We were delighted to welcome a particularly favourite group of guests on board for their 6th private charter with us. A very special guest on this cruise is Elizabeth Spanswick who Elizabeth G is named after. We have highlighted the menu on board to give a taste of what the guests enjoyed!
Day 1
We had arranged to pick up the group of guest from Leverburgh on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides. It was a lovely calm day and guests came aboard around mid afternoon. They were welcomed with a glass of fizz and canape’s of palmiers with home-made summer fruit drizzle cake, compliments of Granny Mary. The wind had got up in the meantime so our anchorage for the night was Lochmaddy, ready to head out to the Monach Islands the following day.
Starter: warm asparagus and herb mayo
Main: sea trout with Champagne sauce, jersey royals, cauliflower puree and peas
Pud: baked peaches in Marsala and mascarpone cream
Day 2
We arrived at the Monach Islands, located to the west of Uist to excellent weather. The massive colony of over 200 grey seals was a sight to behold. Guests spent the whole day ashore, lapping up the sun and walking, with a packed lunch giving them the freedom to enjoy the fabulous weather as they wished
Breakfast: homemade granola, yoghurt, berries, juice & toast
Lunch: sweet potato and coats cheese frittata, green salad & bread
Starter: spinach soup with nutmeg and crème fraiche
Main: slow roasted shoulder of lamb, roast new spuds with fennel, green beans and hazelnuts
Pud: cardamom cream yogurt and pomegranate seeds
Day 3
With the weather again what can only be described as tropical, our guests opted to spend more time exploring these remote islands. These five tiny islands, linked at low tide are a National Nature Reserve. On the coast, fulmars, which usually prefer cliff sites, were nesting in sand dunes and the machair was just coming into full bloom with over 200 flower species identified on the islands
Breakfast: scrambled eggs & bacon
Lunch: fusilli with hazelnut & parsley pesto with mushrooms, green salad , & bread
Starter: mussels cooked in white wine and garlic
Main: roasted dill chicken with leeks, potatoes, & green beans
Pud: lemon tart and raspberries & cream
Day 4
Yet another flat calm sunny day made it very difficult to leave the Monachs and head for Barra. On the way we were delighted to spot a group of rare Risso’s dolphins just west of South Uist
We anchored off Castle Bay with the view of Kisimul mediaeval castle providing an excellent backdrop for dinner. The town of Castlebay has a good selection of pubs so our guests went ashore after dinner for a few drinks.
Breakfast: blueberry pancakes and homemade granola
Lunch: smoked mackerel, potato salad, green salad, bread & cheese
Starter: chicken broth with spinach
Main: pork with cream and mushroom, roasties and broccoli
Pud: chocolate mousse cake
Day 5
Strong winds in the morning made for a fairly easy decision to have a relaxing day on board. By the afternoon the wind had dropped and the sun reappeared, making it very pleasant to read and generally chill out on deck.
Breakfast: scrambled eggs, tomatoes & bacon
Lunch: kedgeree & greens
Starter: salad of poached salmon with blackened rice
Main: sautéed chicken with tarragon sauce, new potatoes, savoy cabbage, and peas
Pud: summer pudding
Day 6
With a good forecast, the decision was made to head for the Small Isles. Guests enjoyed wildlife spotting en route and were rewarded by the sight of a pod of common dolphins and Minke whales. We anchored off Canna and guests went ashore to enjoy the wonderful walking, flora and fauna that this amazing island offers with the Machair coming into season.
Breakfast: granola, berries, toast & yogurt
Lunch: spelt barley salad with broad beans, baby carrots, bread and cheese
Starter: skippers scallops, pea puree with black pudding
Main: chicken and ham pie, with mash and greens
Pud: pear and almond tart
Day 7
The next day, after a “fridge safari” breakfast we cruised to Mallaig for a heartening lunch of Chorizo with potato stew and bread to set our guests up for their onward journey. Guests disembarked at Mallaig, but not before booking their charter for next year!
This was our third annual cruise with this excellent family business, and our first on the Elizabeth G (previously we had been on the Lucy Mary), and we are already booked back on the Elizabeth G in 2026 to the Flannan Isles. Getting to St Kilda has been on our bucket list for a long time, and when the weather turned bad two days before we embarked, we were resigned to being lucky to even get to the Outer Hebrides. During the early bad patch, skipper Iain worked his magic to keep us away from the rough seas and winds, whilst finding us idyllic inlets to explore and overnight in, whilst Trinity our steward and Izzy our chef kept our minds off the weather with great food and great service. Onboard and on our daily trip ashore, our wildlife guide Gill kept finding loads of wildlife and plants to wonder at and be educated on, so spirits were actually quite high despite the weather, which alleviated slightly a day or so in and allowed us to run across to the Outer Hebrides, where the pattern of great food, great service and great nature spotting continued. And then, late in our ten day window of opportunity, skipper Iain gave us the great news that the weather had improved to the point where a dash out into the Atlantic was feasible, but only for a one night stay. The next day, and with an extra early start, we hunkered down while the Elizabeth G used her stabilisers to the full in what was still a bit of a swell to us landlubbers, such that we arrived a few hours later “shaken but not stirred” at St Kilda. After a quick lunch, we headed ashore for a magical 5 hour visit, with incredibly clear and sunny skies overhead from the moment we arrived on the island, with rain only starting to appear as we headed back to our floating hotel for our well deserved dinner. The following morning we toured the rest of the archipelago, and marvelled at the stacks and the impossibly large numbers of seabirds everywhere.
John and Aileen MacLean: 31 May 2025St Kilda and the isles of the Outer Hebrides