Skye and the Inner Hebrides cruise, Scotland
Highlights
Sound of Mull | Point of Ardnamurchan | Sanna Bay | Loch na Ceall | Isle of Skye | Eilean Donan Castle | Isle of Mull | Duart Castle and Duart Bay | Firth of LornDescription of Skye and the Inner Hebrides cruise, Scotland
Cruise to the Isle of Skye and the Inner Hebridean Islands on a unique Scottish islands cruise. The best way to visit this stunning area of the Scottish Highlands is from the sea. Our Hebridean cruise is unique, with maximum11 guests aboard beautifully converted traditional wooden vessels, all cabins ensuite. Experience Scottish hospitality at its best with fabulous food featuring locally-sourced menus. There is plenty of opportunity to go ashore to explore remote coastlines rich in heritage and wildlife, dotted with traditional communities and historic castles and gardens. Your onboard crew will ensure your holiday is unforgettable.Departing from Oban, cruise the Sound of Mull and then on to the Point of Ardnamurchan. Pass the islands of Rum, Eigg and Muck to approach the island of Skye from the Sound of Sleat with the dramatic outline of the Cuillin Mountain Range as a backdrop. The deeply indented coastline, topped with rugged mountain ranges make Skye the most magical and beautiful place to visit from the sea. Pass Loch Hourn on the way to Kylerhea and then on to Loch Alsh, with a spectacular view of the Skye Bridge as you head for the bustling town of Broadford.
Typical stopovers and anchorages include Sanna Bay on Ardnamurchan, Loch na Ceall at Arisaig, the Clan Donald Centre on the Sleat Peninsula, the Otter Haven at Kylerhea, iconic Eilean Donan Castle and Broadford, the main town on the Isle of Skye
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.comCheck dates, prices & availability
Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your holiday will help support conservation and local people.
Waste: The company rescued and restored two beautiful traditional fishing vessels which would have been destroyed due to decommissioning and gave them a new life introducing people to one of the most pristine and scenic areas of Europe. Exploring Argyll in a group by boat is much better for the environment than travelling by car, and in fact it is much quicker by boat to get to the remote areas. During the conversion of the vessels, sustainable and recycled materials were used as much as possible and even now if repairs are required we take pleasure in finding materials that can be re-used. While on board, everything is recycled and carefully disposed of when on shore. The crew regularly collect rubbish from the water or on the beaches which is disposed of at the next recycling opportunity. Local producers feature highly in our menus, thus reducing food miles and packaging - we often pick up supplies direct from the farm or boat - no packaging required! We encourage our guests to fish and drop lobster pots; mackerel or crab are almost guaranteed but we do get other fish and the occasional lobster which guests will find on their plate at their next meal! Water is very precious on board because of storage and this reduces overuse for example guests are encouraged to have short showers. We only change guests linen and towels on request to avoid wasting energy on cleaning them unnecessarily
Suppliers: We are very fortunate to have some outstanding food and drink producers and suppliers in Argyll, especially seafood, hill beef and lamb and a range of speciality foods. Our guests love the fact that they are enjoying the local speciality produce and that they often get to actually meet the producers themselves while en-route on their cruise. Many of our food and drink suppliers provide free range and organic produce and we favour such producers. We also used local suppliers to undertake the original conversion of the vessels which was carried out in the local marina. These suppliers continue to work with us to maintain the vessels, from engineering and joinery to making the cushions and throws for the cabins. We also supply local toiletries in the guests ensuites
The Impacts of this Trip
Friends and neighbours: The owners of the company are steeped in the local Argyll community and spread as much of the economic benefit as they can for the guests they bring in. Local Guest Houses and Hotels are recommended by our sales team; local experts are brought in by operations to inform the guests about the wildlife and heritage. Our two purpose-built vessels were built at Ardmaleish Boat Building Co on the Island of Bute, boosting employment in the area on the two occasions we built there. On a recent stopover at the island of Colonsay where opening hours can be erratic, the company phoned ahead to arrange that the attractions at the Pier including a tiny art gallery and micro brewery were open so that guests could buy gifts and meet the locals. Many of our cruises are planned as one-offs to take in a local festival such as a food festival or a highland games, providing a truly authentic experience for our guests. Local attractions benefit, local suppliers benefit, and local businesses benefit from the presence of the company. Some restaurants even ask us to anchor overnight near their establishment as it improves the view!
