2 May 2024
Hi Emma - It was lovely to meet you on the quay at Oban on Wednesday morning. We had an absolutly wonderful time on the Lucy Mary. She is a beautiful ship, the crew were absolutely wonderful, the food was incredible and the attention to the detail of all our needs was beyond anything we have ever experienced. On top of all that the weather was ridiculously perfect. We loved the islands, they are beautiful and the wildlife information helped us to recognize many species we had never seen before. It is not possible to express just how perfect the holiday was. Just a big thank you to Lewis, Zoe, Bella, Sian and Jasmine. (In no particular order). Thank you.
P Fryer
2 May 2024
Hi Emma - My family and I were lucky enough to spend a week on board the Lucy Mary last week (2/5-8/5) and spent it with the most wonderful crew of Lewis, Zoe, Bella, Sian and Jasmine. I’d like to pass on my thanks to them all. Their open, friendly demeanour, attention to detail and incredible organisation made the whole experience a total delight. Each day ran so smoothly that, as guests, all we had left to do was marvel at the beauty of the location and the wlldlife, oh and eat an insane amount of utterly delicious food. Huge thank you to Zoe for being so available and informative, for gracefully answering our amateur wildlife questions with no flicker to suggest that she had heard them all before. She heartily joined in our silly family banter, invited us to join in her cetacean watches and politely informed us that there’s no such thing as ‘just a gull’ - only ‘just a dove’ apparently……. Oh and please thank her for being such a great quiz master. On that note, thank you to Jasmine and Bella, my fellow cohorts on the winning quiz team. Thank you also to Lewis, he too had to endure some nosy nav questions from me, and did so with huge patience and heaps of information. His local knowledge and boat handling skills are second to none, I mean we all saw him virtually parallel park Lucy Mary with just a bow thrust nudge, it was a bit special :-) Please also thank him for his ‘hand in pocket parking’ advice, I have spread it far and wide already and will give it go in the very near future. And thank him for taking us to the most amazing anchorage spots each night. Please also thank Jasmine. She is a wonderful host, her table laying imagination, pebble work and napkin art was just joyful. She smiled all trip long and made us all feel really comfortable. Please also thank Bella, the perpetual cleaning machine! Lucy Mary was immaculate, always. It was gorgeous to hear the team laughing all trip long too, mostly led by Bella, who always seemed to have a grin on her face. And finally please thank Sian. My goodness, can she cook! And my goodness does she work hard! Every meal was exceptional, I loved them all and to find a freshly made cake for afternoon tea each day was above and beyond, Just brilliant. This was a huge treat for our Mum and the holiday could not have been better in any way. Thank you to the whole team, including Emma for whom, Mum has heaps of praise, for delivering a week that was really quite something special. It was a real pleasure to meet you all. Thank you.
Sarah Desjonqueres
27 April 2024
Magical experience for both wildlife and scenery with the crew knowing exactly where to go to get the best the best chance of seeing wildlife. All the crew where exceptionally helpful and the food was amazing. The excursions on shore were excellent and we were always accompanied by the wildlife expert. Would love to go again with this company.
Elizabeth Price
27 April 2024
I was looking for a small ship cruise to the Hebrides and spent some time surfing the t'interweb, eventually choosing Hebrides Cruises and crossing my fingers. I now know I got it so right! Rob kept us so well informed about the weather and its likely impact. His limitless knowledge meant we made the best of the opportunities - Iona had never looked to lovelier! Lynsey - well, without her, frankly many of the sightings would have been missed. I always reckon any holiday is only as good as the guide - and Lynsey is The Best! I loved my cabin (I was in no 3) - spacious, comfortable, warm, always spotlessly clean. Jaya conjured up such delights, home made bread, soups, biscuits were beyond superb and those feasts in the evening often showcased the Scottish larder - truly remarkable. It was extra special, even the weather was kind. And thanks from me to you for the most terrific holiday - exciting, scenic, fun and full of utter deliciousness!
Jackie Ellis
25 April 2024
Best vacation I have ever had!!! The crew James, Bella, Abbie and Siam was fantastic. They made us all feel at ease and was so helpful with anything we needed or wanted. I believe Bella would have pulled animals out of a hat if she could have, she was always looking for animals for us and she was so excited when we did get to see things. As you know your not always going to see everything but she gets an A+ for trying. Can't ever say enough about them all. The scenery was beautiful. The sunsets was amazing. We all as passengers felt special and so welcomed. Couldn't wait to see what each day would be because no 2 days was ever the same. And the Lucy Mary... WOW that is a fabulous boat! She's one special ride. Can't go wrong.
