Wild Scotland Cruise

After breakfast, check-out and bring your luggage to the foyer. Please place any items required today in your hand luggage as your main bag will be transferred to the ship.

Edinburgh awaits this morning as a local guide welcomes with stories of Scotland’s capital city. Stretching just over one mile, five cobblestoned streets make up the walking precinct of the Royal Mile. Starting at The Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland, step back in time to hear tales of princes, poets and politicians while strolling past some of Edinburgh’s most iconic buildings including the Church of Canongate and Scotland’s own parliament house.

Perched atop an extinct volcano, Edinburgh Castle dominates the capital city’s skyline just as it has dominated Scotland’s long and colorful history. This instantly recognizable fortress is a powerful national symbol and part of Edinburgh’s World Heritage Site. Your audio tour brings the castle’s inhabitants alive as you discover highlights such as the Royal Palace, the Crown Jewels, Mons Meg and the Scottish National War Memorial. You’ll have time to explore the castle precinct and Royal Mile which are scattered with friendly pubs and charismatic restaurants (lunch at own expense).

After, a two-hour transfer takes you to the west coast port of Troon where the expedition team will welcome you aboard the ship in the late afternoon. Once on board, settle into your cabin before some important briefings. Set sail along Scotland’s northwest coast in the evening and meet your expedition team and crew at the captain’s welcome dinner.

From golden beaches to jagged peaks, bleak moors and heather-clad hills; from abandoned settlements to picturesque villages, these days in the Hebrides archipelago will be packed with variety. Possibly explore remote lochs beneath some of Britain’s most untamed mountains and wander between unusual rock formations. Possibly watch for whales, dolphins, otters, seals and the increasingly rare basking sharks. Possibly land at an island reserve that is home to red deer and white-tailed sea eagles.

Pre-booked kayakers will be introduced to their craft and briefed for their adventures, before picking up paddles to circumnavigate tiny islets or glide into narrow waterways that intertwine the islands. Hikers may opt for panoramic views from summits and ridges. Early the next morning, aim for the tiny island of Iona. Barely 3 miles (5 kilometers) long, Iona is renowned as the birthplace of Christianity in Britain. It is also a burial ground of early Scottish Kings. The Irish monk, St Columba and twelve disciples, landed here and founded a monastery in 563 CE. From this base, St Columba set about converting Scotland and much of Northern England to Christianity.

On Staffa, hope to have the chance to explore Fingal’s Cave, where the melodious sound of waves crashing against towering basalt pillars inspired Mendelssohnn’s Hebridean Overture. Possibly enter the cave in Zodiacs, or clamber ashore to walk into the mouth of the cave. On shore you will also find puffins in abundance.

The rugged Isle of Skye, named after the Norse word for cloud, is a hikers’ paradise. It is a center of Gaelic culture and some islanders still speak the language. The wildlife, history, geology and beautiful scenery make it one of our favorite islands to explore. Hope to make the following landings: The Cuillin Hills have earned a reputation as Britain’s most untamed and challenging mountains. The rocky jagged Black Cuillins attract rock climbers. The smoother conical granite peaks of the Red Cuillins are crowned with heather. Possibly land at Loch Scavaig in the heart of the Cuillins and take a short hike, perhaps to Loch Coruisk, for spectacular views and a glimpse of the range’s grandeur. Keener hikers may be able to venture further afield, weather permitting. Meanwhile, kayakers may paddle around Loch Scavaig, into Loch Coruisk. They may explore the island of Soay and an abandoned shark fishing station–all against the backdrop of classic views of the Cuillins.

To the south of the Cuillin hills, possibly visit Rubha’ an Dùnain, a small uninhabited peninsula on the southwest corner of Skye that commands an impressive view of the sea routes nearby. As a result of its strategic position, you can see archaeological remains—from a Neolithic chambered cairn to a Viking canal and more recent black houses. Depending on weather conditions, you may choose to visit the small island of Canna in search of the rare basking sharks, common seals and bird cliffs.

From the Inner Hebrides the ship makes its way to the Outer Hebrides–also known as the Western Isles–that stretch for 128 miles (209 kilometers) and look out on their western side to the Atlantic Ocean. The first stop is at the Isle of Lewis, the largest and northernmost island in the Outer Hebrides. Plan to make a stop at Callanais, where archaeology buffs will be keen to see the fascinating group of Standing Stones, dating from around 3,000 BCE. Nearby, possibly visit Bostadh House, a remarkable reconstruction of an Iron Age dwelling tucked away just above a beautiful white beach.

Weather permitting, hope to land at the isolated archipelago (and World Heritage site) of St Kilda, where derelict crofts bear testament to the fortitude of islanders who once tended the unique soay sheep and harvested seabirds for food—and to pay their rent in the form of wool, meat and feathers. The isles hold Europe’s most important seabird colony and is home to Britain’s highest sea stacks (rock columns). Island hopping northeast, aim to visit tiny specks of land that bear the brunt of violent Atlantic storms and rarely see visitors. Home to breeding seals and some of Europe’s largest seabird colonies, Sula Sgeir, North Rona and Flannan boast spectacular cliffs, fantastic rock stacks, hidden beaches and luxuriant heaths where sheep once grazed.

Britain’s most northerly islands lie almost 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of the Scottish mainland, at a similar latitude to the southern tip of Greenland, or Bergen in Norway. Kept relatively warm by the Gulf Stream, Shetland’s 100 islands experience almost 24 hours of daylight in summer. They abound with nature reserves and archaeological sites and offer a taste of traditional island life. Plan to explore some of the following sites:

Foula
The island of Foula is the most remote inhabited island in the UK. Its small community of about 30 residents welcome you to their island to enjoy the magnificent scenery, large seabird colonies, beautiful wildflowers and remarkable community life. Papa Stour offers some of the best sea caves in Britain where you may explore with Zodiacs and kayaks.

