Cruising North Sea

Hi

I will be sailing North along the Dutch coast to Scandinavia this summer with a view to making passage across the North Sea to the West Coast of Scotland making transit either via the Forth and Clyde Canal or the Caledonian Canal.

Has anyone done this before? Any information/views gratefully received!

If you do not want to have to step your mast then the northern route would seem best - Caledonian Canal. Certainly, the scenery on this route is without equal and you would exit the canul under the vast craggy mass of Ben Nevis itself!

But why miss out the fabulous sailing round the north via the Pentland Firth? There is so much to see and do and it gets you round to the "quiet" parts of the west-coast and an easy route to the Outer Islands.

Either way, have fun!

Enjoy your trip and don´t miss St. Kilda, especially if you´re interested in birds.

W

If you have a chance, the rivers to the south of Rotterdam are a surreally tranquil place - utterly flat and tideless, with good winds causing mere ripples and a population as friendly as the Dutch are supposed to be, when not permanently hassled by 'drug tourists' and stag do's (as they are in Amsterdam).

However the sea lanes around there are some of the busiest in the world, with monster container ships and tankers hooning along in a constant stream, 24 hours a day. Crossing them feels a bit like being a microscopic tortoise crossing the M25...