Fri 3 Jul Cairnbaan 50%ish

Cairnbaan to Bellanoch Bridge

Steve’s starboard knee giving serious gyp after yesterday’s manhandling lock gates for fun, helping the lock keepers. Weather today migMhore conducive to the hoards who were hanging around in the Crinan Basin yesterday heading out, so we wanted to press on to Crinan today. Local intel through the canal jungle drums revealed Crinan to be ‘rammed’ with boats rafted all over. So we took local advice and stopped at Bellanoch Bridge. Midges out in force now wind has dropped a bit (no pleasing some folk eh?)’

Got away through Lock 5 Cairnbaan at 1015 and dawdled our way along, practicing driving astern a few hundred yards at a time in the summit pound between Lock 8 and 9. Managed to get through Locks 9 and 10, dropping down toward Crinan and have had to stop awhile to let the hoards through from the west. Seems Crinan Basin is full of folk hiding from the weather, all rafted up, so we stoppedfor Night 3 at Bellanoch Bridge, a bit before Crinan. Walked 45 minutes along canal path into Crinan. Imagine our surprise when we saw the ‘rammed’ Crinan basin! They have a different view of ‘rammed’ compared with ‘doon sooth’. Anyway, we made it to the pub with new friends Dougie and Fiona Auld on a Bavaria 39 ‘Vela Mhor’ out of Troon. Smashing meal in the Crinan Hotel, taxi back to Bellanoch Bridge. Onboard Vela Mhor chatting til midnight.Read more