Review : Inner Hebrides Big 5 Autumn Wildlife Cruise

What can I say? There are truly not enough superlatives to describe the amazing experience we had onboard Lucy Mary during our recent cruise. From start to finish, the treatment we received from the crew was first class. The booking process was a dream, with the lovely Emma steering us through the whole thing very professionally, answering all our pre-cruise questions promptly and setting our minds at rest. Once we arrived in Oban, we were greeted on board with champagne and cake (my favourite combo!) and from then on, things just got better and better. Abby, the steward, was attentive, warm, funny and made everyone feel comfortable and cared for at all times. Bella, the wildlife guide was great fun and extremely knowledgable and fantastic at finding us interesting wildlife to observe and learn about - we were lucky enough to see hordes of different species, including minke whales, loads of porpoise, seal, birds galore including sea eagles and my favourite gannets and shearwaters and of course otters! Our chef Carleton was a delight - interesting and funny as well as being the most incredible chef. I think I put on about 3kg during the cruise - my fault entirely, I just couldn't resist anything that came out of his kitchen and had to have second helpings of it all. The cod with a crispy crab crust was just a phenomenon. And of course, can't forget our wonderful skipper James. He gently steered us to all the best spots in weather that wasn't always the easiest to navigate but he made the cruise comfortable and enjoyable at all times. His lifelong love affair with the Hebridean area and with being at sea shines through and you can't help but be caught up in his enthusiasm for boat life and for the incredible surroundings we were in. If you haven't visited this area before, there are no words to describe how breathtaking and magical it is