Beverly Fugate
25 April 2024
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Don’t hesitate. Being onboard with Skipper James, Lewis, Abbie, Bella and Sian made us both very happy. Here are some of the words we would use to describe our trip - adventurous, genuine, luxurious, care 24/7, skillful, you put us at ease, fun, more fun & laughs, our fellow guests were great company and we’re keeping intouch. This was our third trip with Hebredes Cruises. Our 40th Wedding Anniversary Cruise and Sian kindly baked us a delicious, egg free, celebration cake. Keep doing what your doing. We loved every minute and left Lucy Mary wanting more. We could say more but will finish by confirming that ‘the craic was mighty’. Fair winds and tides to you all at Hebrides Cruises. Your hard work and dedication is appreciated. Best regards, Robbie & Ali xx
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Robbie & Ali Brennen
20 April 2024
Thank you for a great cruise. Excellent variety. Glad Hannah and Alastair shared stories with us at meal times. The friendly relaxed atmosphere that you created was a pleasure. It was extra special. Go for it!
Johanna Currie
20 April 2024
Thank you for the lovely relaxing cruise around the islands. We were very lucky with sunny weather and seeing minke whales, common dolphins, white tailed eagles and otters to name just a few of the species. The highlights for me were Lunga with hundreds of puffins and going into Fingal's cave on the rib which is such a treat. Thank you for another fantastic cruise and many thanks to the crew. You were all brilliant!! Looking forward to returning for another adventure :-)
Melanie Rogers
20 April 2024
This was our first trip with Hebrides Cruises and right from the word go it was clear we had chosen a very professional & client centered operator. From the time of being welcomed by the crew of Elizabeth G and Owner Rob & Emma, at the jetty head to the time of our departure we were extremely well looked after, plus the Scottish clouds parted and we had a wonderful week of sun which simply added to the delights of our adventure. Alasdair as Captain was brilliant, Charlie always cheerfully produced fabulous meals from her galley, Craig as bosun and 'cabin fairy' kept the ship spic and span, and was always charming, and last but not least, Hannah our wild life expert (& fellow Northumbrian) was full of enthusiasm and knowledge, so every day was a school day for us in expanding our knowledge of wildlife in this area. Highlights included puffins on Lunga, Common dolphins in the bow wave, Eagles, Otters and Joanne's birthday (same day as Rob's it turned out!) with a fabulous ship made carrot cake and fizz to welcome us back aboard after a great day ashore on Iona and an interesting ride back in the rib!! As reasonably regular sailors on both larger ships and smaller yachts (crewed by just us!), this was a wonderful way to experience the West coast of Scotland and its many hidden gems. The problem now, is which one to choose next.......
Keith & Joanne Jackson
20 April 2024
It was a wonderful mixture of sites: I very much appreciated the variety of the places where we went ashore. Crew local knowledge was perfect and very enjoyable. I really appreciated the informal quality of our exchanges as well as all the care the crew took. It was really nice that Hannah and Alasdair ate with us and could share their knowledge (and enthusiasm) during and after the evening meal. I felt in good hands and completely safe at all times and confident of their ability to look after us. It was extra special!
Hazel Carrie
Mull is a beautiful island with a captivating coastline of deeply indented sea lochs, dramatic cliffs and inviting shell-sand beaches just waiting to be explored. But there is more; the enticing offshore islands of Mull can be clearly seen from the western coast and the best way to discover them is from the sea. The Treshnish Isles are uninhabited and a haven for wildlife; the puffins and other nesting seabirds are not afraid of humans and to go ashore is an absolute delight. The Isle of Staffa is world famous and, weather permitting, the boat tender can access the inside of Fingals Cave. Our vessel anchors in the Sound of Iona to allow guests to go ashore to visit Iona Abbey and enjoy some of the wonderful walks in the footsteps of St Columba. Visit an abandoned village on the isle of Ulva, the latest west coast island attempting community ownership. These island anchorages are the best place to view a stunning Hebridean sunset. Minke whales, dolphins, porpoises, basking sharks and otters all frequent the waters around Mull, with many bird species from puffins to eagles a common sight, more easily spotted with a wildlife guide on board. 
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: 11 June 2022St Kilda and the isles of the Outer Hebrides