It’s a given that when the Skipper and Wildlife Guides ask guests “do you have any special requests for your cruise?”, puffins are on the list! Puffins have great appeal because of their small size and comical walk as well as their distinctive rainbow coloured bill, white cheeks and clown-like black stripe down over each eye. One of the delights of puffins on the west coast of Scotland is that they are so unafraid of humans – and in some cases downright friendly!
Several of our cruise itineraries in 2019 allow close encounters with puffins, timed for the end of April until the beginning of August, when the puffins are ashore to breed. At these times puffins can be easily spotted floating in large groups on the water or flying past. There are many other species of nesting seabirds to be seen, often nesting on cliffs in large numbers, a wonderful sight and sound. Dolphins, porpoises, seals and minke whales are also frequently spotted on these cruises and many other bird species from white – tailed eagles to Manx shearwaters.
Idyllic Islands: Mull, Iona and the Treshnish Isles includes a stopover at the Isle of Lunga in the Treshnish Isles to go ashore to visit the puffin colony, where it is possible to get very close to nesting puffins, allowing them to approach you. Iona is a hotspot for the rare corncrake.
Skye and the Small Isles: Hebridean Horizons can call in at the Isle of Sanday, off Canna, one of the Small Isles. The puffin colony is on a stack off shore so it’s not possible to go ashore but the sight of thousands of puffins wheeling around the stack and flying very close to where you are watching is exhilarating.
Skye, the Small Isles and the Shiants. The Shiants is a major breeding ground for puffins and it is possible to see them both on the water and onshore. Cruising the cliffs to see hundreds of thousands of nesting birds in this magical wilderness is an unforgettable experience.
Hebridean Islands Photography Cruise is a one-off cruise, now in its 11th year with us, led by wildlife expert and professional photographer Chris Gomersall. You don’t have to be an expert photographer to join this cruise, but if you are interested, you are guaranteed some great shots! This cruise often calls in at the Small Isles and Lunga.
St Kilda and the Isles of the Outer Hebrides. Last on the list but certainly not least – St Kilda is simply teeming with birdlife and is the major breeding ground for puffins in the UK. Although puffins can be easily seen on the water and flying around, it is actually quite tricky to access their nesting sites, because of the terrain of St Kilda, although usually some nests can be seen near Village Bay. This cruise may also visit the Shiants.
We know nothing of Scotland. It’s time for us to see why people like this area of the world so much. We book a tour found on the internet. The dates are right. We travel to Oban and find the pre-trip information sent to us invaluable. We wait at the dock for the crew to meet us and take our soft-sided luggage to our cabin. The other guests are prompt and the crew is timely too. We marvel at the amazing cameras and the experiences of other passengers. Two have traveled with the ship multiple times. We are focused on where we are and the journey ahead of us. Our luggage is delivered to our ensuite cabin. There is plenty of space to store our gear and thoughtfully placed shelves for items, such as cameras and binoculars we might need without digging through our bags. The double bed has a portal window and well placed reading lamps. Our cabin and the public areas were impeccably cleaned each morning while we are off to shore with naturalist, Alexa. There is a library selection of literature and guide books to help identify what we saw on walks. I noticed a scrabble game, which we never found time to play. The chef, Mags, works in a tiny galley and turns out the most amazing meals. Giving people a choice between vegetarian and non vegetarian entrees, wine is included with the dinners. A breakfast buffet is laid out and there is always a hot breakfast available. There are 8 of us on this voyage. We all eat together and take excursions in the morning and afternoon. Craig is calm and also assists the chef and helps Chris, the Captain, anchor the boat when we stop for the night. Weather and sea conditions are the great unknown in the Hebrides. The deciding factor to where we will go. Chris lets us know the itinerary will be flexible. He picks amazing calm spots to anchor each night. He is very good at communicating why we are going or not going to an island and invites us up to see the bridge. We travel to amazing sites, such as the island Inch Kenneth and Ulva, and learn the history of eac
Greg and Bobbie Hobbs: 27 April 2019Idyllic Islands: Mull, Iona, Staffa & the Treshnish Isles