A fair deal: We employ five full time people all the year round, eight part time people all the year round and up to 30 seasonal crew for the vessels. Seasonality is a problem for us as well as some of the seasonal workers and we can lose good people because they look for a permanent job. We therefore have recently tried to find ways of employing people all the year round. We opened one of our vessels as a restaurant off-season to provide all year round employment for one of our chefs. One of our skippers does engineering and boat maintenance for us during the off season. We provide training for all staff, identified in the annual appraisal to ensure they are able to fulfill the job role; our crews in particular have a high degree of autonomy and responsibility when they are at sea with our guests. When we first started the company we had two crews, one for each boat with 1.5 rest days between each cruise. This did not provide sufficient recover time so we introduced a third crew and we now have a system of two weeks on and one week off to ensure our crews are well rested and can do their job well. With the two new vessels we operate a four weeks on and two weeks off rota with three crews working in rotation to ensure crew satisfaction.
Waste: The company rescued and restored two beautiful traditional fishing vessels which would have been destroyed due to decommissioning and gave them a new life introducing people to one of the most pristine and scenic areas of Europe. Exploring Argyll in a group by boat is much better for the environment than travelling by car, and in fact it is much quicker by boat to get to the remote areas. During the conversion of the vessels, sustainable and recycled materials were used as much as possible and even now if repairs are required we take pleasure in finding materials that can be re-used. While on board, everything is recycled and carefully disposed of when on shore. The crew regularly collect rubbish from the water or on the beaches which is disposed of at the next recycling opportunity. Local producers feature highly in our menus, thus reducing food miles and packaging - we often pick up supplies direct from the farm or boat - no packaging required! We encourage our guests to fish and drop lobster pots; mackerel or crab are almost guaranteed but we do get other fish and the occasional lobster which guests will find on their plate at their next meal! Water is very precious on board because of storage and this reduces overuse for example guests are encouraged to have short showers. We only change guests linen and towels on request to avoid wasting energy on cleaning them unnecessarily
Suppliers: We are very fortunate to have some outstanding food and drink producers and suppliers in Argyll, especially seafood, hill beef and lamb and a range of speciality foods. Our guests love the fact that they are enjoying the local speciality produce and that they often get to actually meet the producers themselves while en-route on their cruise. Many of our food and drink suppliers provide free range and organic produce and we favour such producers. We also used local suppliers to undertake the original conversion of the vessels which was carried out in the local marina. These suppliers continue to work with us to maintain the vessels, from engineering and joinery to making the cushions and throws for the cabins. We also supply local toiletries in the guests ensuites
The Impacts of this Trip
Friends and neighbours: The owners of the company are steeped in the local Argyll community and spread as much of the economic benefit as they can for the guests they bring in. Local Guest Houses and Hotels are recommended by our sales team; local experts are brought in by operations to inform the guests about the wildlife and heritage. Our two purpose-built vessels were built at Ardmaleish Boat Building Co on the Island of Bute, boosting employment in the area on the two occasions we built there. On a recent stopover at the island of Colonsay where opening hours can be erratic, the company phoned ahead to arrange that the attractions at the Pier including a tiny art gallery and micro brewery were open so that guests could buy gifts and meet the locals. Many of our cruises are planned as one-offs to take in a local festival such as a food festival or a highland games, providing a truly authentic experience for our guests. Local attractions benefit, local suppliers benefit, and local businesses benefit from the presence of the company. Some restaurants even ask us to anchor overnight near their establishment as it improves the view!
A fair deal: We employ five full time people all the year round, eight part time people all the year round and up to 30 seasonal crew for the vessels. Seasonality is a problem for us as well as some of the seasonal workers and we can lose good people because they look for a permanent job. We therefore have recently tried to find ways of employing people all the year round. We opened one of our vessels as a restaurant off-season to provide all year round employment for one of our chefs. One of our skippers does engineering and boat maintenance for us during the off season. We provide training for all staff, identified in the annual appraisal to ensure they are able to fulfill the job role; our crews in particular have a high degree of autonomy and responsibility when they are at sea with our guests. When we first started the company we had two crews, one for each boat with 1.5 rest days between each cruise. This did not provide sufficient recover time so we introduced a third crew and we now have a system of two weeks on and one week off to ensure our crews are well rested and can do their job well. With the two new vessels we operate a four weeks on and two weeks off rota with three crews working in rotation to ensure crew satisfaction.
