Highlights
Teaming up with our friends at Hebridean Adventures, we are so excited about this new holiday for 2023! This 6 day cruise around the Hebrides is a truly unique opportunity to explore islands and coastlines that no other company reaches. If you love the Scottish islands, enjoy close-up encounters with spectacular wildlife and want to enjoy some truly memorable island hikes, this is the holiday for you! During the week we will be staying aboard the MV Monadhliath. This fully converted offshore fishing vessel has been specifically designed for wildlife observation and coastal live-aboard cruising and charter. We will only be taking a maximum of 7 clients on this trip so if you are interested please book early! When not looking for wildlife, we will be stopping off to explore some of the many beautiful uninhabited islands and remote, inaccessible coastlines around the Hebrides. Walking in these little-visited corners of the Hebrides is a fantastic experience; there are few paths so we will often just be navigating our way cross-country or along shorelines. The views will be uniformly spectacular and there is an excellent chance of encountering dolphins, porpoises and even the occasional whale along the way... |
2023 Dates:
How long: 6 nights, 5 days walking Grade: Moderate (see our Grading Information page for more details on how we grade our tours) Start: Inverness Price: £1,915. No single supplement! |
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Itinerary
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Getting Here
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What's Included
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Grade
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Boat Information
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Note: the following is our intended itinerary for the week. HOWEVER...this trip is very weather dependent and our exact route will depend on the weather conditions, wind and sea state each day. Every evening we will look at the forecast for the following day and, if necessary, amend the programme so that we have the most enjoyable trip possible.
DAY 1 - ARRIVE IN STORNOWAY
On the first morning we will meet at Inverness bus station at 07.40am then take the bus to Ullapool. We will then catch the morning ferry to Stornoway, have lunch on the boat, and arrive at Stornoway at 1.00pm. After taking a short walk to Stornoway marina we will board the MV Monadhliath where you will meet the boat's crew and receive an initial familiarisation and safety briefing.
Once this is complete we will head south along the east coast of Lewis for a wildlife watching cruise and anchor for the night at the Shiant Islands, a dramatic group of islands half way between Harris and Skye.
Accommodation: MV Monadhliath
DAY 2 - SHIANT ISLANDS
The Shiants are a fascinating and beautiful island group. The largest of the islands, Garbh Eilean, has huge basalt cliffs with spectacular columnar jointing, just like Fingal's Cave and the Giant's Causeway. These cliffs are home to one of Scotland's largest puffin colonies: we will be surrounded by these wonderful little birds, as well as many other seabirds, as we sail under the cliffs!
We will spend the day exploring these stunning islands before sailing over to the deserted east coast of Lewis in the evening.
Accommodation: MV Monadhliath
DAY 3 - SHIANTS & EAST LEWIS
The south-east coast of Lewis was once home to a number of small villages, all of which were only accessible by boat. However, the population along this coastline was cleared off the land in the 19th Century. Today, the Pairc area of Lewis forms one of the largest uninhabited regions in Britain; it is a wonderful place for both hiking and wildlife.
We will anchor in one of several sheltered bays and head up into the Pairc hills for a day of wild and hauntingly beautiful hiking. The hills here are not high but there are no paths so we will be navigating our way through glens and up hills. The terrain can be quite tiring, so we will not be walking too far (maximum 8 miles, maybe less) but the views will be absolutely superb. This is also one of the best places in Britain for seeing both golden and white-tailed sea eagles - we will be very unlucky not to catch sight of these magnificent birds during this walk!
Accommodation: MV Monadhliath
DAY 4 - SOUND OF HARRIS ISLANDS
In the morning we will make our way down the east coast of Harris before heading west into the Sound of Harris, the narrow sea strait that separates Harris from Berneray and North Uist. The Sound contains lots of small islands and we will be visiting two of the most interesting. Ensay is an exquisite little island just off the coast of Leverburgh. Inhabited since at least Neolithic times, it is a beautiful, low-lying island of fertile machair meadows and sandy bays, and is home to a fascinating little medieval chapel.
Further west is the island of Pabbay, the largest of the islands in the Sound of Harris, home to 338 people in 1841 but these days uninhabited. A fascinating combination of hill, machair, sandy beaches and archaeology makes the island a fascinating place to visit.
