News

Hello all! Lynsey here for my first trip with Hebrides Cruises as a Wildlife Guide and I can’t tell you how excited I am to get underway!

The first steam aboard Elizabeth G gave us some dramatic skies and wonderful scenery. Black guillemots were seen before we had even left Oban- to the delight of many of the guests.

Elizabeth G feels like our home from home - this year is my tenth year holidaying on the boat.  Well we don’t see it as a holiday - more of a yearly adventure!  Rob the skipper and the rest of the crew greeted us in Oban;  we were determined to make the best of things after a forecast warning of high winds, however we left Oban under leaden skies and cruised to Loch Sunart where we spent the first night at anchor. 

Our first cruise of the season exploring the Islands of Mull, Coll and Iona was amazing with almost perfect weather and a fantastic array of rare species.  Having a dedicated Wildlife Guide on board our cruises is what makes our cruises a true wildlife experience.  Nigel Spencer was our Wildlife Guide on board and provided lots of information, spotted lots of species and took some amazing photos as well as providing a detailed report of the cruise.

Hebrides Cruises is a proper family business.  Rob Barlow is Owner and Skipper; daughter Emma is Sales, Marketing and Shore Manager, her husband Peter works on the cruises in a variety of roles, including Skipper and Engineer. Not to be forgotten is Granny Mary, a vital person in the business, providing the scones for the guests arriving on the boat for their cruise which are always much appreciated!  Here is the recipe - with a few extra tips.

Small-ship cruising in the Hebrides and west coast of Scotland is a growing phenomenon.  More and more people want to try a small-ship cruise therefore we are having an Open Day on April 22nd to show the public our vessels and answer any queries they might have.  In the meantime here are five good reasons to take a small-ship cruise with Hebrides Cruises, especially if wildlife is your interest.

Come aboard and meet the crews to find out more about the vessels and the pleasures of a small-ship holiday. Our new luxury vessel, Proud Seahorse, is ready for her first wildlife adventures and our original vessel, Elizabeth G has been refurbished, offering comfortable accommodation at very good value for exploring the Hebrides and St Kilda.  Come aboard and meet the crews to find out more about the vessels and the pleasures of a small-ship holiday.

We are delighted to announce that Hebrides Cruises owner, Rob Barlow, was awarded the Gold WiSe Standard at the WiSe ‘Masters’ Course last week in Fort William.  Rob is also Skipper on our cruises during the season and is very aware of the necessity of protecting and not disturbing the wildlife we take our guests to see. 

Conservation charity the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust said that from its research yacht Silurian, which was used in the BBC TV programme Blue Planet, volunteers and scientists spotted 2,303 common dolphins, 42 bottlenose dolphins and 94 Risso’s dolphins in its 2016 expeditions. Trust director Alison Lomax said: “The impressive range of species documented in

Our new vessel has been refitted to provide the perfect combination of luxury and adventure for the once-in-a-lifetime trip to St Kilda. All five cabins on board are double or twin ensuite; our cabin suite is especially suited for guests who require more space. Our four crew are dedicated to ensuring our 10

An amazing find - a 250-year-old census showing the earliest recorded population of the Island of St Kilda has been discovered thanks to work by the National Records of Scotland.

If you are a Maclachlan, MacQueen, Ferguson, Gillies, MacDonald or MacKinnon, the list of people on the census might have been your ancestors.

Our Mull, Iona and Coll cruise is an exceptional island hopping itinerary with so much variety and beauty in the landscape and environment. A 6-night cruise is not long enough to explore the whole area but, just to give you a flavour of the choice on offer, here is a list of some of the Skippers most favourite anchorages. The weather and wind direction will play a large part in choosing which part of Mull any cruise will explore, but as you can see, wherever you land, it’s going to be stunning! Needless to say, the best way to experience the magic of Mull is from the sea.

Robin came on board our Caledonian Canal Explorer 6-night cruise in October 2016 – here is the direct link to his blog article on Welcome to Scotland

Skye and Small Isles 6-night cruise: 17th – 23 September. Our first steam provided great scenery, especially in the spectacular late summer light. One very distant eagle was spotted soaring over the Morvern hills and we had guillemots, razorbills and gulls galore, but no gannets this time. We anchored in Loch na Droma Buidhe and sat down for our first meal: apricot and mozzarella salad; salmon ballotine; and spiced apple crumble.

We were treated to a surfeit of cetaceans on this cruise! Minke whales, bottlenose and common dolphins and an extremely rare sighting of a pod of at least 40 porpoises. There were also front seat views of an otter and white-tailed eagles amongst other wildlife delights. And of course, the scenery, the sunsets and the

Weather-wise the cruise was typical Outer Hebrides with a total contrast from very wet and windy to soaking up the hot sun on the top deck or taking a plunge in Loch Nevis! The guests decided against going to St Kilda due to the stormy weather early in the week, enticed by the many other