For a general picture of the cruising cruising areas from
Amsterdam through the Channel, up the W Irish coast, to Scotland, have a look at my web site, which also has some very brief comments on
Baltic Sailing.
I'd rush past the crowded Solent (S England) and start to slow down after Lyme Bay, pottering along the
English SW coast to the Scillies. That'll take 3 weeks for a reasonable look.
Then off to Cork, S
Ireland, followed by a very gentle 6 weeks working your way around the SW coast of
Ireland (what a sociable place that is!), then the rather sparsely populated NW coast.
Depart from the NE corner of N Ireland to Scotland, and allow a further 6 weeks to
work north from Ardnamurchan (I'd miss the Clyde, it's good, but the northern areas are better). Speed the whole thing up if you will, but you'll miss some great cruising grounds.
Scandinavia? Next year. The
Baltic season is short (long days, short nights), so you should aim to arrive there by late May, leaving by mid-September at the latest. Excellent support in the Baltic from the Cruising Association (Baltic Section), look
Cruising Association Home Page - I think around $100 a year for overseas
membership.
Jim B
Google 'jimb sail' to find my site
Compares the
Cruise areas of Europe