We will then head a short way up the coast and anchor for the night off the coast of Taransay.
Accommodation: MV Monadhliath
DAY 5 - TARANSAY
We will spend today exploring the wonderful island of Taransay. Made famous as the location of BBC's Castaway reality TV series in 2000, this must be one of the most beautiful islands anywhere! Its little summit of Beinn Ra is a short, easy climb and gives the most astonishing views of the beaches and mountains of Harris. The island's coastline is also a fine place to spend a few hours, with ever-changing views, impressive sand dunes and a fine standing stone.
In the late afternoon we will return through the Sound of Harris and spend the night moored beneath the exquisite medieval St. Clement's Chapel at Rodel, at the southern tip of Harris.
Accommodation: MV Monadhliath
DAY 6 - WILDLIFE CRUISE
Our final day on board the Monadhliath will be spent gently cruising back to Stornoway, searching for as much wildlife as we can find along the way! Depending on the sea conditions, porpoises, dolphins, whales and basking sharks are all a possibility. Along the way we may stop off for another short walk in the deserted Pairc hills.
In the late afternoon we will return to Stornoway where we will book into a comfortable B&B before our final evening meal in Stornoway's best restaurant!
Accommodation: Stornoway B&B
DAY 7 - DEPART
We will spend the morning exploring Stornoway, with its attractive little town centre, excellent museum (home to some of the famous Lewis Chessmen) and the impressive Lews Castle which looks down over the town and its harbour. In the afternoon we will take the ferry back to Ullapool then the bus to Inverness, arriving back in Inverness shortly after 6pm.
DAY 1 - ARRIVE IN STORNOWAY
On the first morning we will meet at Inverness bus station at 07.40am then take the bus to Ullapool. We will then catch the morning ferry to Stornoway, have lunch on the boat, and arrive at Stornoway at 1.00pm. After taking a short walk to Stornoway marina we will board the MV Monadhliath where you will meet the boat's crew and receive an initial familiarisation and safety briefing.
Once this is complete we will head south along the east coast of Lewis for a wildlife watching cruise and anchor for the night at the Shiant Islands, a dramatic group of islands half way between Harris and Skye.
Accommodation: MV Monadhliath
DAY 2 - SHIANT ISLANDS
The Shiants are a fascinating and beautiful island group. The largest of the islands, Garbh Eilean, has huge basalt cliffs with spectacular columnar jointing, just like Fingal's Cave and the Giant's Causeway. These cliffs are home to one of Scotland's largest puffin colonies: we will be surrounded by these wonderful little birds, as well as many other seabirds, as we sail under the cliffs!
We will spend the day exploring these stunning islands before sailing over to the deserted east coast of Lewis in the evening.
Accommodation: MV Monadhliath
DAY 3 - SHIANTS & EAST LEWIS
The south-east coast of Lewis was once home to a number of small villages, all of which were only accessible by boat. However, the population along this coastline was cleared off the land in the 19th Century. Today, the Pairc area of Lewis forms one of the largest uninhabited regions in Britain; it is a wonderful place for both hiking and wildlife.
We will anchor in one of several sheltered bays and head up into the Pairc hills for a day of wild and hauntingly beautiful hiking. The hills here are not high but there are no paths so we will be navigating our way through glens and up hills. The terrain can be quite tiring, so we will not be walking too far (maximum 8 miles, maybe less) but the views will be absolutely superb. This is also one of the best places in Britain for seeing both golden and white-tailed sea eagles - we will be very unlucky not to catch sight of these magnificent birds during this walk!
Accommodation: MV Monadhliath
DAY 4 - SOUND OF HARRIS ISLANDS
In the morning we will make our way down the east coast of Harris before heading west into the Sound of Harris, the narrow sea strait that separates Harris from Berneray and North Uist. The Sound contains lots of small islands and we will be visiting two of the most interesting. Ensay is an exquisite little island just off the coast of Leverburgh. Inhabited since at least Neolithic times, it is a beautiful, low-lying island of fertile machair meadows and sandy bays, and is home to a fascinating little medieval chapel.
Further west is the island of Pabbay, the largest of the islands in the Sound of Harris, home to 338 people in 1841 but these days uninhabited. A fascinating combination of hill, machair, sandy beaches and archaeology makes the island a fascinating place to visit.
