enable you to avoid the large rocky area (but currently it does not show 2 mooring buoys that get in the way in one good spot - reported to them). Vodaphone and O2 OK but only a couple of bars each.

Loch Kerry

Visited in 2025.

Loch Ewe is in the section Rubha Reidh to Duncansby Hd.