North Atlantic Cruise

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The Scottish islands remain a final frontier on the edge of what was once the known world. Their unique cultures and wild, unspoilt and often breathtaking scenery have long attracted travellers and nature enthusiasts. Scotland has more than 800 offshore islands that can be roughly divided into three groups: the Orkney Islands, the Shetland Islands and the Hebrides. The interplay of the land and the sea together with the people and their history give each of these islands their unique charm. Peace and tranquillity characterise the islands. Steeped in history, there are over 1,000 recorded sites of interest, many built before the pyramids. Joining one of our expeditions offers a great opportunity to witness these unique places.

Climate

As the Scottish islands are situated rather far north and as they are totally surrounded by sea they have what is called a maritime sub-Arctic climate. This sounds colder than that it really is. The seas around the islands moderate the climate and keep it reasonably steady. The average temperature in August is about 14°C (57°F), in winter 4°C (39°F). The general character of the climate is windy and cloudy with about 200 days of rain in the year. One of the fascinating things is the almost night-less summers. The islands are situated so far north that the sun is almost continuously above the horizon.

Itinerary

Arrive in Aberdeen, famed as the granite city and many times a winner of the Britain in Bloom competition, and embark for our trip. The lighthouse on Girdle Ness, to the south as the North Sea is reached, was designed by the grandfather of Robert Louis Stevenson.

At Fair Isle, in the Shetlands, we are welcomed by the 70 or so inhabitants (famed for their knitwear, examples of which we will see) and walk to the bird observatory. Later, on Mousa, one of the smaller Shetland Islands, we visit one of the best preserved brochs in Scotland. Brochs are circular stone towers probably built by the Picts. During a night excursion we watch thousands of Storm Petrels return to their burrows or crevices. By day we view Grey Seals, Black Guillemots, Red-throated Divers, Arctic Skuas and a wonderful spring flora.

To the west of Shetland lies the small island of Foula, home to the largest colony of Great Skuas in the northern hemisphere. There are small ponds with Red-throated Divers and spectacular cliffs (The Noup) crowded with nesting seabirds. We visit Arctic Tern and Arctic Skua colonies as well as calling on the islanders who number only about 30.

Out in the Atlantic to the north-west of Scotland lie the tiny islands of North Rona and Sula Sgeir. We shall land on North Rona to see the seabird colonies and the Grey Seals. The island was inhabited in the 18th century and some remains are still visible: Leach's Petrels can be heard calling from their nesting burrows in the ruined walls of a small church in the ‘village'. Sula Sgeir is the last island in Britain on which Gannets are harvested annually. There will be spectacular views of its cliffs as we sail around. In 2006 we saw a Black-browed Albatross at this island.

We visit Lewis to see the prehistoric stone circle of Callanish, one of the finest in Britain with stones over 3m tall. There are several smaller stone circles and chambered cairns on the moorland near Callanish. Later there will be great opportunities to watch and photograph Guillemots, Razorbills and Puffins on the Flannan Islands, a group of small islands to the west of the Outer Hebrides.

To the west of North Uist lie the St Kilda group of islands, built of volcanic rock and with cliffs rising to over 400m, the highest in Britain and home to the largest seabird colony in the country. St Kilda has its own sub-species of birds and mice, and of sheep, the Soay, probably brought here by Stone Age man over 5,000 years ago. Until 1930 St. Kilda was inhabited, but then the last of the islanders left leaving a handful of windswept ruins, though there is also a military base which may be visited.

The small islands of Mingulay, Berneray and Pabay, to the south of South Uist, are a nature reserve with important breeding populations of RazorBills, Guillemots, Black Guillemots, Puffins, Fulmars and Shags. There are also five species of gull, all the seabirds being attracted by the cliffs and caves which offer safe nesting sites. The islands also have significant historical sites, including the old village on Mingulay which the last islanders left in 1912. The islanders were fishermen and collected the seabirds and eggs for food. They also traded the feathers.

If the weather is poor we will sail to Canna, one of the 'Small Isles' of the Inner Hebrides. It has a tiny agricultural and cattle-rearing population. From a walk along the cliff top we may see Golden Eagles, White-tailed Eagles and Peregrine Falcons. At the cliff edge the rare Loose-flowered Orchids grow

We disembark at Oban, a small and cosy harbour town in west Scotland. From there it is a good option to take the train to Glasgow, a marvellous journey through one of the most scenic parts of Scotland, to join our homeward flights.

The channels between the Scottish islands offer excellent possibilities to spot Minke Whales (a small baleen whale), White-beaked Dolphins and Harbour Porpoises. Several other cetaceans, including Orcas (Killer Whales), are also native to these waters.