We will then head a short way up the coast and anchor for the night off the coast of Taransay.
Accommodation: MV Monadhliath
DAY 5 - TARANSAY
We will spend today exploring the wonderful island of Taransay. Made famous as the location of BBC's Castaway reality TV series in 2000, this must be one of the most beautiful islands anywhere! Its little summit of Beinn Ra is a short, easy climb and gives the most astonishing views of the beaches and mountains of Harris. The island's coastline is also a fine place to spend a few hours, with ever-changing views, impressive sand dunes and a fine standing stone.
In the late afternoon we will return through the Sound of Harris and spend the night moored beneath the exquisite medieval St. Clement's Chapel at Rodel, at the southern tip of Harris.
Accommodation: MV Monadhliath
DAY 6 - WILDLIFE CRUISE
Our final day on board the Monadhliath will be spent gently cruising back to Stornoway, searching for as much wildlife as we can find along the way! Depending on the sea conditions, porpoises, dolphins, whales and basking sharks are all a possibility. Along the way we may stop off for another short walk in the deserted Pairc hills.
In the late afternoon we will return to Stornoway where we will book into a comfortable B&B before our final evening meal in Stornoway's best restaurant!
Accommodation: Stornoway B&B
DAY 7 - DEPART
We will spend the morning exploring Stornoway, with its attractive little town centre, excellent museum (home to some of the famous Lewis Chessmen) and the impressive Lews Castle which looks down over the town and its harbour. In the afternoon we will take the ferry back to Ullapool then the bus to Inverness, arriving back in Inverness shortly after 6pm.
The holiday starts and ends in Inverness. Your guide will meet you at the entrance to Inverness railway station at 2.30pm where you will join the rest of the group for the drive to Skye.
Inverness is easily accessible by plane, train and bus.
Flights
The following airlines offer direct flights to Inverness:
www.loganair.co.uk - Manchester, Birmingham, Belfast, Exeter, Glasgow, Newquay, Southampton.
www.easyjet.com - London Gatwick, London Luton, Bristol, Geneva.
www.britishairways.com - London Heathrow.
www.aerlingus.com - Dublin.
www.klm.com -Amsterdam
Trains
Inverness can be reached by train from Edinburgh, Glasgow and England. Travellers coming from London and the south of England can take advantage of the overnight Caledonian Sleeper service. For more information on train services see the following websites:
www.scotrail.co.uk
www.nationalrail.co.uk
www.thetrainline.com
www.sleeper.scot
Please note that all train tickets should be purchased in advance of travel. We recommend that you do this as soon as you book your holiday as advance tickets are always considerably cheaper than ones bought at the last minute.
Coaches
The following operator offers coach services from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Inverness:
www.citylink.co.uk
Please note that all coach tickets must be purchased in advance of travel. We recommend that you do this as soon as you book your holiday as coaches can get booked up. Advance tickets can also be considerably cheaper than ones bought at the last minute.
Cars
Driving to Inverness by car is straightforward - it is simply a case of heading for Perth then taking the A9 north. Approximate journey times (not including stops, road works or delays) are as follows:
Edinburgh: 3 hours
Glasgow: 3.5 hours
Newcastle: 5.5 hours
Manchester: 6.5 hours
Birmingham: 7.5 hours
Bristol: 8.5 hours
London: 9.5 hours
Inverness is easily accessible by plane, train and bus.
Flights
The following airlines offer direct flights to Inverness:
www.loganair.co.uk - Manchester, Birmingham, Belfast, Exeter, Glasgow, Newquay, Southampton.
www.easyjet.com - London Gatwick, London Luton, Bristol, Geneva.
www.britishairways.com - London Heathrow.
www.aerlingus.com - Dublin.
www.klm.com -Amsterdam
Trains
Inverness can be reached by train from Edinburgh, Glasgow and England. Travellers coming from London and the south of England can take advantage of the overnight Caledonian Sleeper service. For more information on train services see the following websites:
www.scotrail.co.uk
www.nationalrail.co.uk
www.thetrainline.com
www.sleeper.scot
Please note that all train tickets should be purchased in advance of travel. We recommend that you do this as soon as you book your holiday as advance tickets are always considerably cheaper than ones bought at the last minute.
