11 June 2022
Unfortunately our trip coincided with the most prolonged strong winds for twenty five years, which made the crossing to St. Kilda impossible. Nevertheless our skipper, James, made the best use of both wind and sea conditions and managed to get us over to the Outer Hebrides when other operators had been unable to do so. Taking advantage of the islands themselves we sailed almost the entire length of the archipelago, from Harris to Mingulay, going ashore on Eriskay, Vatersay, Harris and Mingulay. James also attempted to get us over to the Shiants, but we had barely cleared Scalpay when it became obvious to everyone that the conditions made this too dangerous. Despite these setbacks we had an interesting and enjoyable trip and were very grateful to James for what he enabled us to experience. We have nothing but praise for the way in which we were looked after on board by the rest of the crew; Viv served up a series of excellent meals (I still dream about her pork!), Charlotte was constantly busy seeing to our every need, and Will kept us alert, both on board and ashore, to any wildlife that was around and provided a wealth of information on our walks. All four crew members were a delight to sail with and I am only sorry that we had such a short time to say goodbye to them.
David Leonard Davies
We thought the itinerary was well chosen for a varied experience. While sailing near the coastline, the scenery was fabulous of course. When out of sight of land, we were all more intent on spotting birds & cetaceans & Rob was always keen to slow down & manoeuvre to give us the best possible view Some of the landings were a little tricky but all well worth it & we all eventually mastered the art of donning life jackets & boarding the tender. Rob always managed to find us sheltered anchorages, often with views of white-tailed eagles & seals. His local knowledge meant that he could amend the itinerary to suit weather conditions. Although we were unable to land on the Flannan Isles as planned, Rob added in a visit to the Shiants, which more than made up for it. Lynsey has a huge knowledge of wildlife & geology & an amazing ability for spotting cetaceans at a distance. Craig always got us ashore safely & used his experience of the area so suggest suitable walks. For anyone who loves Scotland, has an interest in wildlife, enjoys good food & has even an average amount of fitness & mobility, I’d say “Go for it but make sure you pack clothing for all weathers!"
Jeff Bamforth: 15 June 2021Far-flung islands: Harris, Taransay & the Flannan Isles