Our 10-night epic St Kilda and Outer Hebrides cruise with Chris Gomersall, which departed on July 16th, was an outstanding success in terms of wildlife seen, anchorages and stopovers. It was an excellent cruise for spotting cetaceans, with 9 minke whale sightings, three pods of common dolphins, bottlenose dolphin, Risso’s dolphin, white-beaked dolphin and harbour porpoise. In addition, 2 basking sharks were seen and close views of an otter cub at an anchorage in Loch Nevis late one evening. It was also an amazing success in terms of bird life, with a total of 83 species of birds seen. Bird highlights included both golden and white-tailed eagles, and sooty shearwaters at sea.
Anchorages on this cruise started out on Tobermory, Mull; and included Vatersay (linked by a causeway to Barra); then Fladday, off Skye; the St Kilda Archipelago (2 nights); Leverburgh, Isle of Harris; Loch Rodal, Isle of Harris; the Shiant Isles; Loch Seaforth (the boundary between Harris and Lewis); Portree, Isle of Skye; Loch Nevis, Lochaber; Canna, the Small Isles; Loch Scresort, Rum, the Small Isles; Fishnish, the Sound of Mull
Dear Emma, this was my second excursion with Hebrides Cruises. I echo people’s descriptions of all you do so well. I would add how much I enjoyed the after dinner conversations: what we saw lists, maps of where we had been, and where we would be tomorrow. The captain, Alasdair, told us stories of growing up in the Hebrides and made the history come alive for me. I learned so much from everyone’s stories! One other plus, the crew made sure we were anchored in a calm spot each night. Slept well! Best, Bobbie Hobbs
Bobbie Hobbs: 13 May 2023Skye, the Small Isles and the Shiants