Coaches
The following operator offers coach services from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Inverness:
www.citylink.co.uk
Please note that all coach tickets must be purchased in advance of travel. We recommend that you do this as soon as you book your holiday as coaches can get booked up. Advance tickets can also be considerably cheaper than ones bought at the last minute.
Cars
Driving to Inverness by car is straightforward - it is simply a case of heading for Perth then taking the A9 north. Approximate journey times (not including stops, road works or delays) are as follows:
Edinburgh: 3 hours
Glasgow: 3.5 hours
Newcastle: 5.5 hours
Manchester: 6.5 hours
Birmingham: 7.5 hours
Bristol: 8.5 hours
London: 9.5 hours
The following are included in the price of the holiday
- Transport between Inverness and Stornoway at the start / end of the holiday.
- 1 nights' B&B accommodation in Stornoway.
- 5 nights' full board accommodation on board the MV Monadhliath.
- Evening meals.
- Packed lunches.
- The services of an experienced guide for the duration of the trip.
- Visits to cafes or visitor attractions.
- Travel insurance.
The grade for this trip is Moderate.
You will need a moderate level of fitness to join this tour. However, we are not talking marathon or endurance athlete levels of fitness! If you can manage the following you should be fine:
You will need a moderate level of fitness to join this tour. However, we are not talking marathon or endurance athlete levels of fitness! If you can manage the following you should be fine:
- Able to walk between 6 - 8 miles a day over uneven, often pathless ground.
- Able to walk up small hills.
- Able to go up and down vertical ladders and steep staircases.
- Able to land on sandy or rocky shores using the boat's dinghy tender.
- Not prone to excessive sea-sickness!
Our base for the week (apart from the last night which will be spent in a comfortable B&B in Stornoway) will be the MV Monadhliath. The fine, beautifully converted fishing boat is fully certified with the Marine Coastguard Agency to carry passengers up to 60 miles offshore in complete safety, which means that it carries all the relevant safety equipment to stay safe at sea. The crew are highly experienced: Tony, the skipper is an ex-lifeboatman and harbourmaster so you could not be in safer hands!
The boat has been specially adapted for wildlife watching, with a raised outside seating area providing excellent views of the birds and marine mammals that we will encounter.
Whilst the accommodation is comfortable, space is at a premium. The boat is not a cruise ship and it is very important that you understand the type of accommodation on board. It is a similar size and standard to other touring boats in its class. The Monadhliath can sleep up to 9 guests but for this trip we will be limiting numbers to a maximum of 7 people to increase the comfort of all onboard.
All the berths are below deck and are a combination of single, double and triple - all beds are bunks, there are no double beds on the boat. Bunks are small, so you need to be comfortable with this and, if travelling alone, you will probably need to share a berth with another client of the same sex.
There are two toilets and two showers on board. There is also a comfortable mess room where we will eat meals and socialise during the cruise. All meals are provided during this holiday - we will be dining on board the boat.
See the photos of a typical berth and the lounge at the top of this webpage.
The vessel benefits from having a full heating & hot water system giving central heating throughout and hot water for showers at all times. It has two toilets and two showers for guest use.
The boat has been specially adapted for wildlife watching, with a raised outside seating area providing excellent views of the birds and marine mammals that we will encounter.
Whilst the accommodation is comfortable, space is at a premium. The boat is not a cruise ship and it is very important that you understand the type of accommodation on board. It is a similar size and standard to other touring boats in its class. The Monadhliath can sleep up to 9 guests but for this trip we will be limiting numbers to a maximum of 7 people to increase the comfort of all onboard.
All the berths are below deck and are a combination of single, double and triple - all beds are bunks, there are no double beds on the boat. Bunks are small, so you need to be comfortable with this and, if travelling alone, you will probably need to share a berth with another client of the same sex.
There are two toilets and two showers on board. There is also a comfortable mess room where we will eat meals and socialise during the cruise. All meals are provided during this holiday - we will be dining on board the boat.
See the photos of a typical berth and the lounge at the top of this webpage.
The vessel benefits from having a full heating & hot water system giving central heating throughout and hot water for showers at all times. It has two toilets and two showers for guest use.