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An amazing find - a 250-year-old census showing the earliest recorded population of the Island of St Kilda has been discovered thanks to work by the National Records of Scotland.

If you are a Maclachlan, MacQueen, Ferguson, Gillies, MacDonald or MacKinnon, the list of people on the census might have been your ancestors.

Our Mull, Iona and Coll cruise is an exceptional island hopping itinerary with so much variety and beauty in the landscape and environment. A 6-night cruise is not long enough to explore the whole area but, just to give you a flavour of the choice on offer, here is a list of some of the Skippers most favourite anchorages. The weather and wind direction will play a large part in choosing which part of Mull any cruise will explore, but as you can see, wherever you land, it’s going to be stunning! Needless to say, the best way to experience the magic of Mull is from the sea.

Robin came on board our Caledonian Canal Explorer 6-night cruise in October 2016 – here is the direct link to his blog article on Welcome to Scotland.

Skye and Small Isles 6-night cruise: 17th – 23 September. Our first steam provided great scenery, especially in the spectacular late summer light. One very distant eagle was spotted soaring over the Morvern hills and we had guillemots, razorbills and gulls galore, but no gannets this time. We anchored in Loch na Droma Buidhe and sat down for our first meal: apricot and mozzarella salad; salmon ballotine; and spiced apple crumble.

We were treated to a surfeit of cetaceans on this cruise! Minke whales, bottlenose and common dolphins and an extremely rare sighting of a pod of at least 40 porpoises. There were also front seat views of an otter and white-tailed eagles amongst other wildlife delights. And of course, the scenery, the sunsets and the

Weather-wise the cruise was typical Outer Hebrides with a total contrast from very wet and windy to soaking up the hot sun on the top deck or taking a plunge in Loch Nevis! The guests decided against going to St Kilda due to the stormy weather early in the week, enticed by the many other

Saturday This week’s private charter had a fantastic itinerary that everyone, the guests and the crew alike, were very excited about; Jura, Islay, Colonsay, Staffa, Lunga and Mull were on the list. As we set out from Oban after having enjoyed sparkling wine, scones and canapés we were all holding our fingers firmly

Day1: With our guests onboard and the safety briefing done we left Oban’s North Pier in sunshine and headed west, passing the Isle of Lismore into the Sound of Mull. Straight away it could be seen that we had some enthusiastic birdwatchers and photographers onboard as everyone was up forward looking for birds and taking photos. We were accompanied of course by our onboard guide and professional wildlife photographer Chris Gomersall.

 We were delighted to welcome back Chris Jackson as the Skipper aboard our annual photography cruise with Chris Gomersall - here is his report.  Karen Aspen was Chef and Chris Gomersall took some photos of her delicious food.

Our Idyllic Islands Hebridean Photography Cruise departing on July 2nd and led by Chris Gomersall provided many wildlife highlights. There were several close sightings of at least 6 different individual white-tailed eagles,

We did not reach St Kilda on our latest 10 night St Kilda & Outer Hebrides Wildlife Adventure Cruise, but despite the occasionally strong winds we reached many intriguing islands including Mingulay, which is often called mini-Hirta because of the many resemblances.

Ourr first St Kilda trip for the season was a great success thanks to both fantastic guests and crew who both were eager to reach the magical archipelago despite occasional rough seas. And for the millions of birds and fantastic history the islands have to offer it is always worth it in the end with all guests hailing it as a trip of a lifetime

As usual, we welcomed our guests onboard with sparkling wine, canapés and grandma Mary’s scones. Once everyone was settled into their cabins and had been given a safety briefing by Skipper Rob and Bosun Sarah we set off up across the Firth of Lorn and up into the Sound of Mull headed for our first anchor of the night...

We welcomed our first guests for the season with sparkling wine, canapés and grandma Mary’s famous scones. Once everyone was settled into their cabins and had been given a safety briefing by Skipper Rob and Bosun Sarah we set off up across the Firth of Lorn and up into the Sound of Mull.

The Caledonian Canal Explorer 6-night cruise is a one-way journey through the very heart of Scotland from the east coast to the west coast, along the magnificent Caledonian Canal.  The scenery from the boat is outstanding but we have had enquiries from guests who wish to bring their bikes on board.