3 May 2025
Thank you so much to you all for the parts you played in making this yet another truly memorable trip on the Elizabeth G. Who would believe that after sixteen years of adventures on the Elizabeth G we can still find new islands to land on and the care we receive on board never dips below excellent. Emma, we are full of admiration for the way you cope with everything onshore. We realise that this must be very stressful at times and yet you always manage to appear so calm. In sending this email to Hebrides Cruises we are, of course, including Rob in our thanks.
Margaret Knowles
We’re just back from a superb 10-night cruise aboard Elizabeth G. It’s our latest trip with Rob and his crew. With en-suite cabins now it’s even more of a luxury trip. Not that we spent much time in the cabin - instead we were generally found on the top observation deck, watching shearwaters dance across the waves, fulmars shoot past effortlessly, gannets flying in squadron-formation and panicky puffins duck beneath our wake. We’re enticed down for two reasons: bow-riding dolphins, when we hang over the bow sharing the excitement and energy of this spectacle with our fellow guests, and food: Mags was our cook preparing fabulous meals with local ingredients, including scallops hand-dived by our skipper, Rob. It was at dinner each evening that Rob would discuss the next day’s itinerary, balancing our wishes with the weather and his incredible knowledge of the most picturesque anchorages. Each day saw us exploring a new island with the help of Nigel our wildlife guide, taken ashore by Rob and Bosun Craig in the tender. And we even got to St Kilda. St Kilda is a unique place with a magical atmosphere; an atmosphere that lingers in part because of its remoteness. Rob found the weather window to allow a 2-night stay and it was here, on our trip round the stacs, that guests and crew came together on the front deck to gaze in awe at the thousands of seabirds around us. As we disembarked, a little sadly, in Oban on our last day I couldn’t help wonder how soon we’ll get the urge to return...
Catrin Lester: 24 June 2019St Kilda and the isles of the Outer Hebrides