St Kilda and the isles of the Outer Hebrides 10-nights

1 July 2024

Morning Emma - Just wanted to say thank you for a lovely trip out to St Kilda at the beginning of the month. Charlie (Skipper) was brilliant at keeping us informed of weather changes and getting us out to St Kilda safely. I was a little apprehensive because we have never been that far out into the Atlantic before.  But I felt very safe and thoroughly enjoyed the trip and the sun even shone for us whilst we were on St Kilda.  Will was his usual smiley self. Will cheered me up no end with his offer of “Would you like a crunchie Debbie”. This has now become a standard phase in our house to make everything all right. Brilliant.  Jasmin was a delight and looked after us all brilliantly and her decoration of the boat with balloons for my birthday was really lovely along with the card. Thank you.  Charlie (Chef) fed us all very well and my birthday cake was lovely.  Thanks Emma, I hope the rest of the season goes well for you all.

D Ledgard

1 July 2024

Hi Emma - Thank you we had a fantastic time and its probably the best holiday we have ever had. We couldn’t fault the boat or the crew in any way and the only worry we have is that the bar has been set so high its difficult to know how to reach it never mind beat it again. However we will be back to cruise with you again as it was so good. I have to mention the crew we had, they were all, without exception, absolutely brilliant . Having Hannah with her knowledge and enthusiasm was a real bonus and as my wife is the real wildlife fan it made it for her, she spent so much time up on the bow with Hannah and a couple of the other guests I thought she wouldn’t come in for meals sometimes. However the draw of Mags meals did bring her in and it was excellent. I don’t know if we were lucky with the guests but everyone got on very well and it made the whole trip very enjoyable.  Thank you so much for giving us such a fantastic experience.
 

K McKechnie

1 July 2024

We had an excellent trip. The boat and food were lovely and the crew excellent. We weren't sure if we would get to St Kilda because of the weather, but the skipper knew exactly what to do to maximise our chances, and we did get there.

Andrew Roberts

1 July 2024

Emma extremely helpful.  The leadership and knowledge of our skipper, Charlie made the most of weather windows to ensure our St Kilda landing and managed our expectations so well. We learned so much and had so many opportunities, facilitated by Will and Charlie, together.  Meals were very well prepared and had strong Scottish character. Afternoon teas are impossible to resist.  It is clear that the company makes a special effort to make these events as stress free as possible.

Fiona Goudie

1 July 2024

This was my second trip with Hebrides Cruises. It was magical and I couldn’t have faulted any of it. Charlie was a great skipper making sure that we had the best possible experience. Will is very knowledgeable guide , who ensured we didn’t miss any crucial wildlife sightings. The upper deck on Emma Jane is great for bird and wildlife spotting. I spent many hours up there . Whilst we were enjoying ourselves , Chef Charlie and Yasmine were busy preparing delicious meals for us. Being able to get to and land on St Kilda was a very special and evocative experience, made even better as there were no day boats , so we had the island to ourselves along with those on Elizabeth G.

Mary Lea

8 June 2024

From start to finish this was an exceptional cruise. Skipper James was determined to get us to St Kilda, despite the poor weather conditions, we rocked and rolled our way there, and what a place it was, it certainly exceeded my bucket list expectations! James is so considerate to all his crew and guests. Lynsay our guide was marvelous and encouraged me to climb The Gap, despite my knee issue I made it, and what a view I had of the village and Village Bay from the rock I chose to sit on for my picnic. Lynsay's patience with fellow guests and knowledge of her birds and flora were excellent. Jaya our chef extraordinaire made delicious meals, and as for her home made daily cakes they were to die for. Sofia was very attentive to all our needs and kept the whole boat immaculate. she is a little gem. The islands we visited had such variety, and from day to day it was a surprise as to where we would be next, due to the strong winds, James was kept on his toes to keep us all safe and busy. I still cannot believe the abundance of seabirds we saw, and so close. The dolphins were a treat. top marks to everyone at Hebrides Cruises.

Deirdre Brown

8 June 2024

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 !!  Sophia – what a joy to have Sophia aboard as our Stewardess, nothing was ever too much trouble, she had an uncanny knack of knowing just what we wanted before we’d even thought of it ourselves, the dinner table presentation was worth a front page of “House and Home” every night, and her unbridled enthusiasm was infectious ! Jaya – I’ve previously had the pleasure of a cruise with Jaya in 2023, so was delighted to learn of her return for 2024. Wonderful food, great company, and again boundless enthusiasm, what more can I say !  Lynsey -  I’ve cruised with Lynsey many times, and in my opinion she steps up a gear every season. We’ve had some wonderful sightings, walks, adventures, and I think I’m right in saying I’ve never known her to fail to identify anything, be it animal, plant, beastie, bird, or whatever.  Phenomenal knowledge, and great company !  I’m proud to call her a friend.   James – How James managed to get us to St Kilda and everywhere else in the weather that we had I’ll never know. I especially think his evening presentation of the weather forecast followed by the reasoning for the following day’s plan made everyone feel involved as well as getting an understanding of what is involved in formulating that plan.  The effort he put into ensuring EVERYTHING was always absolutely as it should be is so reassuring - I truly would be happy to let James skipper any vessel I was on to anywhere in the world and I know I’d be absolutely safe, such is my complete trust in his skill and judgement. Again, I’m proud to call James a true friend.  

Steve Lloyd

8 June 2024

Our cruise to St Kilda was a huge success. We made it safely to these wonderful isles thanks to James and his experience of the Hebridean weather and what a day we had there. Bright sunshine with no wind and a spectacular walk with magical views and then a fantastic cruise around Boreray and the stack with calm seas and thousands of birds. James provided us with a sunny day on the Shiants and we also had some lovely walks on Vatersay, Scarp, Isay and around the Viking canal at Rubha an Dunain. Lindsay’s ability to spot wildlife was amazing and as always we really enjoyed her company up on the fly deck. Jaya’s food was perfect and Sofia could not have been more attentive. A wonderful trip, our 5th on Emma Jane and we look forward to many more.

Jenny & John Bartram

3 June 2024

What a fantastic cruise! Despite not being able to reach St Kilda because of the weather, the skipper (Charlie), who knew the area and islands in great detail, took us to some magical places. Mingulay was our favourite - the beautiful beach was full of seals and we also saw a lot of nesting puffins. Bella (wildlife expert) pointed out the numerous different seabirds, plus porpoise and minky whales and took us for walks most days. We were looked after extremely well by Jasmine (steward) who worked tirelessly to look after us and made sure we had coffees/teas/drinks. And the food was exceptional- Sian is an extremely talented chef. Thank you to the crew who made our holiday so special. Wendy and John

Wendy Wheatcroft

20 July 2023

Thank you to Rob, Sam, Ruari, Abbie and all at Hebrides Cruises, not forgetting the beautiful Lucy Mary for another amazing trip. Graeme was thrilled to achieve his ambition of visiting the original (and best ) St Kilda. We also enjoyed revisiting The Small Isles. A bonus was the weather whist not warm it was mostly dry and whilst we were at St Kilda 
we were able to view the magnificent stacs under clear blue skies. Sam's offering from the galley were truly magnificent with an amazing 
range of textures and flavours from all over the world. We enjoyed many a chat with Ruari - did you know he could have been a concert pianist? Abbie clearly loves her job and we 
hope she continues to look after your guests as well as she did us. Huge thanks to Rob for his skill, diligence and great stories of life on the sea and in the islands.

Graeme & Sue Hurst