Jarlshof
Jarlshof is one of Shetland’s best preserved and most complex archaeological sites. It was exposed by storms in the late 19th century. The Old House of Sumburgh, built here in the 17th century, was named Jarlshof by Sir Walter Scott in his novel The Pirate. The record of human occupation dates from around 3,200 BCE. Jarlshof’s main Bronze Age site is the house of a bronzesmith working around 800 BC. Clay moulds into which molten bronze was poured revealed that he was casting axe heads and short swords. It seems that Shetland suited early Norse settlers, for they quickly settled here and left their mark on Shetland’s history for ages to come.

Mousa Broch
Mousa Broch, on the small uninhabited island of Mousa, is the best preserved of Scotland’s 570 brochs (fortified Iron Age towers). Storm petrels nest among its stones, which can be seen when visiting the broch at night. In daylight, a large colony of common and grey seals basks on its shores and you may spot otter (Dratsi, in Shetland dialect).

Hermaness National Nature Reserve
Close to Britain’s most northerly point, this reserve is a place of bird cries and sea smells, of myth and mist. The cliffs rise 558 feet (170 meters) above the Atlantic. During summer they are alive with the cacophony and raw guano smell of over 100,000 breeding seabirds: kittiwakes, shags, snipe, dunlin, golden plover and arctic skua, making this one of Europe’s most diverse colonies. The grasslands, moors and cliff tops are a tapestry of colorful wildflowers–gentians, heather, orchids and thrift are a few of the species here.

Muckle Flugga
This rocky islet is Britain’s most northerly point and only 170 miles (274 kilometers) from Norway. A lighthouse was established here in 1854, to protect navy ships during the Crimean War.

Noss
With its mile-long seabird cliffs, the Island of Noss is a National Nature Reserve. In breeding season, the sound of around 150,000 birds and chicks fills the air. Millions of years of wind and ice have honeycombed thousands of nesting ledges in sandstone cliffs almost 656 feet (200 meters) high. Resident seals and visiting otters feed in dense kelp around the shores.

Midway between Orkney and Shetland, Fair Isle houses a major European ornithological research station, and is also famous for knitwear and historic shipwrecks. About 3×2 miles (5×3 kilometers) in area, it is surrounded by impressive cliffs. The 70 or so islanders mainly live in traditional crofts on the more fertile low-lying southern part of the island.

A bird watchers’ paradise, Fair Isle lies on the intersection of major flight-paths from Scandinavia, Iceland and Faroe. In summer, the cliffs teem with breeding fulmars, kittiwakes, guillemots, gannets, shags and puffins. The Isle is an excellent place to view seabirds, especially puffins at close range. Fair Isle also has over 250 species of flowering plants, including wetland flowers, rare orchids, alpine species and common wildflowers. Be welcomed by the hospitable villagers and possibly take a hike or visit the museum. Grey and common seals inhabit these waters around Fair Isle, while sharp eyes may spot harbor porpoises, white-beaked dolphins, Atlantic white-sided dolphins, killer whales (orcas) and minke whales.

Orkney’s archipelago of 70 windswept islands, 6 miles (10 kilometers) north of the Scottish mainland, offers a rich tapestry of archaeology, history and wildlife. Follow the passage of time—from 5,000-year-old World Heritage Neolithic sites, past relics from Vikings and reminders of World War II occupation—to present-day crofting communities. Imposing sea cliffs teem with seabirds and cliff top paths beckon keen hikers. Kayakers explore sections of Orkney’s fascinating coastline. At the Knap of Howar on Papa Westray lies the earliest known house in Northern Europe, occupied by Neolithic farmers over 5,000 years ago. At the east end of Scapa Flow, remnants from World War II include an Italian chapel, created by Italian prisoners of war made out of two Nissen huts, and the Churchill Barriers, constructed on the orders of Winston Churchill to keep out U-Boats.

Discover the rich history in Kirkwall, capital of the Orkney Islands. Initial impressions are misleading, as the harbor area looks modern, but the narrow winding streets and lanes of the old town, which have remained relatively unchanged over the centuries, are appealing. Explore magnificent St Magnus Cathedral, built from red and white sandstone and considered the finest medieval building in the north of Scotland, before popping across the road to Tankerness House and Gardens, a restored 16th century former manse, now housing the Orkney Museum featuring archaeological artifacts from Neolithic times to the Vikings. The exhibition is a great way to whet your appetite for the archaeological gems you will find on the mainland including the unique and well-preserved 5,000-year-old semi-subterranean village of Skara Brae.

Everything west of Kirkwall is known as West Mainland, an area of rich farmland, rolling hills and moorland, with dramatic cliffs along the Atlantic coastline. Some of the main archaeological attractions you may see include the standing Stones of Stenness, the Ring of Brodgar, and the chambered tombs of Maes Howes that to this day still have unresolved mysteries. One of the mainland’s main attractions is Skara Brae, the best-preserved Stone-Age village in northern Europe, located in the spectacular white sands of the Bay of Skaill. Revealed in 1850 after a storm blew away the dunes, the site dates from approximately 5,000 years ago and was occupied for about 600 years, showing a unique picture of the lifestyle of the original inhabitants.

On arrival in Aberdeen, disembark in the early morning and bid a fond farewell to fellow travelers before a transfer to the airport to continue your journey.