Elizabeth G was looking her very best with a total makeover inside and out for her first cruise of the season. Our four crew, Skipper Rob, Chef Steve, Wildlife Guide Vivi and Bosun Sarah were ready to welcome our first guests of the season on board yesterday on a 6-night cruise to Magical Mull. Our next Magical Mull Wildlife Cruise is September 26th 2015.
The onboard menu is already getting rave reviews with bubbly and Granny Mary’s amazingly light scones on arrival and fresh langoustines for the first dinner on board, anchored in Tobermory Bay; a taste of magic indeed!
Today (Sunday), lunch was Wild Mushroom and Blueberry Risotti with Apple Salad while anchored in beautiful Loch Drumbuie, famed for its sunsets. A walk ashore will help build up the appetite again for dinner with locally caught cod in Harrisa crumb for the main course.
We have been asked for the recipe for Mary’s scones – so here it is! Granny Mary’s Scone Recipe Mary is 87, Rob’s mum-in-law, Emma’s Granny and very much head of the family.
Mary is a massive fan of Elizabeth G and she and Rob had a great overnight stay on the boat last summer. She loves making the scones each week for the new guests.
The number of wildlife sightings are already stacking up with bottlenose dolphins, great northern divers, arctic terns, Manx shearwaters, lots of shags and red deer on the list so far.
Despite some pretty gusty weather, this was a fabulous cruise, our very experienced and attentive crew continually reviewing the forecast and the options to ensure the guests had a memorable and very enjoyable 10 nights aboard the wonderful Emma Jane. I’m fortunate enough to have previously visited St Kilda with Hebrides Cruises, but I must say this visit was possibly even more exciting, more a sense of achievement. However, don’t go thinking that St Kilda was all the cruise was about, not by a long way !! We had a fabulous visit to the sun drenched Shiants – sitting there watching the puffins, guillemots, razorbills, shags etc was pure pleasure. Other highlights were walking among the ruins of the old village on the Isle of Isay, just off the coast of Skye (a first for most of us), and the intriguing ruins at Rubha an Dunain on Skye. Just imagine an Iron Age dun on a cliff top, a chambered cairn from 2nd/3rd century BC, and a stone-lined canal thought to have been built by the Vikings !! This was a first for everyone on board – never let it be said Hebrides Cruises just visit the same old places, nothing could be further from the truth !!
Steve Lloyd: 8 June 2024St Kilda and the isles of the Outer Hebrides