5 Reviews of Skye and the Inner Hebrides cruise, Scotland
Reviewed on 06 Nov 2019 by Sharon Nevile
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Landing on Harris and Lewis
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Beware of September -- notoriously rainy and winds in the wrong direction for travel to the outer isles
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Certainly benefited local people and supported conservation. Hopefully had low environmental impact.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Lovely holiday in spite of the weather. Food was fantastic and crew did everything they could to find enjoyable areas to explore when winds made our planned destinations unreachable
Reviewed on 09 Jun 2019 by Margaret Kinkead
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
All of it!
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Do not expect good weather or calm seas come prepared for all weather. Travel light as there is no requirement to "dress up", enjoy the company of your fellow travellers and the abundant hospitality of the crew.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Visitors may enhance the financial environment of the islands and visitors are aware of the environmental impact their visit can have so try to leave as low a
footprint as possible. Raising awareness of conservation and seeing wildlife in their natural habitat can have a positive effect as long as it's not to the detriment of what you are trying to protect.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent crew, company and trip.
Reviewed on 01 Sep 2018 by Rosie Litchfield
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The beautiful Scottish scenery - it was everything that I hoped for (when the sun came out!)
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Don't forget to pack your waterproofs!
The food on the boat is excellent and plentiful - just forget the diet.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Much of the (excellent) food and supplies were sourced from local providers, and our purchases from shops on small islands must help the local tourism industry, which is a key source of income for many parts of the Hebrides.
I don't really think that the trip could claim to reduce environmental impact or support conservation.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Scenery, accommodation and food excellent. Weather - average!
Read the operator's response here:
Two of our small cruise ships are converted fishing boats, they were both due to be scrapped and were saved and re-purposed by us using local craftsmen, ensuring local employment and reuse of the boats that would otherwise have been scrapped. We are continually striving to reduce our environmental impact where ever possible.
As an operator we work very closely with the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust – the leading organisation for the conservation of whales, dolphins and porpoises in the waters off the west coast of Scotland. We were approached by HWDT to be their first corporate partner in recognition of our long association with the organisation. All our crews have undergone WiSe training to ensure that we minimise the impact of our presence on the wildlife we are lucky enough to see.
Reviewed on 31 Jul 2015 by Gerald Peppiatt
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The holiday company are excellent in every way. Small motor vessel (Glen Mason) carrying 12 passengers, ours had 10 passengers this trip. En suite cabins three cooked meals a day by a Michelin trained chief, with coffee at 11:00 and
high tea at 15:30. If you are not careful, it could be death by eating, but very enjoyable. The boat has a crew of 4, Captain, Engineer, Stewardess and Chief. The boat also has a small powerboat, this is used to go ashore to some
beautiful and remote coves and small ports/villages. We also set lobster pots at our night anchorage, and retrieved before breakfast the following morning. The catch if any was incorporated into the canapé’s, which are served half an hour prior the evening meal. Wines are served with this meal too. Some of the passengers fished from the side of the boat, mostly mackerel and a few flat fish. We visited Jura, Isla and the adjoining peninsula, and then up north again visiting a number of sea locks around Mull. Finally a visit to Tobermory. By chance it was the Highland Gathering that day, with all the lovely pipe bands and dancers. Finally back to Oban to disembark. The crew were marvellous, and nothing was too much
trouble, with a number of elderly passengers on our cruise, all was taken in their stride. I was a single passenger, I went with a certain amount of trepidation, but this was all put to one side by the first evening, all 10 of us gelled almost at
once, and got on like a house on fire. I will certainly be back.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Reviewed on 27 Apr 2014 by Patricia Knowles
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
We were a small and delightful group of 6 travelers and 4 crew, including the skipper and a fabulous chef. We all got to know one another very well. The boat was cozy and comfortable, the landscapes and cloudscapes, sublime; and the day trips and hikes, especially our visit to Iona and its sacred and ancient abbey were vitamin C for the spirit.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Bring waterproof clothing and shoes. One day the water was rough and the wind was very strong. Those of us who were not waterproof arrived at Iona soaked. We were warned beforehand in the travel information. It needs to be heeded.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
There were plenty of shops enroute, which we supported wholeheartedly. We received information regarding advocacy sources for more national parks in Scotland from the director of our Wildlife land tour.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
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